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Triathlete and Exercise Physiologist Teaches the Keys to Injury Recovery

Elite athletes, whether Olympians or not, are known for their incredible talent and endurance. Many of these athletes would agree that recovery is just as important as practice to remain in the elite category.

Just like anyone else who follows a healthy routine, Olympians do the same. What’s the difference? They are very fine tuned when it comes to regimen and routine. They eat, exercise and recover with a purpose specific to their sport. The recovery is an important factor when it comes to managing their stress levels during competition.

Cooper Clinic Exercise Physiologist and triathlon participant Marius Maianu attributes his past and current competition success to correct recovery. Marius explains what many elite athletes go through after they compete.

Step One
Immediately after competing or intense practicing, it’s important to get nutrients back into the body to begin the recovery phase. There’s typically a half-hour window to consume the right foods. It’s common for athletes to choose bars or shakes shortly after their competition so they can fuel up on protein and carbohydrates to replenish energy. Read more about what elite athletes keep in their diet. Also, supplementation is often used after competition or training to help important nutrients get absorbed by the body for a quick recovery.

Step Two
Many elite athletes choose to get regular massages after their practices or competitions. The average person enjoys a relaxing, non-intense massage, whereas elite athletes may use at least two people to perform deep-tissue massages. Massages are great at helping fatigued and tight muscles get back to normal again by releasing tension in areas that would eventually lead to injury.

Step Three
After proper nutrition and muscle massages, it’s imperative for elite athletes to receive appropriate rest in order to start their routine again and stay healthy. One study pointed out that if you’re an eight-hour sleeper and you get six hours of sleep, that two-hour difference can impact your performance so that it equates to how you would perform if you had a 0.05 blood-alcohol level. That’s how important rest is for the elite category of athletes.

Popular Techniques
Many athletes choose to take ice baths after practicing or competing. Doing this is almost the equivalent of taking an anti-inflammatory for the muscles and joints and reduces swelling.

Another form of recovery is compression. Athletes use compression sleeves on their arms or legs during workouts to help increase the venous return of blood back to the heart and ultimately improving the circulation of oxygenated blood throughout the body. Compression sleeves may also help reduce muscle damage by decreasing vibration of muscles when there is impact, especially from running. Ultimately, the sleeves lead to decreased recovery time allowing athletes to train harder and more efficiently.

All elite athletes follow a strict routine when it comes to nutrition and exercise. Their recovery schedule and routine is no different. These practices help them stay at the elite level category.

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Article provided by Cooper Aerobics, Marketing and Communications.