Recovery after Exercise – Why and How
Dr Molly Connolly, physiotherapist at Physiologix, was in charge of running The Recovery Centre at this year’s Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne, an event she has been involved with for many years. She has really become very specialised in exercise recovery.
The Recovery Centre is a hub that players attend during the tournament to help keep their body at its peak through this gruelling event. Athletes can at times be on court for over 5 hours, often in tough conditions with most Australian Open’s containing several days of 40+ degrees heat. Therefore, good recovery habits are essential for players’ wellbeing, health and performance.
The Recovery Centre provides services including; massage, cold and hot baths, sleep support, electronic compression garments, ice – you name it, they provide it.
So here, Molly takes you through a few key points including sleep, cold waer emersion, contrast baths, compression garments, nutrition and warming down.
Sleep for Recovery after Exercise
Essential for recovery in sport and exercise, sleep is the number 1 most important recovery modality.
Sleep is a popular topic at the moment in sport and for good reason. Sleep facilitates healing and thus helps the body to recover both physically and mentally. Therefore, good sleeping habits are paramount for performing well on court.
So here are Molly’s top tips for sleep:
- Try not to eat or exercise within 2 hours of sleep time
- Try to avoid caffeine consumption within 9 hours of sleep time
- Stay away from screens an immediately before bed
- Have a routine pre sleep and stick to it where you can
- For some people using a meditation app before sleep can be a big help
- Napping can be useful during peak training loads, though avoid napping in the evening. If you feel the need to nap, early afternoon is best so that it doesn’t affect your sleep that night
- Try to eliminate distractions (lights, noises) and keep the room cool where possible
Ice baths for recovery – “cold water emersion”
Ice baths can play an integral role in recovery from Exercise. By ice baths we mean submersing your body in cool water. Why on earth would you do this? Cold water emersion helps to optimise strength and accelerate post exercise recovery. However, colder does not necessarily mean better – see below for some ice bath tips!
Key points for cold water emersion recovery:
- The optimal temperature and length of time changes depending on body mass, fat percentage and how much of the body is submerged… BUT the general guide is submersing in water that is 12-15 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.
- You want to be vertical in the water so that the pressure of the water can help with lymphatic drainage up the body.
- If the water is warmer, for example you are in your pool or at the beach, try to stay in the water for longer.
Contrast Water Therapy – Hot/Cold baths
What is the best way to utilise hot/cold baths for recovery after exercise? Lying down or sitting in a bath full of ice can be useful if combined with then jumping in warm water (either a bath or shower). So how is this different to cold water emersion recovery and when would you use it. Ice baths combined with hot water bathing may be something you want to consider for fatigue. Or, perhaps you would just like an alternative to freezing in an ice bath for 15 minutes! Contrast water therapy largely has similar results to cold water imersion. It helps muscle fatigue, reduces muscle soreness and reduces muscle strength loss post-exercise.
Tips for Contrast bath:
- Cold water = 10-15 degrees Celsius
- Hot water = 38-40 degrees Celsius
- Hot:Cold ratio = 1:1
- 7 rotations (14 minutes)
Compression garments for recovery
Compression garments are another effective way for accelerating recovery. However, the research is still evolving in this area therefore cold-water immersion remains the superior modality for accelerating recovery of the two methods.
That said, there is some promising research coming out about compression garments though to see the benefits, your garments need to be REALLY tight – possibly 1-2 sizes smaller than you’d usually choose. Compression garments are effective both during and post exercise. Long length garments (hip –> ankle) give the best results compared to compression shorts.
Nutrition
It is important to not only think of nutrition before and during training/an event, but also after exercise. Ensuring that you’re eating and drinking ENOUGH is important, especially during a tournament or in the lead up to an endurance event though also AFTER these events. If you’re unsure about your diet or how to space out meals and snacks pre/post event, speak with a qualified dietician to help you maximise not only your preparation but your recovery to make sure you’re ready to go for your next event!
Warm Down - Does it help?
Does a warm down help you recover after exercise?
Yes, a warm down is beneficial in helping your body regulate back from an exercise state to a non-exercise state. A warm down after exercise helps to modulate and protect your immune system. Let’s face it – preventing illness is a great thing! So, take time to do a light jog, swim, or cycle and let your body reset after the physical demands of training or competition.
And why do all the players at the Australian Tennis Open visit Dr Molly Connolly – because they know optimal recovery strategies help them both physically and mentally, as well as help them to perform to the best of their abilities.
You can make an appointment with Molly, or any of the other physio, massage and pilates therapists online at Physiologix.com.au or call on (07) 3511 1112.
