Written By Benny Liang, Swimming World College Intern.
In the weeks to come, many of us will be putting our heads down and getting ready to finish the last weeks of hard training before taper. This can be considered the most important phase in the season because it is the transition from putting in hard work all season and reaping the rewards. Obviously, giving your best in the pool and focusing on the details rank first on the hierarchy of importance in training, but what about your time outside of the pool?
Let’s say you train three mornings and five evenings a week, each time for two hours. That’s 16 hours. 152 hours, or 90% of your time, are still left in the week that ultimately affect how you perform. While nobody can realistically expect to use all of this time, or even most of it, on swimming, just half an hour a day can make the difference if used correctly.
Recovery between practices is just as important to a successful end-of-season as training. A lot happens in your body between workouts. Your body adapts to the stressors you subject it to in training. Muscle tissues are repaired. Energy stores are topped up in preparation for the next workout. If you don’t allow your body to recover properly, you put yourself at the risk of overtraining. Here are five ways to reduce your risk of overtraining and maximize your potential this season.
Nutrition and Hydration
Photo Courtesy: rusvaplauke on Flickr
Proper nutrition is a key component in recovery. After your body has been broken down by exercise, the food you put in is used to repair damaged tissues and build muscle fibers. Protein is the main building block of muscle. Eating high protein foods after working out will decrease catabolism, which is the breaking down of muscles as a response to a lack of rest and nutrition. Beef jerky and mixed nuts are good sources of protein for a quick snack.
Carbohydrates, in the form of starches and sugars, provide the energy muscles need to do work. Glycogen is the form in which carbs are stored in muscle cells and your liver to be used during exercise. After a workout, glycogen stores are depleted. Replenishing glycogen after a workout will increase recovery and help your body prepare for the next workout. Fruit or a PB&J sandwich can be an easy way to get in the carbs you need.
Approximately 70% of the human body weight is water, so it’s not hard to see why proper hydration is important. When an athlete is dehydrated, he will suffer many negative effects, including early fatigue and decreased performance. Furthermore, core temperature will increase faster and so will heart rate. It is recommended that in order to recover from dehydration, athletes drink 1.5L of fluid for each kilogram of body weight lost.
Stretching
Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers
Stretching is an activity that involves extending muscles with the goal of increasing flexibility and range of motion in a joint. If you don’t stretch, muscle fibers can tighten and become “locked-up”. This puts you at the risk of injury when stiff, inflexible fibers are called on for strenuous activity. During a practice, repetitive contractions of muscle fibers through a stroke can cause them to tighten up. Stretching afterwards not only helps to return them to a relaxed state but also increases blood flow to the area, furthering recovery.
Self-Myofascial Release
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Fascia is the thin layer of tissue that covers or binds various structures within the body. In our muscles, fascia separate the fibers into their major groups and also allow them to move smoothly. When we subject our bodies to repetitive stress, fascia can tear which results in discomfort and a decrease in mobility. Self-myofascial release is a method that allows people to address these tears in fascia by releasing the tension that causes them. Foam rollers, Lacrosse balls, and myofascial cups are commonly used to treat tension in the fascia. By applying pressure to the problem area, you can work out knots in muscle tissue and increase blood flow to the area.
Sleep
Photo Courtesy: Maggie McKenna
Die-hard swimmers can be heard at early morning practices saying “Sleep is for the weak”. This is typically used as a jab towards their teammates who lack the discipline to get out of bed. However studies show that when an athlete is sleep deprived, multiple areas of performance are affected. Reaction times can be impaired as much as if you drank four alcoholic beverages. The body also begins to suffer from fatigue, resulting in injuries and a decrease in immune system function. As anyone who has pulled an all-nighter can attest, mental focus and motivation are also impacted. Many student-athletes can find it difficult to get a full eight hours of sleep a night, having to balance academics and athletics. Nonetheless, learning to manage your time wisely can help you get sleep, and perform better.
Ice and Heat
Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr / Swimming Australia Ltd.
While icing and heating both do opposite things to the body, they are still effective ways to promote recovery. Ice is typically used to treat recent injuries. Injuries cause the damaged tissues to become inflamed, resulting in pain and swelling. When ice is applied, blood vessels constrict and reduce blood flow to the area, decreasing swelling. Ice also numbs the pain, alleviating most of the immediate symptoms.
Heat is more often used to treat ongoing injuries. Ice reduces blood flow, and heat increases it. This results in more circulation to an area, allowing waste products such as lactic acid to dissipate. Heat also helps tight muscles relax, making it a good way to prepare for training.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Ilse ?
Good thoughts on a good topic.
Now my not totally random thoughts: Do not use heat on a fresh injury, a really dumb mistake I made once. Eating more than several at a time of the majority of nuts and many seeds (and many “nuts” are really seeds) may not be a great idea due to toxins in the outer layer/covering (like phytic acid). But do eat nuts and seeds regularly. Some maca is good. Eat a lot of eggs. Beware of many energy products. Have plenty of light exercise days and periodic no exercise days. Try to figure out what is causing injuries when you get them so that you can put a stop to them. Ibuprofen is good but regular use promotes overtraining and injury. Never forget that your body, and your muscles, need rest and sleep, which are every bit as important as exercise and nutrition.
Now I know why I always feel it necessary to sit in the sauna for 5 or so minutes before I do my two- hour workouts on Tuesdays!
Peter Sameh Ezzat