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Optimizing tomorrows workout today - a guide to recovery

Recovery is one of the single most important factors in a successful training program. On the other hand recovery is also one of the most overlooked areas of a training plan and often times can be the biggest aspect holding an athlete back from taking their fitness to the next level. Whether you are a cat 1 cyclist who trains 20 hours a week or a recreational runner aiming to complete your first half marathon, it is truly worth the time to examine and optimize your recovery strategy.

You have most likely heard this time and time again but it’s worth repeating; gains in fitness occur during rest. While training the body’s physiology is kind of like a war zone. During those brutal hill repeats your body is dedicated to winning the battle at hand, not getting stronger. Stress hormones are up, free radicals are being created by the truckload and muscle cells are being broken down. The workout provides the stimulus; it is when you are off the bike that you get faster. Many athletes have no problem pushing their bodies to the limits and paying meticulous attention to their workouts. But all too often as soon as the workout is over it’s as if they have clocked out and their focus skips to the next day’s training session.

One of the biggest determinants of your energy levels

for today actually begun the second you finished yesterday’s workout. After an intense bout of exercise the body has unique nutritional requirements that when met, can give you a huge jump on recovery and ensure optimum energy levels. We’ll start with the first nutritional objective to be met post workout.

1) Rehydrate. Many athletes are in a constant state of dehydration and they don’t even know realize it. Being dehydrated provides additional unnecessary stress to the body (especially the liver and kidneys) and can compromise your workout as well as your recovery effort. Relying solely on thirst to gauge how much water you lost during training is not the best approach as humans have a poor thirst mechanism. It’s a good idea to weigh yourself pre and post workout to see just how much water you’ve lost. Training in a dry climate like Colorado can be especially deceiving because sweat evaporates so quickly. This evaporation is compounded when on a bike outside as there is a constant stream of air flowing over your skin. Just because you don’t feel like you lost a large amount of fluids doesn’t mean that your hydration level is adequate. It’s important to mention that when engaging in activities that span beyond 2 hours you are also losing a fair amount of sodium which can lead to an electrolyte imbalance. At this point it is a good idea to consume some type of sports drink or supplement that has a couple hundred milligrams of sodium. The next article in this series will address other important post workout nutrients and how they can boost your fitness. Read part 2!

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