4 exercise recovery strategies

One of the key differences I see between elite and amateur athletes is their dedication to recovery. Of course for professional athletes their body is their job and so they need to stay as fit as possible and have bulletproof exercise recovery strategies. But taking a little extra time a day to help our body recover from exercise can help us achieve our goals and reduce the risk of injury. Here are 5 simple tips you can adopt into your recovery routine.

Sleep

Often overlooked but sleep is critical to our repair. We all know life is that bit more challenging without good sleep! It is not only quantity but quality of sleep that is also important. As a guide 18+ need 7-9 hours sleep a night and ages 14-17 need 8-10 hours sleep. When you have deep sleep that is when your body tissues have a chance to repair.

Signs you might not be getting enough sleep can be - regularly getting ill, food and drink cravings, waking up exhausted, falling asleep quickly at any given chance.

Some tips to help improve your sleep quality are

• Try to keep a constant sleep and wake up time.

• Bedrooms should be 16-18 degrees.

• Avoid heavy or sugary meals at least 2 hours before bed.

• Avoid caffeine 6 hours before bed.

• Try not to exercise within 2 hours of sleep.

  
  

There are some fantastic technologies available now in the form of smart watches, bands or rings that can help monitor your sleep to help improve it.

Hydration

We all know we should be hydrated when we are exercising but it is also important to remain hydrated afterwards and to start all training sessions fully hydrated. Fluid loss as little as 2% of your body weight can have detrimental effects. Regular rehydration is far more effective than high volume hydration, drinks that contain sodium (isotonic) drinks are effective.

When working with athletes we often look at urine testing, your urine should be light and plentiful. If not try to make extra effort to rehydrate.

Cryotherapy

Cold therapy has seen a boom in recent years with many of us taking the cold plunge to help both physical and mental recovery. There is evidence that cold therapy can help reduce inflammation and help accelerate the repair process. Psychologically it can help reduce the perception of soreness which is a factor not to be overlooked.

There are various methods of cryotherapy - cold water immersion, cold compression units, whole body cryotherapy. In Romsey we are fortunate to have a full body cryotherapy chamber at Cryofix Wellness. If you have not experienced cold therapy previously then start off by gradually building it in to your routine by starting with cold showers and slowly progress by reducing temperature and the time you are exposed to the cold.

Foam rolling/Massage Guns

Far gone are the day of static stretching, its actually been shown to be detrimental prior to exercise, but still has a slight role post exercise. Myofascial release or self massage techniques can be much more beneficial, helping to improve recovery by alleviating delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and helping to improve flexibility.

Rolling slowly for 1-2 minutes on each muscle group is all that is needed to show benefits. Timing of when to roll is subjective but my advice has generally been 1-2 hours after exercise and no more than 3-4 times a week.

In recent years massage guns or percussion therapy has taken off due to its ease of use and celebrity endorsements! Massage guns have a similar effect to foam rolling but can be better to target therapy at a harder to reach area of tightness. It is important not to use either a massage gun or foam roller on an injured muscle or soft tissue but either are a great addition to your recovery routine.

Hopefully by working at some of these strategies you will feel better recovered and able to train and exercise more effectively to achieve your targets.

Tom.