What is the best way to recover?
Should you focus on nutrition? Should you do a daily ice bath? Should you sleep in a hyperbaric chamber? Maybe all of the above? I am not talking about recovering from injury. I am talking about recovering from daily training.Wait, I should start by asking you a question…Do you actively recover from your daily workouts?
A lot of research has been done that will advocate for a 1:1 recovery. Meaning, if you spend an hour in the gym, you should spend one hour on recovery activities. Which many people don’t know what these techniques are.
The best way to look at training is as a formula:
- Training = Work + Recovery
Good recovery practices also allow more frequent high-intensity training sessions. If you neglect your recovery it will slowly creep up on you until…BOOM…. your burnt out and possibly injured because you “pushed” through the pain. Don’t be placed into that category, use the techniques I have listed below to create time for recovery to keep your body and mind working properly to help you train more efficiently.
A commonly misunderstood principle is that training, is also a stressor on your body which needs to be counter balanced with recovery. Let’s get to your action steps.
Recovery Action Steps:
- First, focus on getting high-quality sleep. Not 3 hours of sleep but really good REM sleep that you wake up refreshed.
- Next, focus on your nutrition. I can’t harp on it enough to make sure that you’re eating properly and that you optimize your pre and post workout meals.
- After that, start adding contrast showers to your daily routine. Trust me on this one. Using ice baths might sound like a torture but they are good for recovery.
- Lastly, get a lacrosse ball and learn how to use it. Mobility is your best friend and you need to incorporate it daily.
What supplements can help? And really, most supplements will show marginal results for you if you are not really hitting it hard with sleep, nutrition and basic DIY recovery.
Recovery Action Steps
- Magnesium – There is evidence that marginal magnesium deficiency impairs exercise performance and amplifies the negative consequences of strenuous exercise (e.g., oxidative stress).
- BCAAs – BCAAs are not an athletic performance enhancer (directly), but rather a way to enhance muscle recovery and boost the immune system.
- Turmeric – If you have a diet high in anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory foods (like turmeric) you’ll be able to train harder, more effectively and more efficiently in a given time period.
- Essential Oils…? – These oils have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and honestly if it weren’t for some really positive personal uses I wouldn’t suggest them. But you can take a look at essential oils as a method to recovery.
That’s recovery in a nutshell ! Always come to your coaches if you are having problems and never hesitate to ask questions on how to make your recovery better !