Recovery advice for every athlete - Part 1 of 3

There are some critical factors that will assist in the recovery of the athlete or everyday person who trains hard. These are time, nutrition / supplements and mobility. I will cover a one of them in this post and the others later. I will start with the one that I consider the most important and often the most overlooked is TIME.

TIME

When I mention time, I am referring to the time you take to rest between workouts. I will be addressing how you can use different types of rest periods in your training. But first, there is one very important thing to mention early and in bold in this blog, if you are consistently in pain / hurt from training (any kind of training) you are probably training too much or not training correctly. I talk to people every day that have injured themselves with their current training program. In many instances I find that I can help them by making a small change in their training frequency by implementing rest and recovery days.

The Time factor with training applies not only to the number of hours or days between training sessions, it also refers to the number of recovery weeks to training weeks. You may be surprised by how well you would do with your training if your training program included recovery weeks.

Experts like Charles Polliquin, Dan John and Charles Staley often write about taking 1 full recovery week for every 12 weeks of training. I would argue that for the majority of you, you could benefit with ½ week to 1 week of rest for every 3-4 weeks of training. Now for you endurance training junkies, rest doesn’t mean a 40 mile ride or 7 mile run…you get it. Rest means rest. You can consider a low intensity - low duration bike ride in the park having a conversation with your spouse or friend recovery. You can also consider a long walk or a relaxing yoga class recovery as well. But it should be all about taking it easy and keeping your heart rate low and your muscular effort minimal. Running is never considered rest.

Other examples of how to plan your recovery time is below. Many industry experts call this planning your "work to recovery" cycle. Here are a few examples:

3:1 This could be a part of a 12 week cycle where you take ½ to 1 week of recovery for every 3 weeks of training. This would be good for the frequently injured person or person new to training.

4:1 Here you could use a recovery week between each 4 week cycle of training. Most training programs will change a little after 4 weeks and this could be a good time for a break. This kind of works in my simple brain, work 4 weeks and rest 1. This would be good for the frequently injured person or person new to training.

6:1 This recovery interval is better suited for the more mature person training. Someone with a few years under their belt and most likely a person with a good grip on other recovery methods. This is for a person in a more competitive training program that has been training for a while and is not suffering from any type of pain.

9:1 Some seasoned training veterans utilize a 3 x 3 training program. That is they change their program every 3 weeks. In this scenario, planning a recovery week after 3 mesocycles (training periods) is a wise decision. Seasoned training veterans tend to go a bit harder than most but usually have learned when to dial it back and when to rest. This is for a person in a more competitive training program that has been training for a while and is not suffering from any type of pain.


The rest time period (week) is for mobility work, stability work and proper nutrition. You can utilize yoga, massage therapy, chiropractic, rolfing, ART (active release technique) and any other healing modality that you find assists you in feeling better (except medication). Pain medication should never be considered a part of a training program. If you have to take a few Motrin or Tylenol to train, you are in bad shape.

Well, that’s all I have about the Time factor as an aid in recovery. If you are not scheduling your recovery periods, your body will do it for you…trust me on that. The next blog post will be about Nutrition and Supplements with the remaining blog post about Mobility and Stability Work.

Interval Training 101

If you are stuck in a rut and looking for a way to add variety to your exercise plan then keep on reading! 

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a cardiorespiratory training technique that alternates between brief speed and recovery intervals to improve your aerobic capacity and increase the overall intensity of your workout. Research has shown that this type of aerobic training offers far more health and fitness benefits than the old standard of steady state cardio.

How does it work?

Most endurance workouts, such as walking, running, or stair-climbing are performed at a moderate intensity, or an exertion level of 5-6 on a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the most difficult. High-intensity intervals are performed at an exertion level of 7 or higher, and normally last for 30 seconds to 3 minutes. These high periods of exertion can also be as short as 8-10 seconds. A good rule of thumb to follow is the higher the intensity of an exercise, the shorter the speed interval. Recovery intervals are normally equal to or longer than the speed intervals.

What are the benefits of HIIT?

The many benefits of HIIT include:
1. Burn More Fat- Not only do you burn more calories by using HIIT, the high exertion of energy spent using high-intensity interval training causes your body to continue to burn calories for 24 hours after your workout.

