zach@precisioncyclecoach.com

Rest As Hard As You Train.

By: Zach Lail, Precision Cycle Coach

Contrary to popular believe going hard on the bike is NOT what makes you a stronger rider! Yes, it’s a required part of the “get faster” formula, but it’s actually the rest afterwards and what’s known as “super compensation”. Too many athletes get stuck in the mind set of going hard all the time, it’s likely you have even done this yourself. This type of training is of no benefit and serves only to grate away at your fitness. It soon becomes chronic, and if continued, inevitably leads to over training or illness and eventually a loss of fitness.

My saying has always been “rest as hard (or harder) as you train”. Give you muscles and body the chance to recover and super compensate, only then will you come back stronger the next time. A few tips for resting and recovery:

· Cool Down. At the end of your workout/race, spend 10-15 minutes in Z1 and medium cadence. This will allow the blood to begin clearing the muscles of waste and begin to facilitate recovery.

· Hydrate and refuel, good hydration is key, especially in the hot summer months. As is proper nutrition. After exercise there is an ideal window somewhere around 15-45 minutes after the workout that you should try to use to take in a recovery product. My favorite and recommendation is EnduroxR4, it is liquid and easily and quickly metabolized and more importantly it uses the ideal ratio of 4:1 carbohydrate to protein to speed muscle glycogen replenishment and rebuild muscle protein. After that you should continue to hydrate and take in a healthy balanced meal within 2-3 hours (more on this in the nutrition article).

· Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down. Its pretty simple, try to stay off of your feet and take a nap if possible, avoid stairs if at all possible.

· Hot shower or bath. Immediately following the cool down and recovery drink take a hot shower or bath. Do not linger in the bathtub, as you will dehydrate even more.

· Massage. Other than sleep, most riders have found massage to be the most effective recovery method. A post race massage should employ long, flushing strokes to speed the removal of the waste producers of exercise. Deep massage at this time could increase muscle trauma and should be avoided. Due to the expense of massage, some athletes prefer self-massage. Following a hot shower/bath stroke the muscles for 20 to 30 minutes, working away from the extremities and toward the heart.

The rate at which athletes recover from hard training session varies greatly. Different recovery methods may work well for you as an individual athlete. It is even likely that the body will respond in a different way following various types of workouts. While there are many physiological similarities between athletes, we are all unique and will respond differently to different methods. Experimentation will help you discover the best methods for you. The important thing is to pay attention to your body and make sure you are recovering properly. If you ever think you are feeling over trained, contact me immediately and we will review your training.