Recovery

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Recovery Regeneration

• Shane Pizzey MKin, CSCS, CEP

2
Quotes

• Recovery.thats the name of the game..
  Whoever recovers the fastest does the best Lance
  Armstrong.
• The hardest thing for an athlete to do is not
  to train. You cant sit still. You feel you
  should be out there working Graham Obree World
  Champion Cyclist

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Introduction

• There is a very fine line between being a World
  Champion athlete and an also ran athlete
• The key question is, how can you push yourself to
  the limits of human performance without tipping
  over the edge?
• How can you train hard without falling apart?
• The answer one of the simplest yet most
  neglected training principles - RECOVERY

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Definition

• Recovery gradual healing (through rest) after
  sickness or injury
• Regeneration growth anew of lost tissue or
  destroyed parts or organs so that the original
  function is restored

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Progressive Overload

• Training is designed to progressively overload
  the body systems and fuel stores
• If the training stress is inadequate to overload
  the physiological system then no adaptations will
  occur
• If the workload is too great (applied too
  quickly, performed too often without adequate
  rest) then fatigue follows and the following
  performance will be reduced
• Work alone is not enough to produce the best
  results. Your body needs time to adapt to
  training
• To encourage adaptation to training it is
  important to plan recovery activities that reduce
  residual fatigue
• The sooner you recover from fatigue and the
  fresher you are when you complete a training
  session, the better the chance of improving

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Fitness vs. Fatigue
Adapted from Grantham
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Fitness vs. Fatigue

• If we present a recovery method at the point of
  fatigue we can expect to reduce the amount of
  time it will take for the athlete to recover from
  training
• The broken line represents the improved recovery
  rate
• The yellow shaded area represents the increased
  window of opportunity for the presentation of the
  next training stimulus
• We can then present another training stimulus
  sooner

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Types of Fatigue

• Fatigue is multi-factorial depending on the
  type of training stimulus, an athlete can
  experience a number of different forms of fatigue
• Before we can introduce a recovery strategy we
  need to know what type of fatigue we are dealing
  with

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Types of Fatigue

• Metabolic Fatigue (energy stores)
• High volume training
• Repeated workloads
• Aerobic/Anaerobic conditioning
• Multiple training sessions throughout day
• Tissue Damage
• Plyometrics
• Eccentric loading
• Contact sports

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Types of Fatigue

• Neurological (peripheral nervous system)
• High intensity work
• Resistance training (strength and power
  development)
• Speed work
• Skill sessions and introduction of new training
  techniques

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Types of Fatigue

• Psychological (CNS emotional fatigue)
• Training monotony
• Lifestyle issues
• Heavy game/competition/training period
• Pressure plays
• New training techniques
• Environmental
• Hot and cold environments
• Travel (local, national, international)
• Time differences

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Recovery Strategies
Adapted from Grantham
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Recovery Strategies

• You should NOT be considering Levels 3 4
  recovery strategies if you have not even
  established the basics at Levels 1 2
• Level 1
• Sleep/Rest (passive and active)
• Sleep is one of the most important forms of rest
  and provides time for the athlete to adapt to the
  physical and mental demands of training.
• Other forms of passive rest include reading,
  listening to music
• Other forms of active rest such as walking, cross
  training and stretching are also beneficial to an
  athletes overall recovery

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Recovery Strategies

• Level 1
• Nutrition (refuelling and rehydration)
• The most important components for nutritional
  recovery are fluid and fuel replacement. You
  should avoid drinks containing caffeine and drink
  enough fluid (water or sports drinks) before,
  during and after training to replace sweat loss.
• There is a 45-minute window of opportunity for
  refuelling. The ideal recovery nutrition strategy
  is a meal or liquid supplement containing high
  glycaemic index carbohydrates and quality
  proteins in approximately a 41 ratio
• This includes 10-20 if the athletes total daily
  caloric intake of these two macronutrients

