So you’ve just finished your last interval of your training session and tomorrow you have a recovery day – but the recovery process should start the minute you step off the bike.
The first thing is to make sure you re-hydrate well after any session and this is particularly important after sessions on the turbo, when chases are you would have sweated a lot.
You also need to provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to repair the damage you have just done to your muscles and an effective way to do this is by drinking a protein shake. However, recent studies have shown that any drink with a ratio of three parts carbohydrates to one part protein will work to a similar effect and this just happens to be the ratio found in chocolate milk! Aim for a low fat version (ideally lower than five per cent fat).
Taking in a mix of protein and carbohydrates gives your body the sugars it needs to replenish glycogen stores and the protein needed to repair the damage that has been done to your muscles.
Interestingly, while research suggests that a warm down doesn’t actually reduce muscle soreness or recovery times, it is something I would still suggest. A warm down helps restore your body to its normal rhythm post-exercise and also equalises blood pressure in the body. If you have ever felt dizzy after a really hard effort this is most likely because blood has been pooling in your legs and, therefore, the amount of oxygen going to your brain has been reduced. A cool down will help restore everything back to normal.
The importance of sleep
The most important aspect of recovery is sleep – vital not only for your everyday health but also to recovery after training. Having a consistent sleep pattern will mean that your body is getting a consistent amount of recovery per day, which is important as, when it comes to both training and recovery, consistency is the key.
You can only recover a certain amount in one day, so no matter how easy you take it or how much you sleep the day before a race, you won’t be as fresh at the start as if you have had a consistent adequate sleep pattern in the days and weeks leading up to an event.
There is an old saying that is repeated every year during the Tour de France: “the Tour is won in bed”. Without adequate sleep your body simply cannot respond to the training. If you aren’t recovering from training then you aren’t adapting either, so you won’t be seeing the maximum benefit. Sleep is your biggest recovery tool – so make the most of it!
Finally, what else can you do to maximise recovery? Let’s consider massage and other recovery aids.
