Recovery Tips - Advanced Edition

Here we go. Part 2 of the recovery tips. I suggest reading the previous post regarding recovery before reading as I won't mention the methods that were in the last post. Assuming you did read the previous post, let's get started. Recovery playing an important role when it comes to training. These upcoming methods are for the athlete who is taking it to the very next level. These don't come on a budget nor is it simple to follow. 

1. Sports massage/Physiotherapy

Yes, a massage. This is a kind of therapeutic massage that considers the impact of certain activities on specific joints, muscle groups, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue groups. I've got a few of these and let me tell you. It was awesome. Usually, the team will get a massage before major tournaments. It's to avoid any injury or fatigue in the muscles when we are performing. But, if you are training heavy, it's wise to have one or two massage sessions a week. Other than that, having checkups with a physiotherapist is not a bad idea too. Sometimes, intense training causes injury, and going to physiotherapy helps recovery. 

One other major benefit of sports massages is to flush our lactic acid levels in the body. As we go through intense training, lactic acid builds up in our bodies. Lactic acids cause our body to feel heavy during our training. On the next day, it will feel even worse, with pain and sore muscles. Lactic acid needs to be removed efficiently and sports massages tend to deal with it just well. 

2. Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is just a fancy method to replace the ice bath and ice packs. It's one of the most common treatments for athletic injury and muscle recovery. It is believed to decrease pain, attenuate swelling, decrease blood flow, slow nerve conduction, and limit secondary cell death. In Malaysia, cryotherapy is considered new. National athletes are given the chance to use these methods of recovery as it has been proven to treat injury and promote muscle recovery. However, cryotherapy is costly compared to an ice bath. a single session of cryotherapy costs in the range of RM80 to RM150. Well, in that case, I prefer the ice bath. LOL. 

3. Nutrition

Nutrition is also a part of recovery. I have mentioned drinking water, electrolyte drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks. But, food also contributes to muscle recovery. Eating food with high protein, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and fiber promotes muscle recovery. The most well-known macro here is PROTEIN. That's the reason bodybuilders consume a lot of them. So, from now onwards, try to have a diet considering muscle recovery. 

4. Supplement

Last but not least, supplements. It is known to be the shortcut to muscle recovery. However, there are methods to how a supplement helps you in recovery. Supplements a thing added to something else to complete or enhance it. So, relying on supplements alone is not the way to go. You can be consuming a lot of supplements and still get no results in the end. So, make sure you learn how to use supplements to your recovering benefit. 

The common supplements are whey proteins, BCAA, amino acids, creatine, iron, and L-Glutamine when it comes to endurance sports. My suggestion for recovery is to choose one and go for it. Don't complicate your diet with too many supplements. It always better to have a good diet compared to having a heavy supplement plan. That is why I listed supplements at the last of the list. At the same time, you have to use supplements to fulfill your training. 

Well, there you have it. 4 methods to bring your recovery to an A level. However, I suggest following the basic recovery plan before coming to this method. These methods are for those who need them the most. 

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE. 

CATCH YOU GUYS ON THE NEXT ONE.