Intro:
**Guys, I’m really bored so I thought I’d discuss an issue that is sometimes brought up and certainly a vital issue within bodybuilding and fitness.
Please note, I’m not hunting for reps, if you think its good feel free...I just want to share some of the stuff I’ve learnt in two years to aid recovery.
I'll warn you now. I’m going to use pretty basic language..Not because I’m stupid but it will make it easier particular for the new members**
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Topic & definition
Ok let's start simple definition of recovery right related to sport (there are so many definitions, but we'll keep it simple)
Quote:
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Originally Posted by bernadot
Recovery is the process the athlete goes through to return to a state of performance readiness.
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i.e. Returning the body to a an original state. As athletes/bodybuilders/fitness freaks, this is particular important to us and we'll want to get this done as quickly as possible right? So lets move on and get straight into to methods of recovery...
We must consider that after prolonged exercise we have depleted our glycogen stores and literally have torn muscles into tiny pieces
So it's time to recover. Recovery times will vary and are likely to be dependant upon: sex, age, intensity, drugs etc.. But there's methods that we can all participate in.
Methods of recovery in and about the gym:
Active warm up and cool down:
I cannot stress how IMPORTANT this factor is! Both warm up and cool down are so vital before and after exercise for physiological and on the vascular system.
A warm up will:
- Increase blood flow to the working muscles
- Increase elasticity of the muscles (allowing a greater a stretch/range of motion)
- Will also decrease the onset of blood lactic acid (OBLA) - And im sure you know lactic acid and the build up of it is NOT a good thing for intense athletes/people!
- Many positive effects also on the vascular system (vasoconstrition and vasodilation causing increassed blood flow O2 to working muscles)
- Most importantly reduce the risk of injury
A cool down will:
- Prevent blood pooling (the sudden rush of blood just stopping and build up of lactic acid
- Maintain blood pressure
- Also reduce the risk of injury
- Reduce the SEVERITY (not totally remove but reduce the sevirity) of Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS); The soreness in muscles that you feel usually 24-72 hours post exercise
Therefore simply a warm up and cool down is vital. Personally I think 5-10 mins on warm up (light jogging, exercise bike, rowing) is a good way of gradually increase blood to the working muscles and perhaps 5 mintues of an overall body stetch paying particular attention to the muscle group that you are working.
Don't forget stretching in between sets to increase elasticity of muscles is equally important.
As for a cool down, don't just go walking out the gym and sit in your car and drive!! Get on the treadmill for 5 mins and start fairly medium pace..and gradually work the pace down..your heart rate should slowly decrease with this! Finally a 5 minute stretch may also help at the end of the session paying particular attention to the muscle group that you have just worked.
Ok your done...you can try other methods in the gym such as contrasting shows (30 seconds hot, 30 second cold) Jacuzzi and sauna are also popular choices..I like jacuizzi and contrasting showers if I have spare time.
Post workout shake:
Well you've probably just depelted your glycogen stores! So you need to quickly recovery (See the thread by Alan Argon on Post Workout Nutrition) as it's a pretty hotly debated subject. Me personally its convinient in the gym to have a post workout cocktail shake as recommended on here and abc bodybuilding.
Depending on weight mine is: 30g maltodextrin/30g of glucose/30g of protein powder - mix this with approx 1 litre of water...drink the first half o the shake within 5 minutes and sip the rest over and hour period. HOWEVER some people like a well balanced meal e.g. Oats, banana, veg Post workout..the answer is to experiment and research what's best for you.
Other supplementation: (approx 15 mins PWO)
If you have the money you may also want or consider: (you dont have to)
- Vitamin C may aid recovery
- L-Glutamine (amino acid...but very hotly debated again..so lets not get into it
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- Creatine (but don't mix directly in your PWO shake if having one)
During exercise I like to use Scivation Xtend..hey i'm not a rep..just a good quality product that might aid recovery ok.
Ok so that's just a very basic guide as to things you can do inside the gym to aid recovery..i'm sure many people will come up with better/more alternatives but it's good enough for a newcomer.
