Coach Gareth's blog

RX : Recovery & Regeneration

I have a simple equation that I think all athletes should think more about ...

Accurate Training + Optimal recovery = Peak Performance

Most people do not focus enough on the recovery aspect of athletic development and instead simply train themselves in to the ground. They wonder why their race results don’t reflect the hard work they did in training. The problem is not that they are not fit enough but that they are tired, tight and sore and unable to operate at optimal levels. When you don’t take care of yourself you develop muscle adhesions which prevent the muscles from contracting properly. Furthermore, these adhesions prevent you from operating at full range of motion which inhibits biomechanics. When athletes don’t focus on refueling and rehydrating they overtime deplete their body’s stores of the very fuels they need to go fast. When you exercise you break down the muscles and cause inflammation and small tears to occur. Part of the recovery process is allowing yourself time to let this inflammation and damage to heal and grow back stronger than it was before the session. Luckily, there are many very simple things you can do to optimize your recovery so that you absorb the training you do and are ready for your next hard session.

There are 2 types of recovery:

Active: low intensity movements that promote the “flushing out” of your muscles

Passive: techniques that don’t involve you putting in any real physical effort

Here are some of the key strategies you can use…..

Ice. The application of ice to sore areas and sitting in iced water reduces localized and general inflammation rapidly. 

Anti-inflammatory Capsules. I don’t recommend regular use of these but they do have their place after hard races or peak training sessions when the damage to your musculature is severe.   

Antioxidants. These free radical scavengers “mop up” the cellular damage caused by training and the conversion of oxygen to energy. In particular, Vitamins C, E, Ginkgo Biloba and CoEnzyme 10. Grape seed extract is a very efficient form to get your C & E. Make a high quality antioxidant supplement part of your daily arsenal.

Hydration. We know that 2% dehydration reduces performance by 20% during exercise but chronic dehydration caused by not taking in enough water and electrolytes each and every day is a serious performance inhibitor. So hydrate like it is going out of fashion. Train with a carbohydrate and electrolyte beverage and look for at least 20 fl oz of this per hour every hour.

Protein & Carbs. Protein is essential for rebuilding the muscle tissue that exercise damages and for keeping the immune system strong. Carbohydrate is your endurance fuel. Ideally post exercise consume a carbohydrate : protein drink with a 3-5:1 ratio of carbs to protein. Look for 200 calories plus and be sure to get it in you within 15 minutes of completing your session. Thereafter ensure that each meal is rich in high quality carbohydrates and that each meal contains a protein source.

Massage. I suggest that every athlete in serious training should get proper sports massage on a weekly basis and more frequently if possible. Pro-cyclists can often have up to 14 massages a week. These include pre-event, warm-up massages, post event flush massages and deeper body work to iron out adhesions. The benefits are obvious and huge. Oxygen is pumped to the tissues and organs improving circulation and therefore the removal of waste products from the body. Cramps and spasms are calmed, the immune system is boosted by stimulating lymph flow and flexibility increased allowing a full range of movement.

Chiropractic. Skeletal adjustments are magical for many people. When you are out of alignment the muscles, tendons and ligaments are operating at false tensions and therefore contract inefficiently. A regular visit to your chiropractor keeps your joints in top shape, increases energy flow and coordination 

Stretching. A short yet regular program is better than a rare long stretch session. Pre-exercise, stretching gets you ready for the optimal movements by increasing the range of motion of your joints and muscles. Post exercise, stretching reduces muscle tension, increases the range of the joints and increases blood circulation. Check out the chapter on flexibility for examples of the various stretches you can do.

Acupuncture. Many western practitioners frown on this ancient art but I have personally seen magical results from people who use it. Acupuncture is all about energy flow throughout the body. It can be used to treat localized symptoms and the body as a whole by correcting and balancing the flow of “chi”. 

The Foam Roller. This self-massage tool is great for rolling out tight areas using your own bodyweight and movement. You can pick up a 3 foot long foam cylinder for under $10. There are many great exercises that you can do with it. 

Cool-down. Don't skimp on this vital part of a training session! I suggest an equal warm-up and cooldown time allotment around every training session. The aim is to lower heart-rate to near resting levels and to flush out metabolic waste created in the training session such as lactate. We want to reduce blood pooling in the muscles and reduce the potential of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

Sleep. Quality and quantity are important. We are looking for deep restful sleep that leaves you feeling fresh and alert on rising. It is during this deep sleep that growth hormone release is optimal and it is this hormone release that promotes recovery. Strangely, it has been found that athletes who use hypoxic sleeping tents get the performance benefit not from increased blood chemistry but rather from a greater growth hormone release.

Days off. Sometimes simply doing nothing at all is the best thing you can do to regenerate. Remember that a day off should be total time off and not a day for running errands or other forms of exercise. It’s amazing how many athletes ask if they can just lift weights on their day off or go to yoga. My advice is to do as little as possible. Nap, get your feet up and do nothing at all.

 

In summary, recovery should be built in to every program, a constant focus and this is a rare case where more is better.

Mercury Rising : Racing the heat

The summer heat can turn training and racing into an unusually tough experience. Take a hard course and throw in the sun, humidity and hours of activity and the body is subjected to unaccustomed strain. All this means you need a plan to overcome dehydration and overheating so that you can race to your true potential.

