Thread: Recovery
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Old 02-06-08, 09:10 PM
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Rosso Corsa
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Disclaimer: I am not an expert.

I do not think that training hard every day is a good idea. The way muscle 'grows' is it is worked out, and is broken down, and then it rebuilds itself to be stronger than before to adapt to the conditions.

If you are training for an event, as you are, you must have a HRM. this is a good tool to use to detect over-training. If you are going much slower/producing much less power than usual at a given heart rate, then it is very likely you have overtrained.

To help your muscles recover, give them what they need. Once you have finished your workout, the half hour directly after it is very important. Your muscles are ready to absorb much more than usual, so they can begin recovery quickly. Companies like powerbar sell recovery drinks, but you can just look at the labels and replicate the ingredients of your own accord. I believe high quality (ie. whey) protein in large amounts helps most in muscle rebuilding, while complex carbs give them more energy, as there is not much glycogen (the product of complex carbs that gives your muscles energy) left in their stores. Protein is the most important, though, while complex carbohydrates are more important before the workout.

Do you have any structure to your workout at all? It doesn't sound like it. You need a plan.

there is information on the web about this. I gleaned all of this information from it.

And as for the ice bath, I have no comment or knowledge of its efficacy.
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