Elements of Recovery: A Working Inventory
So I went through a mid-build report card exercise yesterday, and came out on the other side with the declaration: "For the next six weeks, I will make every key session the highest possible quality that I can." On the work side, there's plenty to think about in order to make that happen. What I'm really interested in is what needs to happen on the recovery side to make sure that the conditions are set for the highest quality sessions.
So ... the deep dive has me writing out an inventory of everything that could influence recovery, and then taking a marginal gains approach to improving every element by a little / a lot. Or at least being mindful. (note to draft: might create a daily scorecard based on below).
What would you add to this list?
Key Recovery Elements
Rest
Sleep
Naps
Downtime (general)
Nutrition
Type
Timing
Amount
Time between sessions
Stretching
Light activity (walking, light spin)
Massage
Rolling
Icing
Legs up
Hydration
Just plain water
Magic recovery fluids
Mental Skills
relaxation techniques
Other?
Non triathlon / triathlon life balance
Your thoughts, team?
Comments
Dave, one element I would add to your score card (which I´m working on at the time) is PROPER WARM UP in all disciplines (mostly pre run, sometimes the most neglected). My 2 cents.
Add: A.R.T/Graston (in addition to massage)
No Alcohol.
No Recreational Sugar
Other toys/Devices: My 2 most important (and expensive) were Normatec Recovery Boots and Mark Pro (muscle stim recovery device), but 3rd would be ultrasound for any niggles.
In the same vein as Juan ... I regard the management of time/effort between intervals (e.g. resting on the pool wall, walking/jogging on the track, coasting/spinning on the bike) as a key element of my recovery process. Meaning, there is the micro recovery during workouts, the normal recovery as time between workouts, and macro recovery as easy or off days, "easier" weeks, managing the balance among S/B/R..
Also, I can't help myself, I regard the initial outline/categorization as the key to any good document. So here is how I view the categories of recovery: stuff you do to your body (massage, NormaTec, rollers, etc); stuff you put in your body (food, water, supplements); what you do with your time when not actively training (sleep, naps, activity level, etc) and what you do with workouts (timing, length, intensity, warm-up, recovery intervals).
Then, what about the metrics to know if you are achieving your "recovery" goals: resting HR, weight, mental status, ???
I had the same thought ... I organized v2 as "Recovery for Muscles / Recovery for System / Recovery for Mind."
Hijacking a bit...
What supplements do you take? I just eat good food (try to) but don't supplement that with anything.
This will certainly constitute a hijack because it's not a short answer, so feel free to move my answer to it's own new post if you think that's more appropriate...
Last yr during my heavy training/racing I took supplementation to the extreme. I know this guy named Tim Cronk who doesn't supplement at all and he seems to do okay. But, I believe that for normal people going through everyday life, simply eating good, wholesome, real food should supply all of the nutrients we need to be healthy. Newsflash, the demands we put on our bodies through IM training and racing is NOT NORMAL (considering our long history as human beings). I think that most IM triathletes are deficient in Magnesium and Vitamin-D (yes, the stuff we supposedly get from sun exposure) to name a few (and our vegan and vegetarian friends are likely also deficient in the Vitamin-B complex). Also, another thing that kills training/racing mojo is getting sick. And like it our not, our immune systems get weaker with heavy training, especially during periods of massive negative TSB or fast changes in stress (and how many people do you know who have gotten sick during their taper?). So a lot of my supplementation was to "try" to help my body avoid that.
My supplementation can be broken down into 3 main categories: 1) Soft tissue loading and recovery 2) Immune Support 3) Vitality and Longevity (some of them get lumped together or cross-over multiple categories)
In my "reduced training mode" that I'm currently in, I still take: Omega-3, L-Glutamine, Magnesium, Vitamin-D, Vitamin-C
My regiment last yr during extreme training/racing I took the following:
Morning (after workout): Omega-3, L-Glutamine, Magnesium, Vitamin-D, Optygen HP, Adrenal Support, Coconut Oil, Vitamin-B Complex, CoQ-10, Curcumin, Vitamin-C, Niacin, baby aspirin, Bitter Melon, Resveritrol
I would also often put L-Glutamine, MCT Oil and Collagen Protein Powder http://tinyurl.com/o6kqnsv either in a recovery shake or simply sprinkle it onto my morning omelet.
After huge workouts (and in T2 of Ironman races) I would also smear Magnesium lotion onto my quads and calves http://tinyurl.com/p3ua4ly This gets quickly absorbed through the skin directly into the muscles you are trying to keep supple...
Most mornings I would drink a LifeShotz Original http://tinyurl.com/nt27f2g (which meant I could skip the B-Complex) and for most other meals I drank Emergen-C http://tinyurl.com/nqwuekd
With Lunch: Omega-3, L-Glutamine, Magnesium, Adrenal Support, Coconut Oil, Vitamin-C
Before Bed: Omega-3, L-Glutamine, Magnesium, Coconut Oil (I found that this combination actually helped to promote better sleep as well)
A couple other "supplement" things I do are the following: The day before an IM, I pre-load with about the number of salt sticks that I expect to use the next day during the race (say ~10 or so). I also take 4-6 Calcium and Magnesium Pills as well as 10-15 Amino Acids pills the day before. There are some who believe that a low level of Amino Acids in the bloodstream can lead to our Central Governor (our brain) to start to shut (or slow) our body down (a.k.a. Bonk). So during my races, I supplement with Amino Acids (~3-4 per hour) on the bike and on the run as well as Ca/Mg and salt sticks. Here are the "MAP" Amino Acids I use: http://tinyurl.com/qgygfpr
If you are going to take Omega 3 (which I highly recommend for everyone, even kids) Please do NOT take the cheap crap you will find on the shelves of Walmart or CVS. I think you should be buying high quality supplements in general, but espesially with Omega 3. Here's the one I take: http://tinyurl.com/omhoeh8
I also supplement with Probiotics in the week leading up to my IM. I get the kind you refrigerate from a high quality health store and take them throughout the week. I also mix in the dry pills (linked below) which are easier to travel to the race with. I'm trying to give my gut biome every chance it can to be in a happy place come race day...
In no particular order, here are links to the other supplements that I take/took:
http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Resear...m+capsules
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&psc=1http://www.amazon.com/Solgar-L-Glut...+glutamine
http://www.amazon.com/Vital-Nutrien...al+support
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o04_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o00_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o04_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o01_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o02_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o00_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o07_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ge_o05_s00
- Vitamin C & Zinc
- Elderberry extract (My wife swears by this, and if helps prevent me from getting sick I am all for it!)
- Collagen, I mix it in with my morning Oatmeal (40 calories, good protein, and I am hoping helps with my Collarbone)
- 1500mg Calcium per day (For my collarbone)
- Men's Daily Multivitamin in case I am missing anything.
One thing I have been meaning to do is get tested for low Iron. I know low iron is common in endurance athletes and if you bring it back to normal levels then its lots of free gains)