Recovery Days...Do You Include Them in Your Training?

Recovery days.  We need them after a heavy workout or competition/game/race but do you incorporate these days into your training regimen?  If not, you should.  During exercise the body actually breaks down muscle tissue in order to rebuild and repair.  If you don't provide your body with adequate rest and recovery, you could be sending yourself into an overtraining scenario.  Now before you get upset with me, recovery days are not always complete rest.  Active recovery days are just as important as your training days.  Once your muscles have been broken down during the workout, they will immediately begin rebuilding and repairing.  You may notice that after a heavy workout or competition, your muscles are sore and you might even feel a little "puffy".  The soreness is a build-up of proteins released during the "breaking down" process.  That usually lasts about 24-48 hours after your workout.  Muscles might be "puffy" or swollen as the body sends extra fluids and white blood cells to the area to help "clean up".  This is a natural body process and is actually helpful, even though it's merely uncomfortable for you.

So how do you know when you should have recovery days?  First and foremost if you have a particularly heavy workout or big competition, active recovery the following day is extremely important.  If your training regimen includes "general" exercise and isn't too strenuous on a daily basis, then you should include at least one or two active recovery days in a week.  But what is "active recovery"?  On the days you dedicate to active recovery, you can perform light cardio activity with an emphasis on stretching.  An excellent way to achieve this is to hop in a pool.  The cooler temperatures of the pool combined with the buoyancy of the water will provide your body with the proper conditions to reduce muscle tension and swelling.  You can perform light activities such as walking or easy lap swimming followed by static stretching at the pool wall.  The key component in an active recovery is to keep the intensity low enough so your body doesn't further deplete your energy stores.  During your active recovery, be sure to rest and rehydrate frequently.

Passive recovery is more along the lines of total rest and stretching.  Here again, pools can be beneficial.  If you have the ability to be in a warmer water pool, focus more on static stretching in the warmer climate.  Be wary of jumping in the hot tub though.  The higher water temperature of the hot tub can increase blood flow to sore muscles which may increase swelling and discomfort.  If you only have access to a hot tub, then keep time spent in the water minimal (i.e., 1-2 minutes).  You can even do a contrast bath where you are in warmer/hot water for a minute or two then immediately get in a cooler shower/bath for 10-60 seconds.  This can be repeated three times.  Again, be sure to properly rehydrate during this time.

Remember, muscle soreness is natural and should be expected after a workout.  If, however, it does not dissipate or gets worse after a couple of days, then you may need to seek the advice of a certified trainer or, worse case scenario, seek medical attention.  Whether you choose active or passive recovery is dependent on the type of activity you perform and the intensity levels.  Regardless you should incorporate one type of recovery in your weekly routine.  Your body will recover faster and performance will improve by giving your body the rest it needs (and deserves!).  You don't have to "go-go-go" all the time.  Give yourself a little down time to recover and reflect.

Shin Splints - Prevention & Treatment

If you have ever felt pain in your shin after a workout, you probably experienced a case of shin splints.  If you have participated in running/jogging or sporting events, you probably have dealt with shin splints at one time.  Left untreated, shin splints can be debilitating.  With a little preventative work, you can avoid the pain and undue suffering from shin splints.

First let's define shin splints.  In short, shin splints are inflammation (swelling) of the periostium or covering on the shin bone.  Typical symptoms are shin pain over the inside lower half of the leg, pain at the start of exercise which often eases as the session continues, pain that returns after activity and may be at its worse the next morning, lumps/bumps felt over the inside of the shin bone, and pain when the toes/foot are flexed.  What causes shin splints?  Most of the time, shin splints are caused from biomechanical issues or training issues.  Flat feet or extreme high arches, obesity, and/or improper footwear are common culprits.  Also, increasing training too quickly (i.e., too much too soon) or large increase in running mileage can also cause shin splints.

What can you do to prevent shin splints?  First and foremost, be sure to wear the appropriate shoes for the type of activity you are performing.  Refer back to our blog entitled "Shoes are Shoes...Right?" for more information on choosing athletic footwear.  Also, make sure you have the proper support for the type of arch you have and replace your shoes often to ensure you are getting adequate support.  Next, maintain a healthy weight.  As your body weight increases, your feet have to support not only your body weight but also the effects of gravity.  That's a lot of work to ask of your feet.  When you are overweight/obese, the arches in your feet tend to flatten out, causing the ankle to roll in and putting undue stress on the lower part of the legs.  Finally, be sure to start slow and increase your intensity/mileage gradually.  Going "all out" on your first day will have some repercussions.  Try to increase your running mileage no more than 10% at a time.  In other words, don't go from running 3-5 miles per week to 10-15 miles per week.

Prevention can also include proper stretching and exercises.  Remember to always warm up prior to stretching.  For the shins, walking or cycling are both good warm-up activities.  To stretch the shins, kneel on the floor with the tops of your feet on the floor behind you.  Gently sit back on your heels, pressing the feet to the floor.  Hold this stretch for about 15-30 seconds and repeat a couple times.  If you are already experiencing shin splints, this may be very uncomfortable.  Place as much of your body weight down on your legs as you can tolerate.  To strengthen your lower legs, perform ankle flexion exercises with exercise tubing/bands.  Wrap the tubing around a stable object and sit on the floor with your legs extended.  Wrap the other end of the tubing around your toes.  With your legs straight, gently pull your toes towards you then slowly return to the starting position.  These pictures from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) show how to perform this exercise.  

Treatment of shin splints is fairly easy.  Ice will significantly help with reducing the swelling and pain.  Also, adequate rest is helpful.  Allow your body to recover from this injury before jumping back into your routine.  Continuing to push through the pain will only delay healing and will cause further damage.

Remember, as painful as shin splints are, they are very easy to prevent.  With a little planning and preparation, you can spare yourself the pain and aggravation of shin splints.  Still need some help?  Stop in a PROMATx Health Club and talk with a trainer.   We can show you the proper way to prevent shin splints.  If you are already suffering, we can show you stretches and pain management techniques to help you recover.