How to Recover from Training

Intro

Perhaps the most important topic in sports and training is recovery. The purpose of training is to place stress upon the body so that it adapts and becomes better/stronger. However, the body responds to stress in the pattern of a negative feedback loop. That is, the more stress we place on our bodies through training, the more tired/sore we become. This process will continue until our brain or body tells us we need to stop (exhaustion, falling asleep, injury, etc…). In order to facilitate positive adaptation to stress, we need to have adequate recovery. The Stress Adaptation Cycle demonstrates this concept.

The amount of recovery needed between exercise bouts will depend on a number of factors, including time between training sessions, intensity of training sessions, and current fitness level. So, while there a number of treatments and modalities available to promote recovery, they may not be necessary depending on the individual’s training plan. These recovery techniques can be categorized into active, passive, and lifestyle. Active recovery includes most low-intensity exercise, including jogging, biking, swimming, and dynamic mobility drills. Passive recovery includes stationary strategies, like static stretching, foam rolling, ice baths, and Normatec’s dynamic air compression. Lifestyle recovery encompasses things that take place around the clock, like sleep, nutrition, and hydration.

Training Load

As mentioned before, the intensity of exercise will dictate how much recovery is needed. The greater the intensity, the greater the required recovery. Exercise intensity can be measured by training load, which is a combination of duration and magnitude. A low-intensity exercise like jogging that is done for 10-minutes is likely low load exercise for most active people. However, low-intensity jogging for 2-3 hours is certainly enough to cause muscle soreness in most people. Similarly, running 400 meters at a comfortable pace is likely not enough to challenge fit individuals. However, sprinting 400 meters is often challenging enough to cause muscle soreness.

There are many ways to measure training load. One easy way for weightlifters to keep track of their load is to calculate the volume of weight lifted, which is the number of reps multiplied by the weight lifted. For example, someone who lifts 100 pounds for 10 reps did 1,000 pounds of total volume. If this person did 5 sets with this weight, they would increase their volume to 5,000 pounds.

Another measure of exercise is rating of perceived exertion (RPE). RPE can be used within a working set or at the end of the workout. Within a working set, RPE is often used to describe how many more reps could be done before failure. It is scaled 1-10, with 10 being complete exhaustion. For example, if I can squat 300 pounds 5 times before failure, and I do 4 reps, my working RPE would be 9 because I have 1 more rep left in the tank. At the end of the workout, RPE is just the individual’s perception of how hard that workout was, with 1 being the lightest and easiest workout ever and 10 being the hardest and most difficult workout ever.

Try to keep track of your total volume within your workouts and it may help you to estimate how much recovery you need.

Timing of Exercise

Another factor that influences recovery decisions is the timing of exercise. The closer together the training sessions, the more recovery is required. For the average gym goer, a typical week of training may look something like this: Monday — chest, Tuesday — back, Wednesday — legs, Thursday — shoulders, Friday — arms, Saturday/Sunday — Rest. In this workout split, there is a full week between one chest day and the next. This is plenty of time for the muscles to recover naturally, and additional interventions are likely not necessary. However, when we look at athletes and runners that use the same muscle group from one day to the next, or even twice in one day, recovery interventions become exponentially more important. A general rule of thumb for adequate recovery is 2 days between similar workouts, although this will depend on how fit each individual is and how accustomed they are to the workouts.

Recovery Strategies

• Active Recovery

  • Walking — Walking is a free and easy way to facilitate recovery. The light activation of the leg muscles is enough to stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage.

  • Swimming — While swimming is a little less accessible than walking, it is another good way to stimulate the muscles and promote blood circulation. With the added benefits of engaging the upper body muscles and reduced impact, this recovery technique is very popular among athletes.

  • Biking — Biking brings an extra benefit to no-impact muscle activity. Bike paths bring fresh visual stimulation that can provide mental stress reduction.

  • Hiking — Hiking is very similar to biking in both muscle activity and mental stress reduction. There are some minor differences in concentric and eccentric contractions of the muscles, but this is probably negligible for recovery purposes.

  • Yoga — Yoga is very unique compared to the other active recovery techniques. The emphasis on stretching and breathwork can significantly reduce tension and stress. For whatever reason, athletes are hesitant to do yoga, but even Lebron James is a big fan.

  • Light Weight Lifting — This may sound counterintuitive. How can lifting weights help me recover from lifting weights? The answer is a combination of increased blood circulation and nervous system/hormonal signaling. Mind Pump Media emphasizes this style of recovering in their MAPS Anabolic program with the use of trigger sessions.

• Passive Recovery

  • Static Stretching — Static stretching is a very common recovery technique. This is what many sports coaches recommend to their athletes. Stationary stretch and hold that helps to reduce muscle tone.

  • Massage — Massage is perhaps the most popular recovery technique among active individuals. No effort, lots of relaxation, and some lymphatic drainage to facilitate recovery.

  • Normatec — Many people won’t know what this is because it isn’t common in the treatment of recreational athletes. This machine is commonly used by collegiate and professional athletes and provides dynamic air compression to simulate a massage. By squeezing in sequence, it is able to push any damaged tissue or waste material up the lymphatic system to get rid of it.

  • Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation — Another tool that is commonly used by collegiate/professional athletes is neuromuscular electrical stimulation. By programming these machines to rhythmically contract the muscles, they simulate active recovery in a passive manner. They are great for travel, as it is hard to go for a walk while on a bus or plane.

• Lifestyle Recovery

  • Sleep — Sleep is without a doubt one of the most important factors when promoting recovery. Without adequate sleep, the brain is unable to recharge the body’s battery and facilitate proper adaptation to training. Matthew Walker has done some amazing research and has put out tons of content on how to improve sleep.

  • Nutrition — Nutrition is a lot like building a house. The workers can show up on time, have adequate training and education, but without the right materials, they can’t build anything. The human body is constantly trying to adapt to the environment. As we train, our body has to repair itself to become stronger. However, without the proper nutrition, it is unable to recover. I have published a few articles on nutrition; for a general nutrition guide, click here. For protein specifically, click here.

  • Hydration — Hydration is also very important for recovery and performance. Andy Galpin has some very practical tips for hydration, both for competitive and recreational athletes. I have also written an article about hydration, which can be found here.

Conclusion

Proper recovery is essential for optimal performance and overall health in sports and training. Recovery techniques can be classified as active, passive, or lifestyle, and their effectiveness depends on various factors such as training load and timing of exercise. To promote recovery, one must keep track of training load, incorporate adequate rest time between training sessions, and consider various recovery strategies such as active recovery, passive recovery, and lifestyle recovery. By using these recovery techniques, individuals can facilitate positive adaptation to stress and continue to improve their performance in sports and training. Remember, recovery is just as important as the actual training itself; without recovery, performance and health will decline.