Recovery as an athlete is probably one of the most commonly misinterpreted parts of your workout and playing routine. Most players tend to believe that a recovery day is a complete day off.
Immediate Recovery is the best way to replenish your body’s energy and help relieve muscle soreness while preventing future injuries and soreness. There are many benefits to immediate recovery.
The period of time right after workouts or activity is called Immediate Recovery. This is a very important time for an athlete’s body and muscles to recover quicker. It takes place in the first thirty minutes following activity or competition. Immediate Recovery includes nutrition and hydration. An athlete needs to consume a mixture of carbs, fats, and proteins in an amount based on the sport the athlete plays and body composition. Athletes will also need to include some sort of electrolyte drink such as Gatorade or Powerade and water.
The second part of recovery is based on cryotherapy or ice bathing, as most athletes would call it. This part of recovery requires the athlete to submerge their body in a cold tub at or below 55 degrees for at least 5 minutes. Another option athletes can consider is contrast therapy. This requires the athlete to alternate between hot and cold tubs on 5 minute intervals- 3 minutes in cold and 2 minutes in hot for a total of 20 minutes.
All of the above will help the body start recovering sooner and speed up the overall process. Nutrition and hydration provide the necessary nutrients to replenish glycogen stores and electrolytes. The ice bath will help reduce the body’s core temperature while cooling the body and muscle tissue will help eliminate delayed onset muscle soreness, also known as DOMS.
What are your favorite routines for immediate recovery? Let us know in the comments below.