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Recovery Strategies

• Level 2
• Periodization
• One of the fundamental components of any training
  program
• An athletes ability to recover will be enhanced
  through the use of a well planned training
  program, which allows time to recover from the
  training that is being undertaken
• Reactive Programming
• Once you have a plan (see Periodization), accept
  that there will be times when you need to deviate
  from it in order to recover!
• The ability for a coach and athlete to react to a
  given situation is crucial to the success of the
  program
• If the athlete is fatigued there is little point
  training for the sake of sticking to the program
• Athletes and coaches need to be able to program
  reactively

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Recovery Strategies

• Cool down and stretching
• The cool down is a group of exercises performed
  immediately after training to provide a period of
  adjustment between exercise and rest.
• Its purpose is to improve muscular relaxation,
  remove waste products, reduce muscular soreness
  and bring the cardiovascular system back to rest.
  
• Stretching is often combined with the cool down.
  Many athletes lack sufficient flexibility to
  perform their sports movements efficiently and
  the elevated temperatures following exercise
  provide a good opportunity to improve ROM and
  reduce the risk of injuries

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Recovery Strategies

• Level 3
• Compression Skins
• This is the latest boom business in terms of
  recovery, and leading sports apparel
  manufacturers are producing garments with
  compression qualities
• Heavy training can cause muscle damage resulting
  in soreness, swelling, pain and impaired athletic
  performance (Kraemer)
• Recent scientific research has indicated that
  external compression can be an effective
  treatment that minimizes swelling, improves the
  alignment and mobility of scar tissue and
  improves proprioception in an injured joint
  following eccentric damage and DOMS

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Recovery Strategies

• Level 3
• Massage
• The idea behind massage is that it can have the
  following impact
• Physiological benefits
• 1. Increased blood flow, enhanced oxygen and
  nutrient delivery to fatigued muscles, increased
  removal of lactic acid
• 2. Warming and stretching of soft tissues
  increasing flexibility, removal of micro trauma,
  knots and adhesions
• Psychological benefits
• 1. Improved mood state
• 2. Increased relaxation and feeling less fatigued
• Massage also improves an athletes body awareness
  which muscles have been stressed
• Athletes should spend 10 minutes at the end of a
  training day performing some self massage
  (particularly legs and shoulders)

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Recovery Strategies

• Level 3
• Contrast Showers
• Alternating hot and cold showers/baths provides
  an increase in blood flow to the working muscles
  and accelerates the removal of lactic acid
• Contrast showering also stimulates the nervous
  system because the brain has to receive and
  recognize two different types of information (hot
  and cold). The changes in temperature also help
  to increase arousal
• Guidelines
• Complete within 30 minutes of training/competition
  
• Hot - 35-40ºC
• Cold 10-15ºC
• Shower hot 1-2 mins, cold 30-60 secs (repeat
  3-4 times)
• Bath/Spa hot 3-4 mins, cold 30-60 secs (repeat
  3-4 times)
• Bath cold 30-60 seconds immersion, followed by
  60 seconds dry rub (vigorously rub the cooled
  areas) with a towel (repeat 2-4 times)
• Begin and end with cold

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Recovery Strategies

• Level 3
• Cold Baths
• Cold baths have primarily been used for their
  pain relieving properties
• Rationale is that when you plunge your body into
  a bath full of icy cold water vasoconstriction
  occurs and the blood will be drained away from
  the muscles that have been working (removing
  lactic acid)
• Once you get out of the bath the capillaries
  dilate, new blood flows back to the muscles
  bringing with it oxygen that will help the
  functioning of the cells
• Recent research by Sam Erith at Loughborough
  University has shown that treatment with
  cryotherapy improves muscle function, reduces
  muscle damage and decreases soreness associated
  with DOMS
• Guidelines
• Cold 5-15ºC
• Duration 7-10 minutes to cool the muscles
  (shorter if looking for short term pain relief)
• Keep the body parts moving to prevent a barrier
  of warm water forming around the limbs.

