This is something I never really gave much thought towards when I was younger, given that as a teenager banging out 6k and 7k workouts, usually twice a day, didn't seem that hard.
Nowadays though (late 30s), post-workout recovery is taken more seriously. Not necessarily because I want to get back to the pool ASAP, but because I don't want to be a human pile-up over the course of the day after a hard AM swim.
For me, my recovery routine ends up including:
1. Always doing at least ten minutes of warming down. I feel noticeably better in the hours after a hard practice if I spend some time doing easy swimming at the end of my session.
2. Packing a post-workout shake and banana. Takes about ten seconds to do, and it's waiting right there in my swim bag post swim.
3. Hitting the pillows and blanky like they owe me money. Where possible, of course.
4. A scotch at night. Master's prerogative, as they say.
What are you doing to make sure that you are recovering quickly after practice?
Nice article-- good job! :applaud: There is one thing, however, that I feel you forgot to include: STRETCHING! At 55, it's imperative that I stretch after a workout. (You may have not gotten to that point yet at your age.) I do foam rolling and dynamic stretching to get everything loosened up before I swim , and then do static stretching post-workout. I also taught myself yoga, so I do that as well.
It makes a difference! When I skip it at a swim meet after my races and cool down (That's the point my husband starts to get hot and cranky, and has run out of patience :waiting:), I really feel the difference the next day. :cane:
I wish foam rolling had been a thing back in the day; I feel like it would have null and voided a lot of the shoulder and back issues I had as a tadpole competitive swimmer. Instead, it was endless rotator cuff exercises and dixie cup ice packs.
1. Workouts vary from 4000-7200m.
2. Scoop and a half of whey protein. There are better food items than bananas, I am sure, but my tummy loves them after those long swims and they are easy to mash into my mouth-hole with what little energy I have when I get out of the water.
3. Best workouts are almost always after a full night of uninterrupted sleep.
4. An n=1 trial of myself found that scotch has delicious, err, powerful recovery effects.
5. Get most of my vitamins and mins from food. Eat well enough; make sure to get outside for at least half an hour a day for that good old Vitamin D.
6. The whey protein is chocolate flavored. Covering my bases!
I really need to try the banana and protein shake after the 4500m+ workouts. The problem is that the harder the workout, the less hungry I am. I never really want to eat until at least a couple of hours later.
I'll vouch for the scotch.
actually, sports studies have shown that chocolate milk is a GREAT recovery drink.
That's right! I prefer a chocolate-flavored protein powder that I mix with water immediately after my workout. When I get home, my husband makes me a DELICIOUS smoothie with light vanilla soymilk, a banana, chia seeds (high in protein, calcium, omega-3s, anti-oxidants, and fiber), and organic blueberries that we pick at a farm ourselves. Between the two of us, we picked 50 pounds of those little suckers and froze them in quart size Ziploc bags to last until next year. He throws them into the blender straight from the freezer, so he doesn't need to use ice. His smoothies tastes incredibly delicious! :ohyeah:
I really need to try the banana and protein shake after the 4500m+ workouts. The problem is that the harder the workout, the less hungry I am. I never really want to eat until at least a couple of hours later.
I've noticed this as well. The hunger usually comes after an hour or two out of the water, but in the immediate aftermath a banana and a shake is about all I can stomach.
OP,
late 30s? i dont even remember my late 30s...and i was still on part of my 20year retirement from swimming.
i would say your recovery routine has a nice start. but we need more details actually.
1) how much is your workout? pre-warmdown
2) whats in the shake? and while a bananna is good food it isnt the "be all end all" of choices
3) yes sleep is good...i need more myself
4) you might want to consider a sip less
5) other nutritional info would be good...including vitamins or meds
6) DUDE! you are seriously missing out on the ice cream part! this is key!!! mocha almond fudge -> it makes you go fast
Primer Luger
OP,
late 30s? i dont even remember my late 30s...and i was still on part of my 20year retirement from swimming. Agree!
i would say your recovery routine has a nice start. but we need more details actually. Agree
1) how much is your workout? pre-warmdown Agree
2) whats in the shake? and while a bananna is good food it isnt the "be all end all" of choices Agree
3) yes sleep is good...i need more myself Agree
4) you might want to consider a sip less Agree
5) other nutritional info would be good...including vitamins or meds Agree
6) DUDE! you are seriously missing out on the CHOCOLATE part! :bliss:this is key!!! It makes you go fast :D
Primer Luger
See comments above. ;)
What are you doing to make sure that you are recovering quickly after practice?
I'm not usually concerned about recovering "quickly" per se, but I've always been good about warming down properly. Typically, that's around a 200, but I'll do more if I'm not feeling great (or if I just swam a mile at a meet, then it will be longer).
After getting into my 30's, I had to start inserting full recovery workouts in the middle of the week. If I swim 5 days a week with 5-6k practices, one of those will be in the 2-3k range (and nothing too hard).
I'm not particular about my diet, but I am starting to get to the point where I should pay attention more. I don't drink often on weeknights, but the weekends I enjoy a few.
Sleep: About 7-8 hours per night.
