There has been some discussion lately about the necessity of recovery during training. So how much and what recovery do we need? How do we fit in all our training, cross-training, weights, etc. and still have time for recovery? What can we do to recover faster? How much recovery is needed prior to taper? How do you balance training hard and training and recovery?
It sucks getting old. I'm sore as hell. :toohurt:
So how much and what recovery do we need?
Reg swimming you can practically swim every day because it is much less impact on your muscles than weightlifting.
I used to be able to do this when I was younger. Log 6k+ workouts 5 days a week. Not anymore. If i do 6 to 7K in a workout, I take the next day off, or do a 2.5k swim at max. Around age 40 (41 now) is when I really started to notice the increased recovery time.
What about L-Glutamine? Has anyone tried that?
Yes, I have tried that, and, to be honest, don't think I got a lot out of it. Plus, the quantity of amino supplements required is overwhelming, lots of large pills daily.
As with That Guy, even a small run the day before a competition, is ruinous to my swimming, something I have learned the hard way.
I have come to the conclusion that rest is the only real recovery. I've tried to trick myself into doing something light or different and that never seems to work well for me.
Yes, I have tried that, and, to be honest, don't think I got a lot out of it. Plus, the quantity of amino supplements required is overwhelming, lots of large pills daily.
As with That Guy, even a small run the day before a competition, is ruinous to my swimming, something I have learned the hard way.
I have come to the conclusion that rest is the only real recovery. I've tried to trick myself into doing something light or different and that never seems to work well for me.
Isn't it in powder form? I'm skeptical about the efficacy of supplements too.
I don't run a week before a meet. But I think I'm still stuck in the something light or different rut during regular training. Although I will say that cross training seems to agree with me more than swimming more.
Green tea supplements - that's my latest kick. No idea if they do anything.
Pinky out, please!
NB Green Tea is excellent for cleaning your system and getting over colds and the like.
I've been subscribing lately to the chocolate milk as a recovery drink theory and so far I think the theory has merit. When I have chocolate milk after practice or a dryland workout, I just don't seem to be as tired the next day.
Isn't it in powder form? I'm skeptical about the efficacy of supplements too.
I took an amino complex supplement. It said 5-10 pills a day, I could only choke down 3 of them, they were huge.
Green tea supplements - that's my latest kick. No idea if they do anything.
If I had to strip away all the voodoo pills I take, I'd never part with my daily multi vite and flax seed and fish oil.
I take 1 day off each week, usually Sunday when the pool is closed, and I don't do any other type of training on those days either (unless a hike in the mountains in the summer counts as a workout). If I'm really tired, I may also take a day in the middle of the week where I take it easy and do mainly drills and short, easy intervals. My routine is generally to swim 6 days a week with a double on 1 or 2 of those days and a 1-1/2 hour session of yoga at least once a week. In the last few weeks I've added spinning on 2 days a week and eliminated the double swim workouts. I'm also finding that I can't do a swim workout that's heavy on kicking or sprinting on the spin days. I'm going to follow the swim-spin-yoga routine until I begin my taper for nationals, then I will drop the spinning.
You know me I don't take a day off unless I am forced to. Mostly because if I don't swim in the morning my back is locked up all day long. But there are days I swim EASIER to recover. I also find a protien shake before and after practice is very helpful (within 40 minutes of workout).
Usually even during my taper I hurt somewhat up until about 2 days before the big meet. Coach and I have figured out for most of my general meets a 3 day taper is plenty. I have done this enough now to not worry if I hurt the day before the meet, it too will go away!
:lmao:
I see it stimulates appetites, LBJ. Just great, I already walk around starving all the time. If I just do a few wee sprints and then recover, how am I supposed to: have sufficient endorphins, de-stress and burn calories?
Oh, I did stretch a lot today.
I haven't noticed any appetite increase at all, but after a 2 hour straight swim I'd eat a brick if it had mayo on it, so that's not a good yardstick.
Have you tried massage? That's another A+ method of recovery.
-LBJ
What can we do to recover faster?
-Take a really, really cold shower directly after practice (I guess the best thing to do is to bring a tub of ice cold water, but in lack of such a cold shower is OK)
I guess you don't live anywhere near the US/Canada border, speaking as you, so lackadaisically, about "cold" water.
The ONLY thing cold water is good for, is to speed up the process of cooling beer.:drink:
