To give yourself a shot at optimising health & performance it is crucial you get the balance between effort and recovery over a sustained period.

Principles Behind Training & Recovery

Training in its simplest form is an external  stressor that loads and affects your body’s steady state or homeostasis. To unravel the mechanics of training approaches, it is important to start with the overarching principles. In his General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), Selye postulated that an organism's stress ( and exercise is a stressor)  response can be broken into three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. In each of these stages, something unique is happening which causes several changes in the body.

In the alarm stage, the "fight or flight" response is engaged. As stress levels rise hormones rise, especially your cortisol levels. Additionally, there is a boost in adrenaline levels. These are unsustainable over extended periods of time.

In the resistance stage, the body starts pushing back. Your blood pressure might start returning to more normal levels, following a spike during the alarm stage. This is where the body is trying to return to a sense of normal (homeostasis) following an initial stressor.

In the exhaustion stage, your body has endured high levels of stress for a longer period of time and physical effects such as burnout, decrease in energy, and fatigue accumulate to your detriment, especially after several days without relief.

So, keeping the constraints of the human condition in mind,  how should we train?

In the most general of terms, three approaches are intertwined to help you improve your fitness and motor skills in a targeted activity:

• Overload:subject the body or its discrete parts to work loads above and beyond normal

• Progression: gradually increment  the workload for continuous  improvement

• Specificity: use specific practice in order to adapt the body to produce a desired outcome.

Countering this is the principle of Reversibility; the use it or  lose it principle. Training gains are reversible if not attended to. Progressive loading is not a continuous, straight line activity, as Seyle proved, the body needs time to recover. 

The principles of overload and recovery underpin the improvements that may accrue for a player over time. The principle of overload defines the need for the training load (duration, intensity and frequency of training) to exceed the current physical capacity of the player. Post training, focus shifts to recovery. This is when the body adapts to the stress that had been imposed and improves beyond previous levels. A fine balance between overload and recovery is needed to continue to evolve performance increments and deter overtraining. When the overload prescription exceeds recovery quality, exhaustion occurs and adaptation ceases. The outcome is performance degradation as the body adjusts to shield its integrity against any potentially injurious stress.A training load that is too hard  triggers less adaptation than one that is too easy. We must allow the body to adapt to the stress associated with exercise, clear waste products, replenish muscle glycogen (energy stores) and provide time for the body tissue to repair and rebuild in a more evolved state of preparedness for added loading.

Effects of Intense Exercise

High-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise generates  a diminished capacity to generate peak muscle forces that persists until repair is complete. The muscle damage impairs the ability to transport blood glucose into the skeletal muscle cell. This in turn leads to a decreased capacity to replenish glycogen stores. Skeletal muscle damage also leads to soreness and pain.

According to Dullek (n.d.), the underlying mechanisms that mediate post-exercise recovery include skeletal muscle damage, decreased substrates (phosphocreatine (CrP) and glycogen) and the accumulation of metabolic by-products. Optimal recovery entails restoring the capacity for each of the three energy systems to function once again at maximal levels. We will delve into these energy systems and how they can be improved via targeted training and recovery in future posts.

Passive vs Active Recovery

Don’t confuse recovery with rest; they are very different things. Rest is generally considered to be a complete break from exercise and physical activity- only. A rest day, for instance, would be a day you do nothing more strenuous than light domestic duties.

Planned Recovery is a more focused approach to actively  healing the body and mind  post exercise. It takes various  forms, from total rest to light activities.  Recovery strategies include nutrition, exercise alternates, acupuncture,  massage, and other gente physical therapies.

Recovery strategies are also time dependent, Short term recovery post exercise will include rehydration, nutritional replenishment, active cool downs and mobility work. Long term recovery should be scheduled into your periodised plan and must be programmed to fit into the intense sessions and the overall performance targets.

