The Recovery Process

• Recovery Process

  once an intense period of exercise comes to an end, the body is in a state of fatigue

  1. myoglobin has lost its stores of oxygen
  2. ATP stores have been depleted
  3. PC stored have been depleted
  4. glucose stores have been depleted
  5. increase in lactic acid
• Aims of Recovery

  to return the body back to a pre-exercise state where all fuels are complete & muscle tissues are free of by-products
• How Does the Recovery Process Work ?

  • energy is required to bring our body back to its pre-exercising state & to do this we use our aerobic energy system
  • this additional energy production requires additional oxygen & this is termed EPOC
• EPOC

  • stands for Excess Post-exercise O2 Consumption
  • is the volume of oxygen consumed post-exercise to return the body to its pre-exercise state
• Oxygen Deficit

  • the volume of oxygen that would be required to complete an activity completely aerobically
  • we can plot a graph to show oxygen consumption during & after exercise
• 2 Components of Recovery

  1. the fast component of recovery (alactacid)
  2. the slow component of recovery (lactacid)
• Fast Alactacid Component

  • takes between 2 & 3 minutes for full recovery
  • accounts for 10% of EPOC
  • uses up to 4 litres of oxygen

  1. Replenishment of blood & muscle oxygen
  2. Resynthesis of ATP & PC stores via coupled reactions
• 1. Replenishment of Blood & Muscle Oxygen

  • within first minute oxygen saturates the blood stream, allowing recreation of oxyhaemoglobin
  • within 3 mins oxymyoglobin stores are restored
• 2. Resynthesis of ATP & PC Stores Via Coupled Reactions

  • during first 3 mins energy is provided by aerobic system to resynthesise ATP & PC
  • to do this we need muscle phosphagen to be resynthesised so it can be stuck back on
  • 30s will restore 50% of muscle phosphagen
  • 3 mins will restore 100% of muscle phosphagen
• Slow Lactacid Component

  • starts after fast alactacid component of recovery
  • aims to return body back to pre-exercise state
  • requires 5-8 litres of oxygen

  1. Provides energy to maintain ventilation/circulation
  2. Provides energy to restore body temperature
  3. Removal of lactic acid & replenishment of glycogen
• 1. Provides Energy to Maintain Ventilation/Circulation

  • once exercise finishes respiratory & heart rate will remain elevated to maximise oxygen delivery & removal of by-products
  • heart & respiratory rates will then gradually return to normal
  • accounts for approx 2% of EPOC
• 2. Provides Energy to Restore Body Temperature

  • when we exercise it is common for body temp to increase at such a rate that it could exceed heat removal therefore causing a rise in core body temp
  • temp remains elevated for several hours after exercise finishes
  • causes an increase in metabolic rate
  • accounts for 60-70% of EPOC
• 3. Removal of Lactic Acid & Replenishment of Glycogen

  • lactic acid is readily converted into pyruvic acid & therefore used as a fuel
  • 50-75% of pyruvic acid is oxidised in mitochondria & re-enters krebs & ETC for energy
  • 10-25% of pyruvic acid is converted to glucose to store
  • small amount is converted into protein & removed via sweat or urine
• Implications of Training

  • warm up
  • cool down/active recovery
  • cooling aids
  • intensity of training
  • work: relief ratios
  • nutrition
  • use of tactics & strategies
• Warm Up

  • increases flow of oxygenated blood to muscles
  • delaying OBLA
  • reduces amount of time performing anaerobically
  • reducing lactic acid & oxygen deficit
  • together reducing EPOC
• Cool Down/Active Recovery

  • maintains elevated heart & respiratory rates
  • flushes muscles with oxygenated blood
  • speeds up lactic acid removal
  • reduces slow lactacid EPOC
• Cooling Aids

  • reduce core body temp therefore minimising thermal strain
  • constricts blood vessels to reduce swelling
  • dilation of blood vessels to flush muscles with oxygenated blood & nutrients
  • speeds up lactic acid removal & reduces DOMS
• Intensity of Training

  • high intensity training increases muscle mass, ATP/PC stores, & boosts fast recovery
• Work: Relief Ratios

  • for speed work relief should be 1:3, allowing ATP & PC stores to be resynthesised
  • lactate tolerance work relief should be 1:2 allowing recovery to continue while lactic acid helps develop tolerance & buffering
  • aerobic athletes work relief should be 1:1,0.5 to promote adaptations delaying OBLA & muscle fatigue
• Nutrition

  • creatine increase PC stores therefore increasing energy for ATP-PC system, reduces reliance of glycolytic energy system
  • nitrates dilate blood vessels therefore increasing flow of blood to muscles helping remove lactic acid
  • bicarbonate of soda neutralises acidity in blood & therefore acts as a buffer to help tolerance to lactic acid, delaying fatigue
• Use of Tactics & Strategies

  • substitutions - 30s allowing recovery of 50% PC stores
  • team tactics - slowing the game down gives players opportunity to replenish ATP & PC stores & remove lactic acid
  • half times - can allow full alactacid recovery