2. Save Time- According to a study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine, two weeks of HIIT improves your aerobic capacity as much as six to eight weeks of endurance training. Research has also shown that 15 minutes of high interval training can improve athletic progress more so than one hour of medium intensity workouts. This is huge for people on a hectic schedule or those that hate to do "cardio".

3. Healthy Heart- HIIT has been proven to help the blood vessels and arteries of the heart. Doctors have found that the heart is actually insulated from over-exertion because of the brief time of the intensity, but with the benefits of exerting the heart.

4. No Equipment- Although jumping rope, bicycling and rowing are good HIIT exercises, equipment is not a necessity; you can also run, jump or use plyometrics as part of your HITT program.

5. Do It Anywhere- You can adjust to your location to perform a variety of exercises. Although you may prefer a gym, it is not, by any means, necessary. This is great for those of you that enjoy exercising outdoors.

6. Retain Muscle- Although steady state cardio can bring about both weight loss and muscle loss, HIIT coupled with weight training can encourage weight loss while retaining muscle mass. The increased endurance and aerobic capacity in HIIT promotes muscle growth and enhanced weight training performance.

7. Challenging- High-intensity interval training is perfect for seasoned exercisers that may have become bored with their exercise programs. It's also ideal if you have hit a plateau and are trying to break through to a new level of fitness. More so than other methods, high-intensity interval training is also challenging enough to see fast results.

8. Increase Metabolism - In addition to the fat burning and muscle retention that HIIT can offer, it also increases your levels of the human growth hormone (HGH) in the body considerably for the 24 hours after a workout. HGH plays a significant role in the caloric burning process, meaning your metabolism is greatly increased for that period of time.

Is HIIT safe?

Any type of high-intensity exercise of brings with it a higher risk of musculoskeletal injury and cardiac events. Along with healthy individuals, HIIT has been studied and used as a training method for people with heart disease and congestive heart failure. Under clinical supervision, tests subjects were able to tolerate high-intensity intervals without negative effects. Most importantly, this population experienced greater improvements in cardiovascular function compared to those using continuous moderate-intensity training.

So what is the bottom line? Just like with any physical activity, you may want to check with your health care provider before adding it to your exercise routine.

How do I use HIIT?

Choose an aerobic exercise like running, rowing or stationary bicycling. Warm up for about 5 minutes, and perform 5 speed and recovery intervals. Finish your intervals with a 3-4 minute cool down. Here’s an example:

Time   Interval       Exertion Level (0-10)

5 min. Warm-up   3–4

1 min.  Speed.      7–9

2 min. Recovery   5–6

1 min. Speed        7–9

2 min Recovery    5–6

1 min. Speed        7–9

2 min Recovery    5–6

1 min. Speed        7–9

2 min. Recovery.  5-6

1 min. Speed        7–9

5 min. Cool-down 3–4

23 min. Total Time

Gradually work up to 8-10 or more speed intervals, depending on your fitness goals. The most common mistake made with interval training is making the recovery intervals too short. So, remember to keep your work to rest ratio around 1:2.

Perform HIIT workouts 1-2 times a week at most to reduce your risk of injury. This high-intensity training method is best used periodically to enhance regular training rather than on a consistent basis because of its taxing demands on the body.

Mobility Drills for Runners

Recently, I posted some information on our Advanced Fitness Facebook page regarding post-workout recovery exercises.  This time, I want to talk with you about some things you might want to consider incorporating into your warm-up...especially if you are a runner!

The goal of a warm-up is to prepare the body for upcoming activity. This includes biomechanical, physiological and mental preparation.  It is important to warm up the muscles, ligaments and tendons as well as prepare the nervous and cardiovascular systems for the specific workout.   Before a run, the goal is to increase your mobility (range of motion in the joints) in especially the ankles and hips to allow for a more efficient running stride.  The old way of static stretching before your run, or workout for that matter, is a thing of the past!  The preferred method for your warm-up should consist of several mobility exercises to increase range of motion throughout your joints and work through any adhesions built up in the fascia and muscle tissue.  If you will for a moment, try and imagine your muscles as if they were rubber bands.  Your muscles are meant to contract and relax, so when you try to stretch them by pulling on them as in static stretching, you actually lose a bit of elasticity. The same thing happens with a rubber band if you continue you stretch it over and over for extended periods of time.  As a runner, your goal is to retain as much muscle elasticity as possible.  With that said, I have included several videos below in which I cover four mobility drills to use as part of your pre-run warm-up…