Methods of recovery outside of gym (e.g. home/work):
Probably the most important factors that you MUST nail is recovery outside of the gym. Let's look at a few areas of focus and there are MANY.
Rest:
"Rest for growth" Thats a term I like to use. During deep sleep is when full muscle recovery is likely to take place..try and aim for 8 hour sleep per night + any naps during the day that you might be able to fit in. Rest, predominately in the form of sleep will be when most muscle growth occurs and a great way of restoring energy levels back to normal. Don't get enough rest? Your going to feel run down and low on energy..and your muscle won't grow/you wont gain/loose weight whatever your goal. Importantly, try and get your body into a routine e.g. Bed from 11pm-8am...erratic sleeping times are also likely to have a negative effect on your goal and also of course cause stress problems.
Nutrition:
Food is definitely up there with a MUST do! Food = energy. You need to fill your body with the CORRECT nutrients. Critical times of eating will be; post workout, post post workout (i.e. your well balanced meal after your workout) and night time to restore your bodies..At night, I like to have protein powder and skim milk, cottage cheese, low fat natural yoghurt..all realtively slow digesting to aid your through the 8+ hours of sleep..But i'll let you find the RIGHT diet for you in the nutrition section ok! Don't neglect the pre workout meal either! You want maximum energy in your workouts then you need good quality cabs and protein (e.g. oats, banana and protein powder) provide a solid base for a pre workout meal approximately 1-1.5 hours before you workout.
Ice:
Using ice is pretty underrated..and ice baths are definitely a seceret weapon in professional sports e.g. Rugby, football/soccoer etc...But you don't have to go to such extremes..Just a bag of frozen peas/ice pack and a towel is all you need...Ice is simple, direct, quick and a good way of reducing muscle sorness and injury/swelling. (There are many articles on the EFFECTS of ice massage if you simply search ice massage on google) But lets keep it simple for now.
Stretching:
Again very underrated..how many times do you see people after a long training bout just walk around the next day like ooooo im so sore! Do something about it! Since we are talking outside of the gym..nobody is going to deny you stetching muscles outside of the gym...Just 5 mins or so will be good..let's say your trained hamstrings and they are tight as hell..5 mins of stretching hamstrings will increase elasticity and you'll feel alot less tight afterwards! There are many specific stretches for the muscle groups, check out
http://www.exrx.net for specific stretches that you can do at home for the muscle group that is sore/previously worked.
Massage/relaxation:
If your lucky, maybe your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband may just help you relax by massaging the muscle group that you trained. A great way to mentally and physically relax and shuffle the lactic acid that might be built up in the muscles..Ok so not a necessity..but you might have a spare 5 mins on the couch where your partner can help, and who knows it might lead to better things
Massage oils
All kinds of remedies/oils/creams can be used..Personally I like to use dog oil (its basically vaseline!!), its cheap, effective and also makes you look cool
However not a necessity in my opinion but a mere add-on.
Supplementation:
Supplementation outside of the gym is another good way of recovery. BUT please ensure you have an amazing diet in tact first! Protein is useful for recovery as it vitamins (Vitamin C can reduce soreness - we highlighted this though Post workout) /minerals/amino acids/energy bars etc..Are also a great way of restoring energy levels and getting the right nutrtients BUT PLEASE DIET TOO!!
Light aerboic work
This is DEFINITELY a favourite of mine after a bruising leg day! Sometimes you can feel as though you can hardly walk..going upstairs and downstairs is like a struggle! Therefore light aerboic work (VERY light jogging for example) is a fantastic way to begin gradual blood flow and pump blood to those sore muscles..also removing lactic acid that has built up..Sitting around all day isn't going to do anything..light aerboic work will do something for you though! Also mentally it may take away the soreness...as you forget about it and just get on with running/enjoying music on MP3 but really the blood is being pumped to the muscle which is the key to this!
The ULTIMATE recovery and recovery tips thread
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