Recovery from training

The recovery process should allow the muscles and connective tissues to repair and improve your fitness level. To achieve this, you need to understand what recovery is, how long it takes and how you can positively affect the process. In the development of training plans, recovery must be a planned activity.

What is recovery?

Simply put, it is the time required to repair damage to the body caused by training or competition. It includes the restoration of the following:

energy-producing enzymes inside muscle fibres
carbohydrate stores in muscle cells
endocrine and immune systems

During recovery, muscles should increase the proteins in their overall structure to improve strength, replenish and increase energy stores, and increase enzymes' quantities to improve the lactate threshold.

Speeding up recovery

Muscle cells are most receptive to carbohydrates during the first two hours following a training session. To accelerate recovery, consume 300-400 calories of carbohydrates shortly after the training session and another 300-400 Calories of carbohydrates within two hours. This intake of carbohydrates and replenishing the fuel stores also have a positive effect on protein restoration in muscles.

Optimal Recovery Ratio (OR2)

The ratio of ingested carbohydrates to protein is critical in optimising muscle glycogen restoration after a workoutt. The Pacific Health Laboratories, Inc recommends four grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein. A strategy suggested by Jim Bledsoe (1999)^[1] following a 45-minute workout is as follows: two-thirds of a gram of carbohydrate per pound bodyweight and about 15 grams of high-quality protein, repeated within 2 hours.

Key Points

The key points to remember are:

Plan recovery into your training program
Listen to your body - if you feel tired, then adjust the training to allow full recovery
Allow 36 hours of recovery between quality sessions
To assist the recovery process, consume 300 to 400 calories of carbohydrate shortly after the training session and another 300 to 400 Calories of carbohydrate within two hours
Use the Orthostatic Heart Rate Test to monitor your recovery

References

BLEDSOE, J. (1999) Okay, so what on earth is the "Optimal recovery ratio"? Peak Performance, 123, p.10-11

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (1999) Recovery from Training [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/recovery.htm [Accessed


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To achieve this, you need to understand what recovery is, how long it takes and how you can positively affect the process. In the development of training plans, recovery must be a planned activity. What is recovery? Simply put, it is the time required to repair damage to the body caused by training or competition. It includes the restoration of the following: energy-producing enzymes inside muscle fibres carbohydrate stores in muscle cells endocrine and immune systems During recovery, muscles should increase the proteins in their overall structure to improve strength, replenish and increase energy stores, and increase enzymes' quantities to improve the lactate threshold. Speeding up recovery Muscle cells are most receptive to carbohydrates during the first two hours following a training session. To accelerate recovery, consume 300-400 calories of carbohydrates shortly after the training session and another 300-400 Calories of carbohydrates within two hours. This intake of carbohydrates and replenishing the fuel stores also have a positive effect on protein restoration in muscles. Optimal Recovery Ratio (OR2) The ratio of ingested carbohydrates to protein is critical in optimising muscle glycogen restoration after a workoutt. The Pacific Health Laboratories, Inc recommends four grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein. A strategy suggested by Jim Bledsoe (1999)^[1] following a 45-minute workout is as follows: two-thirds of a gram of carbohydrate per pound bodyweight and about 15 grams of high-quality protein, repeated within 2 hours. Key Points The key points to remember are: Plan recovery into your training program Listen to your body - if you feel tired, then adjust the training to allow full recovery Allow 36 hours of recovery between quality sessions To assist the recovery process, consume 300 to 400 calories of carbohydrate shortly after the training session and another 300 to 400 Calories of carbohydrate within two hours Use the Orthostatic Heart Rate Test to monitor your recovery References BLEDSOE, J. (1999) Okay, so what on earth is the "Optimal recovery ratio"? Peak Performance, 123, p.10-11 Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: MACKENZIE, B. (1999) Recovery from Training [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/recovery.htm [Accessed