Recovery from exercise can often be overlooked by many individuals. Often individuals put 100% effort into their training but then fail to grasp the importance of the period following their workout. Optimal recovery means you can train harder in the subsequent session. To maximize recovery you need to address 3 key elements; Stress management, sleep and diet.
Recovery strategies can be broken into two categories; Passive Recovery and Active Recovery.
Passive Recovery
Passive recovery methods focus on stillness and inactivity. 4 main forms of passive recovery include:
Stress management
A main focus on rest days should be on managing stress levels. How stressed an individual is will affect their recovery. The National Institute of Medicine published that prolonged psychological stress impairs muscle recovery. Today's hectic lifestyle doesn’t help with managing these stress levels so try your best to stay relaxed on your rest days to maximize recovery. Consequences of long-term elevated stress levels can include inhibiting our ability to build lean muscle, gain strength, and drop body fat.
One strategy that can be implemented to help manage stress levels is practicing deep breathing techniques. Slowing down and taking deep breaths has been shown to reduce stress levels and also boost muscle recovery post-exercise.
Hydration
Hydration is another key area to consider when focussing on training performance and recovery. While many people drink enough fluids during a workout, it is the rest of the time period before and after a workout that can let them down. Adequate hydration post-exercise boosts metabolism, helps temperature regulation, aids digestion and nutrient absorption to help promote recovery.
An easy way to check hydration status is through urine colour. If your urine is clear then you are well hydrated, while the darker your urine is means you are potentially dehydrated.
Always try to keep a drinks bottle with you throughout the day if possible and take regular sips. Aim to drink 1.5-2 litres each day.
Sleep
According to recent research published in mental health UK 20% of Adults in the UK fail to get the adequate amount of sleep each night. In the context of health and fitness this severely impacts recovery in a negative way. Reilly and deykon 2014 reported that athletes subjected to sleep restriction (<6hr) showed a reduction in muscular endurance efforts and increased fatigue levels. This is because sleep deprivation causes a decreased production of glycogen and carbohydrates that are stored for energy use during physical activity. One off maximal efforts appeared not to be affected as much. The NHS states that adults need between 6-9 hours sleep per night, this varies based on the individual's needs. However regardless of whether you get this recommended amount of sleep, if the quality of sleep you get is low then you will still wake up feeling lethargic and tired.
One simple tip I would recommend to try and improve sleep would be the use of Relaxation techniques such as reading before bed. Reading has been shown to improve sleep quality and is another common technique used to treat insomnia.
Nutrition
Post-exercise recovery is significantly impacted on a person’s nutritional intake. The national library of medicine publishes that the co-ingestion of a high protein meal along with carbohydrates post-exercise will significantly reduce inflammatory markers and elevate muscle regeneration. Post-exercise an individual needs to focus replenishing glycogen stores through carbohydrate intake and eating meals high in protein to aid muscle recovery. Studies have shown that ingesting 20–40 grams of protein seems to maximize the body’s ability to recover after exercise, while a number of studies show consuming 1.1–1.5 grams/kg of body weight of carbs after training results in proper glycogen regeneration. It is worth noting that these recommendations will vary, depending on age, gender and training type and intensity etc, but the values do give a good guide for the majority of people.
The aim of passive recovery is to fully allow time for the body to rest and recover post-exercise through inactivity. However due to this inactivity post exercise this can sometimes cause muscle stiffness and at this point it would be recommended to do some form of active recovery method to try and gently loosen the muscles out.
FITNESS FACT: 18-20% of the body is made of protein
Active Recovery
Active recovery methods involve some form of activity which promotes recovery rather than intensity. 2 main forms of active recovery include:
Walking
Walking is one of the best forms of active recovery. If you’re a runner, you can also go for a slow jog. Walking or jogging at a leisurely pace can enhance blood flow and help with recovery.
Even a few minutes of movement the day after a tough workout is enough to promote circulation and help reduce stiffness and soreness.
Stretching
Stretching on your rest days will help reduce lactic acid build up, reduce muscle soreness and improve flexibility. It is important to note that you can perform 2 different types of stretching on your rest days. Static stretching can be implemented if you have done a pulse raising activity prior to stretching eg. walk/light jog. Static stretching involves performing stretches with no movement. The second form of stretching is called dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching can be performed without any prior activity and involves movement during the stretch. Both forms of stretching have been shown to be beneficial in promoting recovery post-exercise.
The aim of active recovery is to firstly do no harm to your recovery and secondly try and boost recovery. Be vary when factoring in active recovery. It can be very easy to push too hard an intensity which will do the polar opposite of what you want and hinder recovery progress.
Try to maintain a low intensity pace which you can comfortably maintain. Generally active recovery sessions can last anywhere between 15-40 minutes but ultimately the session length is up to you.
Conclusion:
No one specific recovery method is best in this case and an argument for either being better could be made. This is why I normally suggest using a combination of the two recovery methods throughout your training programs. Active recovery can be best utilized when the muscles are feeling stiff to try and loosen them out, however emphasis needs to be placed on maintaining a low intensity throughout. Meanwhile passive recovery will be best utilized after a very high intensity where the body is feeling very tired and lethargic.
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