We have identified ten things that an athlete can do to assist their body in regenerating between workouts. This is a crucial element in a training regime, because the quicker you can recover between workout sessions, the more frequently you can train with a higher intensity.
1) Drink water before, during and after exercise. This seems like a no-brainer but most athletes simply do not consume enough water. If you did nothing else but consume more water, recovery rate would significantly improve.
2) Eat fruit upon completion of exercise. This brings blood sugar back to normal levels and provides sugar for conversion to muscle glycogen. Athletes need to eat a lot of fruit. Some of my pro players eat more than 10 pieces of fruit per day!
3) Rest after meals when possible. This will optimize digestion. Food is fuel, so you need to let it digest make it’s way to your body’s cells for energy.
4) Sleep as much as you desire. Athletes need more sleep than non-athletes. Remember, exercise does not provide energy, it requires energy Unfortunately, an athlete’s busy schedule can sometimes lead to sleep deprivation and subsequent poor ability to recover.
5) Drink diluted sports drinks during practices and games. This will provide sugar and water needs while on the ice.
6) Monitor water loss. Use a scale to measure weight before and after exercise. Make sure you replenish your water stores by consuming water before, during and after exercise.
7) Eat as many of your foods raw as possible. Raw foods provide maximum nutrients for minimal calories encouraging most rapid recovery. They also contain the most nutrients, water content and energy.
8) Develop a habit of going to bed earlier. Again sleep is crucial for recovery.
9) Keep meals simple for optimum digestion. Vary meals to insure optimum nutrition.
10) Consistently use soft tissue work and hot/cold contrast therapy. Getting a massage is great for recovery. Also going from a warm bath to a cold bath every 3 minutes will help speed recovery after workouts.
Dr. Chad Moreau is the President of HockeyOT.com, an online training site dedicated to improving the fitness level of hockey players of all levels. He was the former Strength & Conditioning/Nutrition Consultant for the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and the Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL). For more information please visit hockeyot.com
Hey guys, another great article. For #5 you say to drink diluted sports drinks, what is the reason to dilute them?
ReplyDeleteMost sports drinks are very high in sugar (which makes them taste very good). The answer to your question is that too much sugar will delay gastric emptying (the rate at which water leaves the stomach and enters the the rest of the body to be used by your body's cells). In other words, the body has to dilute the concentrated sugar in the sports drink to make it usable by the body. By adding water to the sports drink you will make it more readily available to your body and eliminate the need for the body to waste energy having to dilute the sports drink by pulling existing water from your system.
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