Summary While there is not a large degree of scientific studies investigating recovery strategies in endurance trained athletes, from current evidence, anecdotal evidence from athletes and evidence derived from other sports such as team sports, completing appropriate recovery can aid in enhancing performance. At present, the following recommendations can be made: • Consideration should be given to the amount of time until the next training session or competition. Is recovery necessary? What can be practically performed in the time frame? What strategies have scientific evidence to support their use in the given time? • Is the athlete required to perform maximal, short-duration efforts? If so, cold water immersion before the effort will most likely be detrimental. Consideration must be given to the potential change in muscle and core temperature and whether that will enhance performance (as in precooling) or reduce performance. • Use appropriate temperatures and duration for immersion. Research that has found positive effects of water immersion utilize temperatures of 10-15°C for cold water and 38-40°C for hot water. • A duration of 14-15 min of either cold water immersion or contrast water therapy has been shown to improve performance in several studies. • The ratio of hot:old during contrast water therapy should be 1:1. Research that has shown positive performance effects has used seven rotations of 1 min hot and 1 min cold. • Periodization of recovery may be important in many sports, whereby recovery is minimized during intensified training to increase fatigue and potentially adaptation. However, this may impair quality of training and may increase the risk of injury in sports involving eccentric activity and/or contact. Further, in sports competing regularly (e.g. weekly), recovery is often needed to minimize fatigue and maximize recovery between competition and thus should be prioritized. • Compression garments and active recovery may be beneficial for recovery in endurance trained athletes. While the evidence at present is minimal, there does not appear to be harmful effects relating to their use and anecdotal evidence for their support is high. • Sleep is one the best recovery strategies for athletes and placing priority on quality and quantity of sleep is important for optimal performance.
© Copyright 2012 Endurance Training - Science and Practice. Veröffentlicht von Inigo Mujika. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.