Optimum Coaching’s guide to the perfect recovery.

‘Muscles are torn on the bike, fed in the kitchen and built in bed’

You can work and work as hard as you like in training and racing, but without allowing your body to rest and recover you aren’t allowing the body to adapt and become stronger. It is often overlooked but recovery should be one of the most important building blocks within a training programme.

When you finish your training session or race what do you do? Here is out guide to make sure you are optimising your recovery:

Importance of a cool down

Cool downs help your body to return to its pre-exercise state and kick starts the recovery and adaptation phase.

A good quality cool down will gradually reduce heart rate and breathing rate so that the body does not experience a sudden stop. It will also help in the removal of metabolic waste products from the muscles, without this they will sit in your muscles and increase the time it will take for your body to fully recover. You will also prevent blood pooling, particularly in the lower extremities as blood will be redistributed around the body.

Cool downs after a race gives you the perfect opportunity to reflect on your performance. Take the positives and negatives to learn and improve from every race.

How? Make sure you take at least 10 minutes immediately after the race or at the end of the training session to spin the legs out in your ‘recovery zone’.

The Golden Window

The ‘Golden Window’ is seen as the first 45 minutes after you finish your exercise.

The body has an enhanced ability to rebuild glycogen and protein stores within this period. Therefore, it is recommended that you consume your post activity meal or drink, which will have a good mix of carbohydrates and proteins, within this window to increase the impact it will have.

The delay of carbohydrate consumption by two hours after exercise can lead up to 50% lower rates of Glycogen synthesis (When glucose molecules are added to chains of glycogen for storage.).

Reference: Journal of Sports Science & medicine

Examples of a good post activity meal:

· Grilled chicken with roasted vegetables.

· Egg omelette with avocado spread on toast.

· Salmon with sweet potato.

Additional Recovery Techniques

Once you have made sure that the key components of a good recovery after exercise, cool down, nutrition and sleep, are taken care of then you can look to implement some of the other possible recovery techniques. These include:

Massage

Stretching

Compression

Active Recovery

Foam rolling

Meditation/Reflection

However, although these all have their own benefits it’s important to make sure they come after you have nailed the key components as they may become counterproductive.

Golden foods for recovery

Cherry Juice – Cherry Juice has been found to have a notable effect on muscle damage. It has been shown to help to reduce muscular pain post intense exercise and loss of strength over multiple days of highly intensive training/racing.

Reference: British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006

Beetroot Juice – High levels of nitrate found in Beetroot Juice have been shown to improve stamina and VO2 max. There has been a big influx of interest within this market and there are now multiple beetroot supplements which are easily accessible.

Fish – The oils contained in Fish have a positive effect on recovery. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can help to increase the oxygen intake of damaged muscles and help to lower the levels of fatigue.

Tropical Fruits – Fresh tropical fruits such as Mango and Pineapple contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potency which will reduce the amount of damage done to the muscles within training and racing.

Example of an Optimum Post -Exercise Recovery Routine:

· Finish race or training session with a good quality cool down

· Take on a recovery drink

· Shower/Bath

· 10-minute Stretch

· 30 minutes with compression leggings

· 30-minute nap

· Meal with a good balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat.

· Good nights sleep with 8+ hours

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