Posted: February 16, 2006

Multisport by Lance Watson: Recovery - Increase Performance by Attending to the Basics

By Lance Watson.

You may be one of the hardest trainers in the world, but if you don’t let your body recover you will never reap the rewards of your hard work. Recovery is an around the clock process. Every workout has a certain amount of physical and mental demand and each time you train it's like pulling back on an elastic band: the harder you work or the further you pull back on that band the further you will go forward after you allow yourself to rest. If you simply continue to work hard day after day, and week after week you will snap that elastic band and find yourself no further ahead. Regularly scheduled rest and recovery allows athletes to reach increasingly higher targets with a lower risk of injury. A complete workout routine includes not only the exercise itself, but also caring for the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur with strenuous movement and activities.

Good nutrition has always been known as the fuel needed to get the most out of yourself during a workout, but the benefits of nutrition post-workout are just as important. After the workout has been completed it is time to replenish the fluids, calories and nutrients the body has used. The more intense the exercise or sport, the greater the body's hydration and nutrient needs. Athletes who participate in endurance activities of an hour or more have specific needs because of what they demand from their bodies. Endurance athletes lose more electrolytes (such as magnesium, potassium and sodium) through perspiration and must diligently replace them. Since muscle-tissue breakdown is common during intense exercise, athletes also need more proteins to repair the tissues. Prepare and plan for fluid and nutritional replenishment by having a recovery drink bottle and light snack ready to eat within 30-60minutes of completing your workout. Consume 20-30 grams of carbohydrates and 5-10 grams of protein in the form of an energy bar, a shake, or a basic food like a bagel with almond butter and sliced banana. The carbohydrates, proteins and fats you ingest will help your body recover more effectively and be ready to go again during your next workout.

Along with nutrition it is also important to ensure that you are getting enough rest, and looking after all those aches and pains through adequate stretching, icing, and massage.

• Stretching allows the muscles, tendons and ligaments to get back to their regular length and helps to keep your body aligned. Plan for a 10-15 minute stretching session following your workouts. Your range of motion and mobility will be increased and this can prevent injuries.
• Icing is also an effective way to encourage recovery and healing after intense efforts. After a hard workout icing the heavily loaded areas of the body will minimize swelling therefore allowing the muscles to continue to have good blood flow. Standing in a cold lake or ocean, sitting for 5-7 minutes in a cold bath, or even better, performing hot/cold bath therapy are other ways to increase blood flow and recovery.
• Massage is another way to physiologically and psychologically stimulate recovery. Massage assists in ridding your muscles of the metabolic by-products produced by your body during training and maximizes the supply of nutrients and oxygen through increased blood flow. Additionally, because massage requires you to lie on a table you will be taking the time to allow your mind to unwind and relax as well.
• Resting your body by having a nap or lying in a comfy chair or on the couch is advantageous to your recovery. Let's face it, most people find it tough to get enough sleep during the night so if you are able to sit down, relax or even fall asleep for 30 minutes during some part of your day your body will be able to spend more energy on repair and regeneration of muscles and tissues. .
• Try to allow your body to go through the daily motions it must with the least amount of stress necessary. Breathe deeply and be aware of tension in your body, relaxing when you can.

During recovery, your body is healing and adapting to training. A good recovery routine will allow the body to recover quickly and will leave you fitter and faster as a result. Treated as the important step between workouts your recovery interval will make all that hard training pay off.

Thanks to Suzanne Weckend for her contribution to this piece.

Over the past 20 years, Lance Watson has coached a number of Ironman and Olympic Games Champions.
Beginner and experienced triathletes can contact him at LifeSport Coaching (coach@LifeSport.ca) or visit LifeSport.ca.

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Posted with permission from LifeSport.ca.

© Copyright 2006 Lance Watson Professional Coaching Inc.