1.  Myofascial Release for the Foot

The first place you are going to start is at the bottom of the foot.  You will need either a lacrosse ball or tennis ball for this drill.  Why the foot you ask?  The muscles on the back side of your body beginning at the soles of your feet and all the way up to the back of the head are joined by a strong network of connective tissue.  So in essence, when you do any kind of mobility work at the bottom of the foot it will cause a domino effect up the body and actually help other areas of the posterior chain to open up as well.  This is also a great drill to help massage away and pain and soreness caused by plantar fasciitis.  Try and aim for 5-10 passes at each major point on the soles of the feet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyjv1JEMrAk

2. Opening up the Ankle

For this drill, aim to complete about 10 reps of “openings” on both the inside and the outside of your ankle bone.  The last part of the drill will require you to position your feet so that they are lined up parallel to one another with the toes of one foot touching the heel of your other foot (think fourth positioning of the feet in ballet.  If you are not sure what that is, “Google” it!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9YUgJF5uwo

3. Butt to Heel Drop

This video will show you how to open up the front of your lower leg.  The key to this drill is to not let the knee touch the ground and keep the shin hovering over the floor.  This is accomplished by sitting back onto the heel of the leg you are working on.  Push through the heel of your front foot to help you stand up out of the stretch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aljwiQer-pc

4.  Hip Internal Drop and Rotation

This last video focuses on opening up the hips.  When you set up for this drill, be sure to have your weight on your hands behind you and butt a few inches of the floor to provide enough room for maneuvering the hips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9iJMpICPXA

St. Patrick's Day Fitness Wisdom

Earlier today, I was thinking about different topics  to write about on the AF blog.  While brainstorming, it also dawned on me that today is St. Patrick's Day, and then it hit me like a bag of potatoes!!  I would share some Irish wisdom as it pertains to staying healthy and fit!

For many years, the Irish people have been stereotyped as potato -eating, beer-guzzling stouts.  However, in a survey conducted a few years ago, it was found that Ireland's obesity rate was less than half the rate of the U.S.  So, maybe there are some things that we could learn from the Irish lifestyle to help keep the pounds off and stay in shape...

1.  Eat your breakfast!

Like many Northern European countries, the Irish tend to make breakfast their biggest meal of the day.  This tradition of a hearty breakfast most likely stemmed from the farming community.  Farmer's would come in after their early morning chores to eat a substantial breakfast because their bodies had been low on glycogen from working hard in the wee hours of the morning.

You have probably heard by now that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Upon waking, our metabolism is still in sleep mode. If we skip breakfast, we stay in that slow-burning metabolism mode.  If we have a decent breakfast, we won't be so hungry later in the day that we'll binge at lunch or dinner.

2.  Go for the green veggies!

If you grew up in an Irish household like me, every St. Patrick's Day meant cabbage on the menu since cabbage is a staple in Irish cuisine. But not just cabbage; other leafy greens like kale are also popular choices.  Cabbage has high levels of iron, calcium, potassium, vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, and D.  People that eat a large amount of cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables have a lower risk of developing colon cancer. Cabbage and leafy greens are also very low in calories. If cabbage isn't your cup of tea, then possibly consider mashing the cabbage or kale together with potatoes and other ingredients like onions, garlic, or leeks. 

3.  Boil the meat!

The Irish and English are often made fun of for their custom of boiling their meats and vegetables until all flavor is gone.  Yet on the other hand, us Americans do nothing but deep-fry the heck out of anything we can get our hands on.  If you want to add a little bit of flavor to your dish, try poaching a chicken breast, turkey breast or fish fillet in wine or a flavored broth with garlic and onions and your favorite vegetables. The seasoning for your dish is only limited by your imagination. 

4.  Get to the root of it!

In addition to green vegetables,  Irish cuisine also features a lot of root vegetables besides potatoes.  These veggies include carrots, parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas. They contain lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, while still being pretty low in calories. They're pretty tasty, whether boiled, roasted, or mashed, or in some cases, eaten raw. Try replacing the potatoes in your favorite recipes for other root vegetables  instead.  it will zest up the dish, add extra nutrients and bring down the calorie count. 

5.  Think pink!

Since the country of Ireland sits on an island,  it has access to vast amounts of seafood, especially salmon.  Salmon is rich in omega- 3 fatty acids and is also a great source of protein and other nutrients, while low in calories and fat.