Recovery: The Forgotten Child of Training

Coaches, trainers and the like put plenty of time and effort into developing the perfect training program.

But what happens after each session or game?

I know at our touch footy comps, grabbing a cold one after the game is not uncommon. Obviously there are better ways to recover than going to the esky.

Question is,

What’s the Right Option for Optimal Recovery?

Recently there has been an increased focus on the importance of recovery to enhance performance. However, with so many different methods advocated and very limited research available to guide our decisions the jury is out on the best way to recover.

Our bodies are remarkable systems which adapt to the physiological demands we place on them. There are so many protocols for training and athletic development. Yet when it comes to recovery – well it’s not so clear…

To start with, let’s have a look at,

Recovery for Performance
The ‘Big 2’

1. Sleep

I believe this is the most important recovery strategy. Mum always told me as a kid I needed to go to bed early, get a good nights sleep before a big game!

I’m sure many of you have similar memories.

Now I know why…

Sleep deprivation has been shown to have negative impact on your:

• Endocrine function

• Cognitive function

• Pain perception

• Performance

• Metabolism

• Immunity

• Mood

• Etc…

Essentially it affects your body’s ability to function. And isn’t recovery designed to improve how well your body works….

If sleep is number one, a close second when it comes to recovery is,

2. Nutrition

Replace Fluid, Fuel and Encourage Repair

Nutritional guidelines will vary based on your goals however in general should involve:

1. Replacing fluids

   1. As a guide for every 1kg of weight loss during exercise, 1 litre of water should be consumed.

2. Replacing fuel

   1. Carbohydrates will be the major fuel supply during activity, replacing these following activity is particularly important. Appropriate carbohydrate rich foods should be consumed within a 2-4 hour period after exercise.

3. Repair

   1. If you train hard, early intake of essential amino acids helps promote recovery of protein building which breaks down during prolonged and high-intensity exercise.

To understand how your body would best be rehydrated and refuelled speak to a nutritionist/dietician who is familiar with sports energy requirements.

So you have the ‘Big Two’ when it comes to recovery.

What are the other options?

Unlike sleep and nutrition, it’s hard to create an order of importance for the other recovery
modalities. But let’s take a quick look at:

• active + passive recovery

• hot and cold treatments

• stretching, and

• massage

Active Recovery

Involves low intensity work performed after exercise. It has been demonstrated to be most effective following longer duration activities. Why?

• It stimulates blood flow

• Fosters the removal of metabolites, particularly blood lactate. (the presence of blood lactate following exercise may hamper subsequent performance)

Active recovery can be performed through running, pool or cycle modalities. Will it prevent muscle soreness after training? Debatable…

Passive Recovery

Following a high intensity, short duration exercise, passive recovery involving low intensity aerobic activity like cycling on a stationary bike, has been shown to reduce fatigue levels.

It is thought that passive recovery promotes the resynthesis of a protein called phosphocreatine, which facilitates performance outcomes following high intensity work.

Cold Treatments (e.g. cryotherapy, ice baths etc…)

Intented to treat symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. Their application constricts blood vessels in muscles thereby lowering the oxygen requirements of tissues and blunting any inflammatory response.

Research has demonstrated improvements in sprint performance, endurance parameters, jump performance and strength following cooling techniques. There are also various other positive cardiovascular effects from cold water techniques.

Hot Treatments (e.g. spas and saunas)

There is not a lot of research out there to guide best practice when it comes to hot water treatments for recovery. One study showed deep water running for three consecutive days following intensive exercise to reduce muscle soreness and speed up the restoration of muscle strength.

Stretching

Often the go to for many people, stretching is potentially one of the most controversial topics.

While there are some isolated studies which show improvements on performance following stretching, from the majority of research there is very limited evidence.

This is not to say that stretching doesn’t

• improve tissue compliance

• reduce muscle tone

• increase joint range of motion.

So don’t completely drop your trigger balls, resistance bands and foam rollers yet.

Massage

Has been purported to have numerous effects on sports recovery…

• Increasing local blood flow to remove metabolites and mobilise inflammatory markers (active recovery is better for this)

• Reduce muscle spasm/tone. Anecdotally, there is evidence to support these claims however there is limited research on direct links

• DOMS. While there is some evidence from studies that massage helps reduce post-exercise soreness, its effectiveness in improving muscle function is less convincing.

As a general rule, for massage to be effective treatment needs to be administered within two hours following exercise.

The science of recovery and how to best enhance performance is still evolving.

It seems that sleep and nutrition are the best avenues for optimising recovery at this stage. However there is enough evidence out there to target your recovery based on your desired outcome.

If you have any questions when it comes to recovery, hit me or the team at Balance Health and Performance up for some recommendations.