At VOITTO, having worked with elite swimmers, adventure racers and hockey players over 25 years it is clear the best use of Passive Recovery ( total rest ) is after an injury or illness. It is however to Active Recovery we turn to as the framework for trouble-minimized, periodized training. 

Active recovery is low-intensity exercise that helps your body recover from higher-intensity training sessions. It activates key stabilizing muscles, releases muscle tension, and helps your whole body reset.

Dupuy et.al, (2018) found active recovery

• Reduces the buildup of lactic acid in muscles.

• Increases blood flow to muscles, which aids repair.

• Helps remove metabolic waste products

• Reduces tears in muscle tissue and resulting pain.

In general, an active recovery day features easy workouts equivalent to no more than 60 to 70 percent of your maximum effort (low to moderate intensity). For masters athletes, 55 years and over we look to a 50% benchmark Of course, the level of intensity, duration and the modality used in active recovery depends upon:

• The intensity of the previous workout

• The objectives of the overall plan and the current microcycle

• Health & wellbeing status of the individual

• Resources and time available for an active recovery session.

There is a great deal of variety in the nature of potential active recovery sessions; everything from jogging to swimming and aqua walking through to tai chi, yoga and total body mobility work. In many instances prehabilitation routines from the physical therapist can be incorporated into these active recovery sessions.

Evidence-based nutritional strategies are a required aspect of recovery, including when, why and how much to consume of various nutrients and combinations of nutrients. Nutrient density and quality are also factors to weigh up in conjunction with assessing any pre-existing health conditions. Alternative methods used to amplify  post-exercise recovery include cold water immersion, ischemic preconditioning, breathing exercises, massage and stretching.

Cold Water Immersion

Evidence to date has been somewhat contradictory. Cold water immersion is no more effective than active recovery for reducing inflammation or cellular stress in muscle after a bout of resistance exercise, Peake et.al, (2017). Fyfe et,al. (2013) in assessing the impact of cold water immersion on strength gains found it blunted resistance training-induced muscle fiber hypertrophy, but not maximal strength, potentially via reduced skeletal muscle protein anabolism and increased catabolism.

Keay (2017) summises

The main issue seems to be that it all depends on the part of the long term training cycle and the type of sport in which the athlete is involved. For example, during pre-season training, where long term adaptations are being sought, then an ice bath might potentially attenuate adaptive responses gained from strength training. On the other hand, in the acute clinical setting, post match in a multi-day competition, an ice bath may be of benefit during the course of this competition.

Nutrition & Recovery

Nutritional management based on what is known as the 4R’s (Rehydration, Refuel, Repair & Rest)  is important for optimal stewardship of the hydration, feeding, and supplementation strategies to achieve a timely recovery.

Rehydration

One of the first goals during recovery is to replace any fluid and electrolyte deficits. Most physically active individuals sweat from 0.3 to 2.4 L·h−1, which depends on exercise intensity, duration, and environmental conditions such as altitude, heat, and humidity.

Athletes and practitioners should replenish three cups of fluid to compensate for weight loss (~1.5 L·kg−1) and to make sure body mass is back up before the next training session.

Refueling

Post exercise, the rush is on to maximize muscle and liver glycogen replenishment through carbohydrate intake. Volume is dependent on a number of factors including the nature of the session, where the player is at in terms of their training and nutritional periodisation plans schedules, the extent of the depletion of reserves.According to Jeukendrup (2017) this is closely related to:

• Time to next training session or competition,

• Nutrition periodization to achieve adaptations,

• Need for muscle repair and growth,

• The amount consumed before and after as part of global requirements.

