Training Recovery
Consider adding training recovery to your workout routine. Getting out the gym, on the trail or at the track is essential to moving towards improving your health and longevity. What many people don’t realize is that spending hours lifting, running or jumping every day might actually be detrimental. Sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? Rest and recovery are an essential part of making progress in your workout routine. Many experts argue that the recovery is as important than the exercise itself. There are 3 types of recovery period the first type is immediate recovery , the second part type is short term recovery and then finally, training recovery. This article deals with training recovery. Immediate recovery is that recovery that happens between instances of your exercise. For example while running you place the emphasis on one leg while the other leg has the opportunity to do immediate recovery. Short term recovery is the recovery that occurs between sets of exercise. For example the recovery that a swimmer has between doing a set of lanes or that you have between doing a set of weights.Training recovery is the recovery between workouts or exercise sessions. For runners, weight trainers, football players, and others, this is the recovery that occurs between sessions of training.
young good-looking woman spending time in the modern European spa center
How Can We Improve Training Recovery?
Diet
Poor diets may cause dietary deficiencies which could prevent full recovery. The benefits of having an optimal level of iron are many.Iron is important in the ability of our red blood cells to carry oxygen. However, it is a balancing act it is important to have the right amount of iron to maximize our blood oxygen level.
Hydrate
Restoring our body fluids following training is an important part of training recovery. Th research is very clear that by restoring fluids, we are able to restore our electrolytes and that the amount of fluid replaced must exceed the amount lost to exercise since the body does not retain 100 percent of the fluid.
Massage
Massage is becoming very popular is a way to training recovery. In a recent article in the Globe and Mail, “The next hot trend in fitness? Recovery”, Paul Landini reports that there is a new trend in the fitness industry to provide recovery services. He reported on a new facility in New York called ReCover that only provides recovery services, such as sauna, massage, CVAC atmospheric pressure, and zonal air compression. Memberships start at $299 USD per month. While you are assessing the value of your gym membership, you might want to consider whether or not they offer spa services so that you can maximize the use of your time at the gym and introduce massage or another recovery in your routine.
Analgesics in Training Recovery
Anti-inflammatory analgesics would at face value seem to make sense as a way of dealing with soreness or edema. However, the research indicates otherwise. In a study by Semar et al, they found that analgesics used in the training recovery period did not have any significant change in performance or any other variable and did not reduce inflammation.
However, some studies have found a link to the use of anti-inflammatory analgesics and reduced muscle soreness.
How Can we Make Training Recovery Work for Us?
1) Schedule Recovery Weeks
It’s important to plan training recovery in our exercise routine. If it’s not planned we can sometimes get the effect of over training. If exercise is too frequent or too strenuous we can experience negative physiological and chemical changes in our body that may lead to injury, fatigue, and eventually prevent us from keeping up with the regular schedule. Consider even adding a week for recovery every 6 to 8 weeks where you reduce the level of exercise, or even take a holiday all together.
2) Have Enough Training Recovery Time Between Workouts
Make sure that you have 24-72 hours recovery time between intense training sessions involving the same muscle groups.
3) Sleep Well
Include as part of your training schedule a sleeping routine. This routine should include the time that you go to bed, and that time should be similar each night so that you get 8 hours of sleep. To improve you chances of falling asleep, avoid distractions such as your phone, computer or television.
4) Hydrate
Drink about 1 L of water for every 1000 calories expended.
5) Eat Well
Eat a post workout snack that contain roughly 50 grams of carbohydrates and 30 grams of protein. A well-balanced meal should be consumed roughly 2 hours post workout to continue the recovery process.
6) Massage
Massage can reduce muscle stiffness, promote circulation and promote relaxation, Between intense sessions, it can remove scar tissue, adhesions in the muscle and restrictions in the fascia (a type of connective tissue that wraps around the whole body).
7) Enroll in a Yoga Class
Yoga is another way that you can promote training recovery. Have one to two sessions of Yoga to supplement your training. You should consider joining a gym that offers yoga classes to make your workout efficient.
and Remember “Beauty is an Attitude”
