Smart Training + Smart Recovery = PROGRESS!
Ok, so I’ve had a few people asking me about recovery after training so I thought I’d write a short article on what strategies YOU should have in place if you’re an athlete or train regularly.
The fundamental aim when we train is to OVERLOAD our body a suitable amount so that an adaptation will take place.
These adaptations don’t occur during the exercise itself, they happen afterwards during rest.
With this in mind, if you don’t allow your body to recover adequately enough before the subsequent training sessions, eventually this is going to seriously affect your performance and health (e.g. Chronic fatigue).
It’s a fine balance and aside from good periodisation/planning, there are a number of strategies you can use to improve recovery and therefore, keep getting better!
For me, you’ve got to get the basics right, so here’s a short list of the key recovery strategies:
Sleep and rest:
Quality sleep is vital for the body. It also causes the body to release anabolic hormones that promote regeneration and adaptation in the body. 8 hours a night minimum is recommended.
Rest can also be a time to work on mobility issues and can include light activity that restores movement, such as yoga or Pilates.
Psychological rest is very important so spend time doing what you enjoy and find strategies to de-stress (e.g. spending time with friends and family etc)
Remember that hard training sessions can take DAYS to recover from properly!
Hydration:
Dehydration can seriously impeded performance, both physical and psychological. Unfortunately, thirst is a poor indicator of dehydration due to the delayed response. On average, we need 2-3 litres of water per day, plus extra if exercising. An easy way to regulate hydration is to check urine colour. If it’s darker than a very pale, ‘hay’ coloured yellow, you probably need to up your water intake!
Get into the habit of taking regular gulps throughout the day and during exercise! And if you sweat a lot or train in warm conditions, you may need to add electrolytes to your drink to restore natural levels.
Try weighing yourself before and after exercise to workout how much water you have lost in that period (1kg lost = 1 litre of water). Guidelines recommend that you rehydrate with 150% of the amount lost.
Nutrition:
Eating a McDonalds or drinking a pint after training doesn’t cut it anymore unfortunately. Your body has a lot of restoration to do post exercise and you need food that is going to maximise your recovery. Quality foods are a must and should form the majority of your intake.
Protein intake is crucial, especially during the recovery period. General guidelines for daily intake should equate to around 2g per kg of your target body weight (e.g. 70kg x 2 = 140g per day), but depending on your body composition aims, this may be higher.
Carbohydrate is also very important in the recovery process as it helps to prevent muscle break down and promotes re-synthesis of the tissue. High glycemic foods should be reserved for this post training period (approx. up to an hour after training). Eating lower glycemic, complex carbs in suitable amounts (depending on your goals) as part of your other daily meals is a good idea. Include plenty of veg, fruit, spices and herbs in your meals which contain high levels of anti-oxidants and will help to reduce inflammation caused by training.
All your meals should have a balance between high quality proteins (lean), carbohydrates and healthy fats. Supplementation can be useful for certain people but getting the basics right first is more important.
Check these simplified food plates out as a guideline:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Berardi-Anytime-Plate-S.png
These are general guidelines for athletes or people who train daily and should be adapted to suit you personal goals, whether that is fat loss or muscle gain.
If you have any questions regarding nutrition or training, feel free to email me at [email protected]!
Thanks for reading!
Rob