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Matching Fatigue Recovery Strategy

• Metabolic Fatigue Tissue Damage
• Sleep, rest (passive and active)
• Nutrition
• Hydrotherapies (contrast showers)
• Massage
• Compression clothing

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Matching Fatigue Recovery Strategy

• Neurological (peripheral nervous system)
• Sleep, rest (passive and active)
• Hydrotherapies (cold baths)
• Massage
• Psychological(CNS and emotional fatigue)
• Sleep, rest (passive and active)
• Meditation
• Counseling

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Matching Fatigue Recovery Strategy

• Environmental
• Sleep, rest (passive and active)
• Hydrotherapies (contrast bathing, cold baths)

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Self Myofascial Release

• Most popular method is the Foam Roller
• Available in many densities
• Other methods include The Stick, various balls
  and other commercial products
• Rationale
• Muscles need to be lengthened
• Muscles develop knots
• Muscles need to be pliable

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Self Myofascial Release

• Science behind
• Autogenic Inhibition
• Pressure place on the GTO at the tendons sends a
  signal to the muscles to relax
• While the muscle is relaxed, we can more easily
  create the change in length and tone
• Better than stretching?
• While stretching no doubt helps to increase
  length of muscle fibres, it does not decrease
  muscle tone and increase pliability
• SMR can also break up soft tissue adhesions and
  scar tissue

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Self Myofascial Release

• Tools
• Foam Roller
• A foam roller is the largest implement we would
  use from a pressure perspective
• The foam roller is very versatile, as you can
  work almost every muscle group using a foam
  roller alone
• Rollers also come in varying densities, which
  allows for progression as well

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Self Myofascial Release

• Tools
• Medicine Ball
• While not as popular as the foam roller, the
  medicine ball may actually be a more versatile
  tool for SMR purposes
• Not only is it more focal when compared to the
  roller (the surface area being worked is smaller,
  which increases pressure), but it also allows you
  to work in a more three-dimensional fashion

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Self Myofascial Release

• Tools
• Tennis/Lacrosse Ball
• A tennis ball is generally the smallest implement
  we would use for SMR purposes
• Its very convenient for muscle/fascial groups
  with smaller surface areas (such as the plantar
  fascia, calves, and peroneals) as well as upper
  body muscles where the ball must be placed
  against a wall (such as the pecs and posterior
  shoulder capsule)
• Once the tennis ball becomes easy, move on to a
  lacrosse ball.

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Self Myofascial Release

• Techniques
• Positioning
• Poor alignment may stress the supporting muscles
  and/or joints (e.g., if the elbow is too far away
  from the shoulder, instead of being placed
  underneath it, you could strain the muscle/joint)
• Improper placement can lead to excessive fatigue
  of the supporting musculature
• Improper placement can lead to excessive pressure
  on the trained area, which decreases compliance.
  (If it hurts too much, you wont want to do it
  again!)

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Self Myofascial Release

• Techniques
• Duration
• Better quality tissue less time
• More problems more time
• General rule of thumb is at least 10 strokes per
  area
• Typically spend 5-10 minutes pre/post training

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Self Myofascial Release

• Gastrocnemius
• Sit on the ground with your legs straight and
  calves on top of the roller
• Using your arms, press yourself up so that your
  buttocks are hovering over the ground
• From the starting position, roll back and forth,
  keeping the knees locked
• Focus the pressure on the medial and lateral
  portions of the calf to work the medial/lateral
  heads of the gastrocnemius
• Roll for 3060 seconds
• To increase the pressure, try stacking one leg on
  top of the other and rolling only the bottom leg
• To further increase pressure, actively dorsiflex
  the toes (pull them toward your shin) to place
  the gastrocnemius on stretch