In the heat, sweating is your body’s self-cooling mechanism. Increased blood flow to the   skin allows excess heat to be shunted out of the body. However, there is only so much blood (& the oxygen it carries) and the more that is directed towards the skin, the less there is available to fuel your aerobic system. Furthermore, the fluid loss from sweating and the electrolytes that go with it also bring about other serious issues such as dehydration, cramping, poor nutrition absorption & hyperthermia. Dehydration by as little as 2% can reduce performance by as much as 20%! Muscle and intestinal cramping can reduce the fastest pace to a crawl and Hyperthermia can put you in the medical tent, so how do you train and race in the heat?

Firstly you need to acclimatize to your environment. This can take around 10 days for most people travelling to hotter climes. When you first arrive at your new destination you’ll notice several things. Firstly, your heart rate will be much higher than usual at the same paces. (This can be up to 30% higher!) Secondly, your sweat rate will be up and lastly, you will notice that you fatigue more rapidly. The strategies required here are simple. If you are racing you should be in taper mode so reducing workout duration while your body adapts is not a problem. Also reduce the intensity of sessions until you start to see your heart rate returning to normal levels for you. Start by training at the normal prescribed heart-rates (which will mean an “easing off” in power and pace) and use the heart rate as a guide of “total body stress”.

Furthermore, keep off your feet and keep in the shade as much as you can. You do need to spend some time in the warmth of your new environment to help the acclimatization process but you also need to not stress your system and get dehydrated prior to race day. Not long ago it was thought that you should keep the air conditioner off in your room to aid acclimatization but now studies seem to show that this actually does not help. Instead, train in the heat of your race location and recover and sleep well in comfortable surroundings.

Before travelling to an event you can try to get used to hotter environments. This may mean wearing more layers when exercising in the heat or doing some indoor training with less cool air. You must though stay super hydrated during this time and watch heart rates and total body stress very carefully. The goal is to help acclimatization but not to reduce the effectiveness of your training.

Hydration is a key strategy to keep core temperature down and to keep blood volume high. Pre-race, water alone doesn’t cut it. Many people find that they make far more frequent bathroom trips when they consume just water and the end result can be the loss of vital electrolytes in your urine and an excess of this is the main cause of Hyponatremia. Instead use a weak carbohydrate and electrolyte drink in a 3% solution (that’s 30 grams Carbohydrate in every litre) as your pre-race/ between training fluid. You can use any drink as long as it is 3% solution + electrolytes. The small amount of carbohydrates along with sodium and potassium helps absorption by the cells. It also allows you to top up your carbohydrate stores without causing a negative insulin spike – think of it as subtle, stress free carbo-loading. Another system that I have found to work very well is “glycerol loading”. This allows more water to stay in the cells during the hyper hydration process. The one product that I have found to work extremely well for this is “liquid endurance” from Hammer Nutrition.

During your event use a 6-8% carbohydrate and electrolyte solution to supply your energy and hydration requirements. The studies say that you can absorb no more than 1 litre per hour during exercise, though from data I have gathered from some of my athletes who race the Hawaii Ironman, many can take in much more than this as the sweat rate is so high. Dutch Pro-Triathlete Frank Heldoorn (a top finisher throughout the 90’s) frequently told me “If I don’t need to pee by mile 70 on the bike I know something is wrong”. Test what you can handle during training. My experience tells me that it’s often not the volume of fluid but the concentration of the solution that slows absorption and leads to “fat belly” syndrome.

Electrolytes are often the missing factor and many people suffer cramps and bloating from not taking additional electrolytes in during the race. There are plenty of great electrolytes products on the market so test what works best for you in training. You can get capsules or tablets and either are fine – if you prefer not to have to deal with capsules during the race you can split open the capsules and add them to your race drinks but be sure to shake the drink each time before you drink it so all the powder does not end up at the bottom of the bottle. I have known athletes to take up to 1400mg sodium an hour in hot races when their sweat rate is high. Test in training what you need first. A simple guide is that any sign of cramping means you need more and nausea may mean that you’ve overdone it.

During the event, soaking your body and working limbs in water helps let the heat evaporate from the skin more quickly than if the skin is dry. Just be careful not to soak your feet and socks when running, as you don’t want to do anything to add to the chances of getting blisters. Furthermore, don’t underestimate the benefit of the right clothing, eyewear and headwear. Light colored clothing that allows heat to escape is vital. Black may look cool but it’s far from it when the sun is beating down! Darker than usual sunglasses and swim goggles reduce stress on the eyes and a helmet with good ventilation and a run cap or peak has been proven to be cooler than a bare head. For long training rides you can do well with a frozen camelbak. This helps keep you cooler for longer and is a great way to carry your liquid. Post race and training, if you are planning on a quick recovery, take time to take the IV offered to you. At the same time for the next few days, maintain 3% solution intake until you start to feel fresh once again. Taking 10 minutes to sit in a cool lake or the ocean will also aid recovery by reducing core temperature and reducing the swelling of your limbs. If you are feeling truly sadistic you can even make your own ice bath and take a 10-minute dip!! All in all, the key to success in the heat is to have a plan and be sensible. Treat it as a key part of your preparation and use these tips from the pro’s to make your day go the way you intended it.