CWA 9/23 - 8 Ways to Recover After Practice

8 Ways to Recover After Practice

A great season is built with consistent great workouts. Hard work and fast swimming, practice after practice, is what elicits the best training adaptations in the body. But showing up every day and swimming fast is not as easy as it sounds. The stress from a great workout puts the body in such a destructive state that often times the next workout is here before the body has fully recovered from the last one. It's because of this that most swimmers train in a constant state of fatigue throughout the majority of the season. But, there are things that you can do to help the body recover quicker. You will not only feel better in your workouts, but you will be able to generate a better performance as well. The following are some of the best things you can do to help your body recover quicker, ensuring that it will be in a better state for high performance come the next workout:
 

1. Hydration- Many people and swimmers don’t realize that the body sweats during swim practice, because it’s not noticeable when the body is in water. It's important to constantly replenish the body with water and electrolytes that are lost from sweating. Drinking a diluted mixture of Gatorade, Powerade or other sports drinks helps replenish the body with everything it needs during practice.
2. Cooling Down- Every swimmer dreads this point during the practice because all they want to do is get out and go home, but not cooling down can be detremental to their workout the next day. Cooling down is a form of active recovery, which helps circulate blood throught the body without having to exhert a lot of energy. This helps release tension, provide nutrients to the muscles to begin the rebuilding process, and will help clear out particles of broken protein which were damaged from the workout.
3. Fueling the Body- After a workout the body is in desprate need of nutrients, due the the fact it just used all of it's reserves during the practice. The Window of Opportunity is a 60 minute time period directly following the end of the workout, when the body is at it's peak in the recovery process. It's crucial that it replenishes it's nutrients during this time period. USA Swimming as a list of great snacks to have right after workout. You can find that list here.
4. Stretching- There two type of stretching: Dynamic and Static. Dynamic Stretching is a form of stretching that puts the body through a very brief stretch. This is typically utilized to warm the body up before a workout. Static stretching is what we normally think of when we think of stretching. It occurs when a position is help for an extended period of time. Static stretching is actually bad to do before workout as it temporarily decreases power output from the muscles and increases risk of injury, but it's great to do after a workout. It helps releave tension in the muscles and aids in circulation, ensuring nutrients are delivered and waste is extracted.
5. Foam rolling- Foam rolling is similar to stretching. It increases blood flow to the muscles, can help release tension in knotted or tight muscles, can breakdown scar tissue, and it helps lengthen and release the fascia that surrounds the muscle. Foam rolling can even help increase range of motion in a joint. Foam rolling can be done either before practice as a way to help warm up for the workout, or it can be done afterwards to help aid in the recovery process. Do it both times for the maximum result.
6. Massages- Everyone loves a massage. Getting a sports or deep tissue massage helps breakdown muscle knots and relieve built up tension in the body. This aids in circulation and keeps the muscles loose and in their prime condition for performance. Massages can get a little costy though, so if you can, try getting one about once a month and you will feel big difference.
7. Compression clothing- Compression clothing is something that many dedicated athletes have been starting to wear. The tight fitting clothes compress the muscles closer together, increasing circulation, making it easier for nutrients to come in and waste to come out.
8. Sleep- Without a doubt the most important part of proper recovery. Research shows that getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night not only helps the body recover faster, but it also increases your chances of preventing injuries and illnesses. On top of it, this is when the neural pathways of activities from earlier in the day are reinforced, which means it is when you sleep that your body and mind actually learn things and improvements are made. Try and turn off electronics (phones, iPads, computers, etc) well before you head to bed. This will calm your mind down and make it easier to get into your deep sleep.