REST, ROLL, & RECOVERY

If you've been watching the main FB page for the Challenge you've probably noticed a bit of a theme popping up...people are sore, tired and taking one or more days off.  In some cases, these breaks were "pre-planned" and in worse cases they resulted from being a little overzealous or not training smartly.  You may remember a mention of training smartly in a previous post.  Today's post piggybacks on that and will discuss the ever-important, but oft-neglected need to rest and recover.

So let's jump right in...

REST
Rest comes in many forms but the most important is the restorative period where we all jump in our PJs (or out -- Oh, BEHAVE!!!) and hit the hay.  The National Sleep Foundation says adults need 7-9 hours of quality sleep per day  Like most things, sleep needs vary by individual but these times are a good guideline to aim for.  Those that tend to sleep less than recommended times are said to have sleep "debt."  Chronic sleep debt can cause hormonal imbalance leading to weight gain, illness (diabetes, heart disease, mental, etc.), and a sleep-reducing spiral of stress.  And unfortunately, sleep debt cannot be made up by sleeping 5 hours one night and then 11 the next -- average rest requirements are for a given 24-hour period.

When it comes to quality sleep here are some tips:

1. Maintain a regular "bed" time -- Get in bed to be able to fall asleep and provide a minimum of 7-9 hours rest before your planned wake time.  Keep this consistent if possible (same time every night), weekends included.
2. Get your bedroom comfortably cool -- 65-70°F tends to be a good range for most.
3. Get your room as dark as possible -- Use black-out curtains, a dimmable alarm clock (ditch the clock if at all possible), cover LEDs on TVs and other electronics with black tape. 
4. Remove or minimize distractions before bed -- TV, computer/iPad, etc.
5. Exercise, heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol too close to bed can all affect sleep quality negatively as well.

Recent research also indicates that "poly-phasic" sleep, meaning that which doesn't occur all at once, can aid in reducing the effects of sleep debt but the best solution is to try and get the best sleep you can and only use naps as necessary. Of course the problem is that many of us rarely have the opportunity to nap and thus may be operating with a chronic sleep debt -- a sure-fire prescription for eventual breakdown.

If you want to read more about the need for sleep, check out this post at Mark's Daily Apple.

RECOVERY
Recovery starts as soon as the WOD ends and there are two primary components -- cool-down and post-workout (PWO) nutrition.

Let's talk about food first...

Like always, the building block of PWO nutrition should be protein.  Amino acids are the building blocks for repair and synthesis of muscle tissue; no other macro-nutrient can perform this task so protein is absolutely essential.  Whole foods, like chicken breast or boiled egg whites are always the best idea but a protein powder supplement is good too. 

The other recommended PWO nutrient is a dense source of carbohydrate.  The purpose of carbohydrate consumption is to rapidly replace muscle-glycogen that was likely depleted during the WOD.  Excellent foods are sweet potatoes, yams, and winter squash because of their nutrient content.  Bananas and apple sauce are good too. 

There is also a synergistic effect of consuming these two macro-nutrients together -- the carbohydrate creates a spike in insulin which we'd normally want to minimize, but in this case take advantage of by providing our bodies with additional recuperative nutrition (protein) to be rapidly shuttled where it is needed.  Ideally, your PWO food should be consumed ASAP (within 30-45 minutes) of completing the WOD.

Fat consumption immediatly PWO tends to blunt insulin response and slow digestion so, in terms of performance recovery, is not usually part of the "prescription." One can get pretty technical however and make tweaks, some including fat intake, based on individual goals.  Amounts of protein to carbohydrate will also vary depending on the individual and type and intensity of the WOD so we'll just leave it that it's important to consume a little of each PWO for optimal performance (e.g. 1/2 a chicken breast and 1/2 a sweet potato).

So, enough about food; let's talk about cool-down...

Much like a good warm-up, a thorough cool-down is essential.  Your muscles and connective tissue are at their most elastic after they've been thoroughly warmed up by exercise so you'll have increased range-of-motion and flexibility -- you can take advantage of this by a completing a good stretching session.  Stretching also helps enhance circulation to muscle tissue which aids in repair and recovery.  Another good reason for adequate cool-down is the release of muscular tension built up during the WOD as well as a marked decrease in delayed-onset-muscle-soreness (DOMS) in subsequent days, and if you're less sore you are able to work out at a higher intensity in upcoming WODs. 

It's also a wise idea to dedicate some time to the areas that are your sticking points.  Unfortunately, these are the bits and pieces that tend to be a little more uncomfortable to work on.  I'll be the first to admit I need to get "religious" about stretching certain areas, especially my hips, lower back and hamstrings.  If you've got certain areas that are particularly tight a simple method is to double the amount of time you stretch those areas.  Additionally, you can expand your repertoire of stretches or other mobility exercises.  Two good resources are the stretches under each exercise category at ExRx or you can search MobilityWOD for all sorts of fantastic torture techniques.

Now that I think about it, recovery is an on-going process -- it takes place before and after the WOD.

ROLLING
If you're not familiar with a foam roller you need to be.  These little pieces of magic can work wonders for helping you work knots out, stimulate circulation, and correct or re-establish normal soft-tissue function.  Essentially, they are a self-contained sports massage unit.  When you first start rolling it may be quite uncomfortable, bordering on unbearable.  Just make sure you are rolling soft-tissue only and stick with it!  It gets much better with regular practice.

There is a good poster at the box or you can find short videos here.  A good regimen for foam rolling is 20-30 passes over an area both prior to and after workouts.  If you find any areas that are particularly tender, simply stop on that area and "camp out" for 30-60 seconds.  Another good device is a lacrosse ball for those extra-tender areas.

ACTIVE RECOVERY
You're probably saying "What is this 'active' recovery you speak of?" Simply put, active recovery is light work done on your "days off" from regular WODs. And yes, I've taken this long to get to it but, as much as we all love it, we've got to take some time off from the box. Some people do well with a 3 on, 1 off schedule. Others recover better on a 1 on, 1 off schedule and yet others still may be able to do "2-a-days." This will all be individual and once size does not fit all; you have to find what works for you.

The goal of active recovery is to be relatively low-intensity and low-impact while keeping joints and muscles in motion but not over worked. Excellent options for active recovery are things like light hiking, yoga, a walk with a weighted vest or simply any of the stretching and mobility exercises like mentioned above.

So that wraps it up.  Hopefully you're starting to get a grasp on the importance of rest and recovery and how best to incorporate them into your training.  Be on the look out for a future post on CrossFit methodology that incorporates many of the stuff mentioned above.  See you at the box!

3, 2, 1...GO!

Chris