Train Hard

Train Hard, Recover Harder!
Top 5 Tips For Proper Recovery

By Bailee Holt, C.S.C.S., MMT

My name is Bailee Holt and as a strength coach and massage therapist at Fitness Quest 10 I see the positives and negatives to training.  Yes, there is a negative side of training!

Whether you are going in for a hard-core strength training session, getting in some cardio or doing Pilates, you are putting stress on your body every time you workout.  Without sound recovery practices its only a matter of time before you find yourself injured or suffering from over-training.

All of us as trainers hear the excuses from our clients: I hate stretching, I don’t have time to foam roll at home and massage is a luxury not a necessity.  My response to all those excuses is “make time for recovery or make time for injury!”  It is important that you dedicate enough time for proper recovery methods as you do for exercising.

Here are my top 5 tips for proper recovery:

1. Massage.  Massage is not a luxury it is a necessity!  Massage therapy has many benefits such as flushing toxins from muscles, releasing tension, and getting the blood flowing.  At a minimum, you should be getting a massage once a month.  If you’re really training consistently, you need to be getting a massage once every two weeks.  And if you’re an athlete training hard, you need at least two massages every week.

2. Sleep.  Yes, sleep!  When you are sleeping your body can really go to work on repairing tissue you destroyed by exercising.  You should be getting 8-10 hours of quality sleep each night.

3. Hydrate.  I am sure you have heard the general rule of thumb to drink 8oz glasses of water per day.  However, you really should be drinking half your body weight of WATER and even more during the summer heat.  Gatorade, tea, and other beverages don’t count as WATER!

4. Re-fuel.  You should be consuming a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein post workout.  While I always recommend real food for this, I understand that sometimes you are in a rush.  If that is the case, look for a quality post workout shake with this ratio.  It is imperative that you refuel your body within 30 minutes after a workout.

5. Foam Roll and Stretch.  Yes, you need to be doing both of these.  Foam rolling is your cheap massage alternative.  It provides similar benefits without the personal touch and attention of a licensed massage therapist.  Foam rolling before a workout will help get the blood flowing, increases range of motion, and decrease muscle density.  Don’t forget to foam roll after a workout to massage your muscles.  Proper stretching has important recovery benefits such as lengthening your muscles, ligaments, and tendons.  Do them both before and after your workouts for optimal success.

You need to be doing all of these things on a regular basis to keep your body functioning at its best.  Just as with exercise, if you commit to do all of these tips daily, you will start to reap the benefits and avoid injury.