Recovery is an important part of athletic training to reduce the risk of overtraining and injury and to promote physical and psychological readiness. The type of recovery required will vary depending on the type of training or competition and is based on the type of exercise performed.
Highlights:
For athletes, recovery is essential to reduce fatigue and improve performance. Common recovery methods include cryotherapy, water immersion, hydrotherapy, sleep and nutrition. The optimal recovery method will vary depending on the level of activity completed and the facilities and staff available to provide the required treatment.
For professional and elite athletes, recovery is an essential part of training as the benefits it provides during repetitive, high-level training and competition are numerous. In this article, we will discuss the different types of recovery that can help improve athletic performance.
How athletes recover
There are multiple recovery methods athletes can choose from. The availability of equipment and trainers, the time until the next session or competition, and the type of activity will determine the recovery method. Common recovery methods include cryotherapy, contrast baths, hydrotherapy, sleep, and nutrition.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy uses extreme cold therapy to reduce pain and suffering after intense training or competition. This type of treatment uses low or near-freezing temperatures. The technique dates back to 2500 BCE, when Egyptians used low temperatures to treat injuries. Cryotherapy for athlete recovery uses liquid nitrogen to create near-freezing air in a small, sealed chamber. While the person is in the chamber, blood flow is redirected from the extremities to the core. Once out of the chamber, blood resumes normal flow as the body warms up. Blood recirculation provides muscles and joints with extremely nutrient-rich blood.
However, there is growing evidence that cold therapy may slow muscle recovery after exercise because it freezes the body’s natural healing response. When athletes perform high-intensity exercise, they create microscopic muscle fiber tears. The body responds by increasing blood flow to the area in order to repair the damage and gradually strengthen it. Athletes often experience discomfort and inflammation as the body heals.
Cryotherapy and icing interfere with the muscle’s natural healing process. Cold constricts blood vessels in the affected area, allowing blood to flow to the core and vital organs. This reduces swelling and the cold provides temporary pain relief. Cold therapy may make you feel better, but it is not designed to improve athletic performance or strength.
Waterlogged
The most common water immersion therapies are cold water, hot water, and contrast water therapy. This type of recovery is popular among elite athletes looking to minimize fatigue and speed up recovery after exercise.
Cold water immersion
Cold water immersion (CWI), also known as an ice bath, is a method of immersing the body in cold water (below 15°C/59°F) immediately after exercise to promote recovery. This method is performed for 10-15 minutes, but the optimal CWI time varies depending on the water temperature and the time between CWI and the next exercise. Research has shown that CWI can effectively reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE).
Cold water immersion may speed short-term or acute recovery by reducing inflammatory pathways. Some studies suggest that continuous CWI reduces vascular and muscular adaptations from both endurance and resistance training. However, controlled studies suggest that continuous CWI does not adversely affect chronic adaptations.
Warm water immersion
There is conflicting evidence about how effective warm water immersion (HWI) is as a recovery method for athletes. Therefore, the impact of HWI on performance recovery is still unclear. Some studies have shown that prolonged HWI may improve thermoneutral endurance in the next exercise session within 2 hours. Daily HWI for 5-6 days can help with heat acclimation. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of HWI on exercise recovery.
Contrast hydrotherapy
Contrast water therapy (CWT) is when athletes alternately immerse themselves in hot and cold water. Studies have shown that CWT improves recovery. After cold water therapy (CWT), there was a noticeable decrease in heart rate and blood lactate concentration. However, performance in the second exercise session was reduced compared to the first. Therefore, if athletes are immersed in hot and cold water for the same amount of time, with individual immersion times of around 1 minute and total immersion times up to around 15 minutes, CWT is likely to enhance performance recovery.
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy utilizes various water properties for therapeutic purposes and is used along with water therapy, aquatic therapy, pool therapy and balneotherapy. Hydrotherapy may include other methods such as hot and cold packs, electrical stimulation, ultrasound and massage.
Hydrotherapy takes full advantage of the properties and benefits of water to enhance therapeutic outcomes. When immersed in water, the body responds with changes in heat, peripheral resistance, blood flow, and temperature changes in the skin, core, and muscles. Research shows that athletes who use hydrotherapy as a recovery method experience changes in blood flow and temperature that can affect inflammation, immune function, muscle soreness, and fatigue.
sleep
Sleep is crucial to the overall health of athletes performing at a high level. Lack of sleep clearly has a negative impact on performance, reaction time, accuracy, energy, submaximal strength, and endurance. Cognitive functions such as judgement and decision-making are also negatively affected by lack of sleep.
Studies have shown that longer sleep duration can positively impact reaction time, mood, sprint time, tennis serve accuracy, swimming turns, kicking stroke efficiency, and free throw and three-point shooting accuracy. When athletes sleep longer before a deliberately sleep-deprived night prior to a sporting event, storing up sleep may also improve performance.
Athletes can benefit from some brief sleep hygiene/sleep optimization education to improve sleep duration and efficiency. Adding a grounding sheet to your sleep environment is a practical step to improve sleep efficiency and overall recovery. If you are unable to get enough sleep, taking a nap the next day has been shown to be beneficial. Most studies recommend that athletes increase their sleep time by 2 hours, with elite athletes aiming for 9 hours.
nutrition
Nutrition plays a key role in an athlete’s recovery. The following tips can help athletes recover from training and competition:
- I will replenish. The body uses carbohydrates as fuel or energy. When you engage in physical activity, your body uses up fuel faster. Athletes need to replenish their carbohydrate stores after intense training or competition.
- repair. Muscle is broken down during exercise, and consuming high-quality protein after exercise helps to initiate muscle repair and growth.
- Please stay hydrated. During exercise, the body loses fluids through sweating. Rehydrating with water and electrolytes helps restore fluid balance, regulate body temperature, and enable normal functioning. Athletes should replace fluids in an amount equal to that lost, continuing until urine returns to clear or light in color. Eating fruits and vegetables with water or drinking sports drinks can help replenish electrolytes.
Athletes should be able to get all of their nutrition from their diet. However, getting enough protein can be difficult for athletes. To solve this problem, athletes should consider drinking protein shakes to get enough protein. Each meal and snack should include high-quality protein and nutritious carbohydrates to aid in recovery.
Research shows that athletes should use recovery methods after participating in intense training or competition. Recovery can reduce the risk of future injury while also enhancing athletic performance. Depending on the type of activity performed, there are many recovery methods to choose from. Athletes can try different strategies and approaches to determine the recovery method that works best for them.
source
- Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Recovery Techniques for Athletes. (https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/sse-120-recovery-techniques-for-athletes)
- Springer Link. Water Immersion Recovery in Athletes: Impact on Athletic Performance and Practical Recommendations. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0063-8)
- Cleveland Clinic. The Benefits of Whole-Body Cryotherapy After a Workout. (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-benefits-of-whole-body-cryotherapy-after-a-workout)
- International Journal of Sports Medicine. Sleep Hygiene to Optimize Athlete Recovery: Review and Recommendations. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6988893/)
- CSEP/SCPE The Gold Standard in Exercise Science and Personal Training. Cold or Hot Water Immersion as a Post-exercise Recovery Aid Following Resistance, Endurance and Spring Exercises. (https://csep.ca/2022/08/17/cold-or-hot-water-immersion-as-a-post-exercise-recovery-aid-following-resistance-endurance-and-sprint-exercise/)