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, daily carbohydrate needs might be ranked as follows:

• Moderate duration/low-intensity training (e.g., 2–3 h per day of intense exercise performed 5–6 times per week): 5–8 g·kg−1 body mass·day−1

• Moderate to heavy endurance training (e.g., 3–6 h per day of intense training in 1–2 daily workouts for 5–6 days per week): 8–10 g·kg−1 body mass·day−1

• Extreme exercise programs or competition (+6 h per day or high competition frequency during the week): 10–12 + g·kg−1 body mass·day−1

Post-exercise, it takes about four hours for carbohydrates to be digested and absorbed into muscle and liver tissues and incorporated as glycogen. If rapid recovery is a priority, consume large amounts of daily carbohydrates (>8 g·kg−1 body mass·day−1) and eat a high carbohydrate meal within two hours following exercise with at least 1.2 g·kg−1·h−1 for the first four hours of recovery

Repair

Research demonstrates that muscle protein synthesis (MPS) can be stimulated by either a physical allostatic challenge (e.g., resistance exercise stimulus) or by the ingestion of dietary protein, with synergistic responses when protein is consumed before and immediately after resistance exercise training]. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition position post-exercise ingestion (immediately to 2 h) of high-quality protein food represents a robust stimulus that impacts positively on MPS; however, similar increases in MPS have been found when high-quality proteins are ingested immediately before exercise If a player does not consume sufficient  protein is consumed they may experience a negative nitrogen balance, which can negatively affect recovery.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition position on proteins for recovery is:

• Optimal dose of protein for athletes to enhance MPS are dependent upon age, energy intake (higher amount is needed under energy restriction), and recent resistance exercise stimuli. Post-exercise recommendations are 0.5 g of a high-quality protein per kilogram of body mass, or an absolute dose of 40 g. Protein per meal should be between 0.25 and 0.40 g of protein per kg of body mass, or absolute values of 20 g.

Rest

Sleep is a crucial physiological function and one of the most important factors in post-exercise recovery; Fullagar et,al. (2015). Naps, sleep extension, and sleep-hygiene practices help subsequent performance by optimizing recovery.

References

Bonilla, Diego A., Alexandra Pérez-Idárraga, Adrián Odriozola-Martínez, and Richard B. Kreider. 2020. “The 4R’s Framework of Nutritional Strategies for Post-Exercise Recovery: A Review with Emphasis on New Generation of Carbohydrates.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010103.

Dupuy, Olivier, Wafa Douzi, Dimitri Theurot, Laurent Bosquet, and Benoit Dugué. 2018. “An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-Exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.” Frontiers in Physiology 9 (April): 403.

Fullagar, Hugh H. K., Rob Duffield, Sabrina Skorski, Aaron J. Coutts, Ross Julian, and Tim Meyer. 2015. “Sleep and Recovery in Team Sport: Current Sleep-Related Issues Facing Professional Team-Sport Athletes.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 10 (8): 950–57.

Fyfe, Jackson J., James R. Broatch, Adam J. Trewin, Erik D. Hanson, Christos K. Argus, Andrew P. Garnham, Shona L. Halson, Remco C. Polman, David J. Bishop, and Aaron C. Petersen. 2019. “Cold Water Immersion Attenuates Anabolic Signaling and Skeletal Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy, but Not Strength Gain, Following Whole-Body Resistance Training.” Journal of Applied Physiology 127 (5): 1403–18.

Jeukendrup, Asker E. 2017. “Periodized Nutrition for Athletes.” Sports Medicine 47 (Suppl 1): 51–63.

Keay, Nicky. n.d. “Balance of Recovery and Adaptation for Sports Performance.” Accessed June 19, 2023. https://basem.co.uk/balance-of-recovery-and-adaptation-for-sports-performance/.

Peake, Jonathan M., Llion A. Roberts, Vandre C. Figueiredo, Ingrid Egner, Simone Krog, Sigve N. Aas, Katsuhiko Suzuki, et al. 2017. “The Effects of Cold Water Immersion and Active Recovery on Inflammation and Cell Stress Responses in Human Skeletal Muscle after Resistance Exercise.” The Journal of Physiology 595 (3): 695–711.

“Post-Exercise_Recovery_SAP_Reports.pdf.” n.d. https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/SAP-Reports/Post-Exercise_Recovery_SAP_Reports.pdf.