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Muscle Recovery

Recovery is the key to the success of our performance. This is the phase during which our body will recover from its efforts and eventually heal some wounds or alleviate any pain.

This phase is absolutely essential to make you feel good again and perform well during your next training session. And the faster your body will recover, the faster you can start training again. A body that is given enough recovery time will be less prone to injury and more likely to provide intense effort as it is after training that your body will develop its performance.

Your body runs out during training

It is important to understand that your body will get tired during exercise. Your bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons are greatly solicited and your energy reserves emptied, which will initially lead to a drop in performance. But once the workout is finished, your body will begin to restructure: "By giving it the necessary time, your body will use this recovery phase to develop its physical abilities and replenish new quality resources. If your body does not have enough time for this process and it can not recover completely before your next training, your performance may stagnate or even diminish. "Explains Sascha Wingenfeld, our expert in running.

There are two ways to recover

• Passive recovery: this is about putting his body to rest based solely on his ability to recover and to hope that he will regenerate himself and as soon as possible.
• Active Recovery: It encompasses all actions (stretching, massages ...) aimed at helping the body recover faster and more efficiently. "In this way, you can resume training faster and increase the intensity, which will lead to a progression of your performances," Sascha emphasizes.

Here are the most effective recovery methods

1. The return to calm phase

Always complete a workout with a "back to calm" phase. In the last 10 minutes, gradually decrease the intensity of your race to achieve a recovery rate. By doing this, your metabolism and your cardiovascular system will slowly return to normal operating mode. This will also allow you to limit muscle acidity as well as certain accumulations. This decrease in intensity will accelerate the transition to the recovery phase and avoid a remobilization of the body too fast.

2. Stretching

Perform a short stretch after each workout to reduce muscle tension and prepare your muscles for new performance. These stretches will soften your muscles but will also have a relaxing effect for body and mind during the phase of calm.

3. Cold / hot showers

After a workout, you're going to have to shower anyway. So take advantage of it to do good to your muscles: shower for 30 to 40 seconds alternating very cold water and hot water. Repeat this process about 5 to 8 times. Cold water will relieve muscle aches that lead to body aches, while warm water stimulates blood circulation and will relax your tendons and muscles.

4. The ice bath

A particularly intense running session can cause muscular trauma. "An ice bath will decrease the blood supply to the muscles and thus reduce inflammation or stop the internal bleeding of these wounds. After an ice bath, the blood circulation of the muscles is greatly stimulated, which will also help the body to get rid of metabolic wastes and other toxins. "Explains Sascha. Simply fill your bath with water at about 8 ° C and completely submerge your legs. Stay in this icy water for about 5 minutes and then let your body warm up on its own.

5. Active relaxation training

There is a direct link between the body and the mind. Our thoughts have the power to control certain reactions of our bodies. This natural law forms the basis of all forms of active relaxation, including autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, yoga and much more. A 10-minute relaxation program is sufficient to reduce tension and lactate concentration in the muscles. It's up to you to test these different methods and find the one that does you the most good.

6. The Sauna

The sauna is also a great way to relax your body and mind. With the heat, the muscles relax and their blood circulation increases considerably. Consequence: the pains are appeased and the muscular regeneration in general accelerates. Your body will also feel a form of inner peace and mental relaxation, which will also help to reduce muscle tension and stimulate regeneration. But do not forget to drink plenty of water to compensate for the loss of fluids due to sweating and also keep in mind that a visit to the sauna will greatly reduce your muscle tone, which may have the effect of decreasing Your performance the next day. So avoid the sauna the day before a competition!

7. Food

Always try to fill your reserves after training to provide your body with all the energy it needs to regenerate. A good combination of complex carbohydrates (such as whole wheat products for example) and protein will stimulate the recovery process of the body. Proteins help the muscles regenerate and stabilize the insulin level. Also be sure to hydrate yourself to compensate for fluid loss: depending on the intensity of your session, your body will need 500 to 700 ml of water per hour of training. The performance of your muscles in particular depends on constant hydration. Also avoid drinking alcohol: your liver needs to spend a lot of energy during training and if it has to take care of metabolizing the alcohol consumed, it will be twice as stressed. But that's not all: alcohol slows the regeneration process and therefore your chances of performing well in your next training.

8. Sleep

Sleeping is the easiest and most effective method to allow our body to recover. It is indeed when we sleep that our body will repair small injuries or trauma related to training and that muscle growth will take place. Depending on the intensity of your workout, you should sleep between 7 and 8 hours per night. And be careful: a lack of sleep will slow down your metabolism, impair the regeneration process, lower your morale and weaken your immune system, not to mention cravings for which you are going to have to struggle.