recovery

• Recovery


  When 'it' happens
• The body


  • Needs to be physically stressed to improve fitness
  • Improves when at rest (recovery)
• Rest and recovery


  Counteract physical damage done during exercise
• Improvements in fitness


  Occur because of rest and recovery AFTER training
• Why recovery is important

  Appropriate recovery strategies will: maximise gains from training and improve quality in every session, improve consistency of quality performance, minimise and eliminate injuries, overtraining, illness or burnout
• An athlete who is not fully recovered may fatigue sooner than normal, struggle to complete a training session, have poor technique, lack of drive or motivation, poor sleep patterns, anxiety on the field, unforced errors
• Recovery can accelerate adaptations
• When recovery is particularly important

  • Train twice a day
  • Perform weight training
  • Compete regularly
  • High injury rate
  • Muscle damage from impact
  • Muscle damage from contact
  • Increase training load
• Physiological recovery strategies


  Aim to remove the metabolic by-products of exercise through a cool down period as well as replace lost fluids and energy
• Physiological recovery strategies


  • Cool down (active recovery)
  • Hydration
  • Compression garments
• Theory behind compression garments

  Decrease swelling, therefore decreasing pain and increasing movement, Thought to increase blood flow back to heart, enhancing metabolite removal, Aid in temperature regulation
• When to wear compression garments

  During and / or after training, During all flights and bus trips to decrease risk of DVT and enhance performance on arrival
• Active recovery


  Studies have shown that active recovery enhances the removal of metabolites through increased blood flow, Aided recovery of muscle force and reduces subsequent muscle soreness and stiffness, Duration 5 –10min
• Stretching for recovery


  The primary purpose is to relax the muscle, Short, static stretches –hold 10 –20s, May increase range of motion, May decrease risk of injury

  
• Post performance nutrition


  The first step in the recovery process and ultimately in preparing for the next training session or performance, The key purposes are to: Rehydrate the athlete, Replenish Glycogen, Rebuild Muscle Tissue
• Rehydration


  The consumption of enough liquid after competition to replace any fluids lost during training or competition, Involves drinking 500mL of a sports drink, such as PowerAde, and plenty of water (2-3L) over the next 24hrs, Speeds up recovery by enabling the body's physiological processes to function well, as dehydration can slow down or even stop some of the recovery processes, Provides more volume to the blood to assist in the removal of waste products, Water is also required in the storage of glycogen, which needs to be restored after exercise
• How much fluid to replace post-exercise to fully rehydrate

  125-150% of your body fluid loss, To work this out, simply weigh yourself before and after your exercise session, A 1 kg loss in body weight roughly equals a 1 L loss of fluid
• Neural recovery strategies


  Help replenish the nervous system, Address the change in chemicals found in muscles following heavy bouts of exercise or psychological stress
• Neural recovery strategies


  • Hydrotherapy (eg contrast water therapy, cold water immersion)
  • Massage
• Massage


  May reduce muscle soreness and enhance relaxation, Less effective than active recovery in removal of lactate, May aid in injury prevention, Possible psychological benefits
• Contrast water therapy


  Theory behind its use: Increase blood flow enhancing removal of metabolites, Decrease inflammation and pain, Stimulate the central nervous system, Drink fluids before, during and after, Shower as normal, 1 minutes in spa (hot), 1 minute in plunge pool (cold), Repeat ~ 7 times
• Cryotherapy is commonly used to treat acute soft tissue injuries, it can also be performed on the whole body, Bath or bin filled with ice and water, Submerge up to the shoulders, Duration: 5 –10 min, Decreases pain sensation, Decreases inflammation, Decreases body temperature, Decreases blood flow
• Tissue damage recovery strategies


  Aim to minimise the level of tissue damage and promote healing, Strenuous activity causes minor muscle fibre tears and the body's response is to repair this damage
• Tissue damage strategies


  • Cryotherapy (eg cold water immersion, ice baths, ice massage)
• Why cryotherapy is an effective post-exercise recovery procedure

  It constricts blood flow and reduces an inflammatory response
• Psychological recovery strategies


  Aim to disengage the athlete from the performance, Heart rate, breathing and body temperature remain elevated post exercise and may take time to drop as do anxiety levels about the performance or future performances
• Psychological recovery strategies


  • Relaxation
  • Sleep
• Relaxation techniques


  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Controlled breathing techniques
  • Floatation tanks
  • Imagery / visualization
  • Music
  • Social activities