Great Performance Starts With Great Recovery

Has a workout ever left you sore, tired and confused as to how professional athletes seem to bounce back from tough sessions so quickly?

The trick with really taking your training and performance to the next level, actually lies in your recovery. How you recover from session is like the secret sauce in any great recipe and it’s something that the great athletes work out quickly, and then use to power up and drive themselves on to new heights.

But, how is it done and how can you get in on the act?

Being sore or fatigued after a workout is completely normal – its the body’s response to helping you recover, and adapt based on what you through at it. Recovery is all about how you can aim to return back faster, stronger, and better the next time around.

As athletes, weekend warriors, or people who just like to work out, it’s important to understand the body’s response to a workout, and how you can  help yourself in the recovery process. 

Here are 3 evidence based ways to level up your recovery game…

1. Hydration

We all know to drink enough water; however, it is not just fluid we lose when sweating, we are also losing essential electrolytes which include sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

Sodium and water make up the largest components of sweat, so replenishing these are crucial.

After exercise that results in a loss of body mass due to sweating, water and sodium should be consumed in a quantity greater than the losses to re-optimise your balance of water and electrolytes. 

Drinks high in sodium include: Gatorade, Lucozade Sport, Powerade, Hydralite and Milk.

2. Sleep

Staying up late can really hurt your ability to recover quickly.

There is ongoing debate as to how much sleep an athlete requires each night, however the national sleep foundation recommends that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night, so that’s a fair base to start with. 

Why is a lack of sleep a problem? Well it’s been linked with reducing immune function, decreasing sub-maximal sustained performance, and even reducing glucose metabolism, which may result in increased fatigue. So, it is crucial to get enough sleep.

Here are a few ways to help you get your 7-9 hours of sleep each night:

• Ensure you are getting 10-15 minutes of direct sunlight into your eyes upon waking
• Ensure you exercise 4-6 hours before your scheduled bed-time
• No blue light (computer screens, smart phones, T.Vs) 1 hour before bed
• No caffeine 10-12 hours before your scheduled bedtime

3. Nutrition 

Nutrition for recovery begins right after your exercise session has been completed.

Ensuring you are ingesting high quality protein post-workout  can assist with muscle growth, muscle damage repair and muscle protein synthesis, which is the body’s response to exercise involving a process of bringing protein into your muscles. 

For reference, studies have shown that the optimal amount of protein is 25-30 grams in one meal, as this is the optimal amount for the body to digest at one time. 

Great sources of protein include:

• Steak
• Tofu
• Beans
• Chicken breast

To Summarise 

Recovery is just as important as the workout and should be treated as such. 

Ensure that you are focusing on these 3 things for optimising your recovery:

• Hydration – Drinking enough water and sodium
• Sleep – 7-9 hours of sleep each night 
• Protein – 25-30g of protein per meal and after a workout