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Self Myofascial Release

• TFL/Glute Medius
• Lie on your side on the ground with the roller
  underneath the front portion of your hip
• Place the same side elbow and the opposite
  hand/foot on the ground
• From the starting position, press up and roll
  back and forth over the outside portion of your
  hip
• To really hit the anterolateral hip musculature,
  adjust your body toward a face down position
• Roll for 3060 seconds, and then switch legs
• To increase the pressure, take your opposite leg
  off the floor

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Self Myofascial Release

• IT Band
• Lie on your side on the ground with the roller
  underneath the outside portion of your thigh
• Place the same side elbow (or hand) and the
  opposite hand/foot on the ground
• From the starting position, press up and roll
  back and forth over the outside portion of your
  thigh
• It may help to work from the bottom of the hip to
  mid-thigh, reposition, and then work from
  mid-thigh to just above the knee versus using
  long, broad strokes to hit the entire IT band at
  once
• Roll for 3060 seconds, and then switch legs
• To increase the pressure, take your opposite leg
  off the floor or stack it on top of the opposite
  thigh

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Self Myofascial Release

• Rectus Femoris
• Lie on your stomach on the ground with the roller
  underneath the front of your thighs
• Place your elbows on the ground underneath your
  shoulders
• From the starting position, press up and roll
  back and forth over the front of your thighs with
  the knees straight
• It may help to work from the bottom of the hip to
  mid-thigh, reposition, and then work from
  mid-thigh to just above the knee versus using
  long, broad strokes to hit the entire RF at once
• Roll for 3060 seconds
• To increase the pressure, cross one leg over the
  other
• To really increase the pressure, try flexing your
  kneesthis will put the RF on stretch and really
  crank up the intensity

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Self Myofascial Release

• Gluteus Maximus
• Sit on the roller with your hands behind you on
  the floor
• Your feet should be on the floor throughout
• From the starting position, roll back and forth
  over the gluteals
• Roll for 3060 seconds
• Shift your weight to one hip or the other to
  increase the pressure

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Self Myofascial Release

• Piriformis
• Sit on the roller with your hands behind you on
  the floor
• Lean to your left side, taking your right hand
  off the ground. Place your left ankle on your
  right knee
• Your right foot should be on the floor throughout
• From the starting position, roll back and forth
  over the piriformis
• Roll for 3060 seconds, and then switch sides
• Try altering your body position throughout to hit
  the piriformis from multiple angles

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Self Myofascial Release

• Pecs
• Stand next to a wall and place a tennis ball on
  the wall at chest height
• Push your pecs into the ball to hold it in place
• With the tennis ball pinned between your pecs and
  the wall, roll it back and forth. It may help to
  work in small sections as the tennis ball doesnt
  have a large circumference
• Roll for 3060 seconds, and then switch sides
• To increase the intensity, horizontally abduct
  and externally rotate the arm to place the
  pectoralis major on stretch

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Self Myofascial Release

• Latissimus Dorsi
• Lie on your side with the foam roller in your
  armpit
• Externally rotate your arm to place the lats on
  stretch
• Glide the roller up and down the outside portion
  of your back
• Roll for 3060 seconds, and then switch sides

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Self Myofascial Release

• Thoracic Spine
• Lie on your back with a foam roller placed in the
  middle of your back
• Your feet and buttocks should be on the ground,
  with your hands placed behind your head
• From the starting position, slowly extend the
  upper back. DO NOT extend the low back it may
  help to think of bracing the stomach to ensure
  that the movement comes from the upper back
• Slowly work the roller up and down the back,
  repeating the extension at the various spinal
  levels

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Self Myofascial Release

• Rhomboids
• Lie down with the foam roller placed lengthwise
  along your spine
• Cross your arms in front of you, resting each
  hand on the opposite shoulder to move the
  scapulae out of the way
• Roll from the inside border of your
  scapula/shoulder blade to just outside your
  spine, working on the rhomboids
• Roll for 3060 seconds, and then switch sides