Recovery is the single most important part of any training or exercise program. Recovery allows for improved performance and gives the body time to heal itself from the last training session in preparation for the subsequent workout. Today we take a closer look into recovery and delve deep into the three main areas of recovery, (sleep, nutrition and hydration) that we can control. Nail your recovery through improved sleep, nutrition and hydration and watch your gains go through the roof.
WHY IS RECOVERY IMPORTANT?
Recovery allows for improved performance, enables the time for our bodies to heal and repair before our next training session, and decreases the risk of injury. The three main factors that influence recovery include; the quality and quantity of our sleep, nutrition and hydration. All of these variables can be manipulated and controlled in an individuals lifestyle to help them optimise both their physical and mental performances.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN FACTORS INFLUENCE RECOVERY?
The top 3 factors that influence recovery are: sleep, nutrition and hydration. Improve the quality of your sleep, nutrition and hydration and watch both your performance and recovery improve.
SLEEP:
Sleep provides time to recover, with adequate levels of sleep allowing for fundamental processes to occur. Improving your sleep helps to decrease cortisol (stress Hormone), increase testosterone which means more muscle growth. Increasing and improving sleep decreases the risk of injuries and infections such as cold or flu. Any athlete or individual who is wanting to optimise recovery should aim for between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. This amount of sleep is known as the sweet spot and yields the best results.
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NUTRITION:
Nutrition is critical for both performance and recovery. To help your muscles grow and recover you need to provide your body with adequate calories, protein, fiber, zinc and magnesium. The more intense your training, the greater the nutritional requirements.
Calories
Your total daily calories should be specific with your goals but optimised to help support recovery and provide energy. Too little calories can cause your body to strip away amino acids for fuel in a process called glyconeogenesis and too many calories will lead to too much body fat being gained. An individual aiming to drop body fat should aim to be 300-500 calories in a deficit. While an individual aiming to increase mass should be 300-500 calories in a surplus.
Protein
Protein (amino acids) form the building blocks of muscle tissue. An individual who is active, who is aiming to increase muscle tissue, or trying to drop body fat should aim to eat sufficient amounts of protein each day. High amounts of protein in your diet can prevent catabolism, which is the breaking down of muscle. Individuals who are aiming to increase muscle and or drop body fat should aim for between 1.8-2.5g of protein per 1kg of body weight per day.
Zinc
Zinc is a key substrate for the production of testosterone. The human body also uses zinc for the production of hormones that control the growth and repair of muscle. Additionally, zinc plays an important role in supporting the immune system.
Magnesium
Magnesium is vital in cellular metabolism and production of energy via enzyme activity. Magnesium is required for a number of physiological processes related to workout recovery. Magnesium also plays an important role as a muscle relaxant, in promoting nerve functioning, cardiac activity, bone health, and the synthesis of proteins and fats.
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HYDRATION:
Water makes up approximately 70% of our bodies. This makes hydration critical for both physical and mental performance. A small percentage drop in hydration leads to a large drop in performance. Make sure you stay hydrated with Scorpion Hydrate. This new formula provides all the electrolytes necessary to help optimise fluid balance. Check Scorpion Hydrate out at: https://scorpionsupplements.co.nz/supplements/scorpion-hydrate-300g/