Recovery is an aspect of training that is getting significant attention right now because research is revealing the various techniques you can use between workouts that will have an important effect on your response to training. By understanding and applying the science of recovery and regeneration, you can plan effectively to ensure that you give your body the help it needs to repair, heal, and grow. This is the key to becoming "the 24 hour athlete." Recovery and Regeneration The essential idea that every 24 hour athlete needs to embrace is that your attention and effort do not end when your workout is over. Because the healing and repair process is as important, if not more important, to your fitness as the actual running training, there are several things you can do when you are not pounding the pavement. In effect, fitness and training are a way of life – not just something you do when your stopwatch is running. The first stage of an effective recovery is a proper cool down, which I prefer to call "active recovery." By staying in motion at roughly 50-55% of your maximum level of exertion for a period of time after your workout – typically 10-15 minutes – you help your body remove metabolic waste products such as acids and potassium that have built up in our muscles and blood during your run. Low intensity exercise helps to increase circulation to your muscles. This is important because the longer acids and other metabolites like lactic acid (or lactate and hydrogen ions) are in your muscle fibres, the less time your body has available to work on rebuilding your muscle glycogen stores.1 If your mitochondria are battling with waste products and processing lactate, they are spending less time converting glucose into the glycogen you will need for your next run. Inflammation and Regeneration A critical phase of the recovery process is the inflammatory response that occurs as a result of exercise and training. When muscle fibres are damaged, inflammatory cells called neutrophils and macrophages move to the area and help break down and remove damaged tissue. The inflammatory process in the muscle also involves increased flow of fluids to the exercised areas, which can cause swelling and soreness. Another key step in the inflammatory process is that our body produces a powerful hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This hormone instructs satellite cells to initiate repairs to damaged muscle fibres and begin producing new ones. This is an example of the intra-muscular response that takes place after a resistance training workout in the gym, or a hills or interval running session. The inflammatory process can take up to 72 hours to complete, so you have to make sure that you mix your hard workout days with easier training to give your body the time it needs to repair muscles and for the inflammatory response to work its magic. Inflammation is a critical healing process, and if you interfere with it you can limit your physiological progress as an athlete. Anti inflammation techniques like anti-inflammatory medicines (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories or NSAIDS), cold tubs which constrict blood vessels, or compression clothing are gaining popularity because they may reduce post-workout soreness and pain but may actually slow your progress because they block or impair the inflammation process that signals the body to rebuild itself in response to the training stress. Your body needs the process of breaking down, experiencing inflammation, and making the repairs in order to develop and improve! That said, compression clothing and cold baths can be useful as you approach a race to decrease pain and to blunt the inflammatory response when you are not in the development phase of your training. They can also be helpful if you are planning 2 workouts on the same day, or if you are planning on 2 hard training days back-to-back. I know this is complicated so work with your coach to determine when its best for you to use, or not use techniques that "speed" recovery from intense exercise. Improve Your Performance Here are some keys to using regeneration to become a 24 hour athlete: - Cool down for 10-15 minutes after you work out - Let your bodys natural inflammatory response occur during your training phases so that you can maximize regeneration - Use recovery techniques strategically, not all the time It is a mental shift to think of recovery as an active process, which is why so many of us dont do it properly. Taking care of your body requires that you commit to being a 24 hour athlete and that you put as much effort into helping your body adapt between workouts as you do in the training sessions themselves. References Vescovi J, Falenchuk O, Wells, GD. Blood lactate concentration and clearance in elite swimmers during competition. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2011 Mar;6(1):106-17. Greg Wells Ph.D. (www.drgregwells.com, @drgregwells) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculties of Medicine and Kinesiology. He was the sport science analyst for the Olympic Broadcast Consortium during the 2010 & 2012 Games, and is the author of Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the Worlds Best Athletes. Jessica Caterini is a member of the Human Physiology Research Unit in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto. http://www.drgregwells.comhttp://www.twi....superbodies.tvAir Max 2019 Sale . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. 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And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field.Not that North Carolina coach Roy Williams wants to be comparing this seasons team with the group from a year ago, but some similarities might bode well for the Tar Heels.Theres already the notion that sharing the basketball could bring good things again.I think that weve emphasized from Day 1 that this group has got to be a team now as well, Williams said.No. 5 North Carolina will play seven games in less than a two-week span, so there will be ample opportunity for players to contribute. Next up is Tuesday nights home game against Long Beach State at Chapel, Hill, N.C.The Tar Heels had 26 assists on 34 field goals in Sundays 97-57 rout of Chattanooga.Were returning a lot of guys from last year and thats one thing we did last year was share the ball, not turn it over much and get shots, guard Joel Berry said. I think having people back from last year helps with it and just getting the open shot is what Coach wants.Those are signs that the Tar Heels are clicking early in the season, something that was expected with a core group of returners, but is always worth monitoring as roles change.It just shows were working together, forward Isaiah Hicks said. I know the coaches were talking about the assists on points were really good. Those are things we emphasize, working together.The Tar Heels already say theyre comfortable with how freshmen have transitioned into roles.The freshmen, theyre ready, Hicks said. They already impressed me over the summer.The biggest impression among the newcomers has come from post player Tony Bradley. Williams said Bradley is absorbing a lot in a short amount of time.Hes justt going to get better, Williams said.ddddddddddddHe wants to learn. We are throwing about a thousand things at him, but hes doing a really nice job.Through two games, the lineup change of note has come at guard, with sophomore Kenny Williams starting the opener at Tulane and senior Nate Britt with the starting unit in the second game. The coach said hes interested in how the duo reacts, mentioning that Kenny Williams has had good offensive moments while Britts defensive work has been noted by the coaching staff.Im just giving guys some chances, Coach Williams said. When you get in there, you need to play well and do some good things.Long Beach State is coming off Sundays 92-55 loss at Wichita State. That began a stretch of nine consecutive games away from home, when the team will log 4,492 miles during that span.The second game for the 49ers was vastly different than the 95-59 home victory against Division II Cal State-Los Angeles to begin the season two nights earlier.I think the biggest thing is consistency, Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said of what his team must strive to achieve.Monson said hes emphasizing defense with his team because he senses thats where immediate gains would be most beneficial. But the offense could use a tuneup as well, particularly after the 49ers made only six of their last 28 shots in the Wichita State game.North Carolina has some future travel on its agenda as well. After Tuesday, the Tar Heels will play their next four games in Hawaii. ' ' '