ACTIVE RECOVERY!

ACTIVE RECOVERY
By
Seth Hosmer

You raced twice this past weekend. Or, you've completed a few hard workout days in a row, and your body is telling you it is time for a rest. You feel tired, your muscles are sore and tight, and you don't feel like doing any riding. But is sitting on the couch watching TV the best thing for speeding up your recovery? Typically, the answer is no.

What should you do? Typically, 30-60 minutes of low-intensity activity is perfect. For a competitive cyclist, you should try to get out on your bike and spin easily on relatively flat terrain. This low-intensity workout will raise your heart rate and increase perspiration, both of which facilitate recovery. Light exercise helps your body flush out metabolic wastes and increase delivery of blood and nutrients to give your body the building blocks it needs to recover.

Light, rhythmic muscular contractions also stimulate the lymphatic system, which is largely responsible for eliminating waste products from intra- and extracellular fluid. Directly after your recovery ride, you can engage in some light massage or stretching, both of which can favorably affect recovery. Your muscles recover best when they are at their resting length (i.e. supple and limber rather than tight - the tighter a muscle is, the more difficult circulation becomes), and massage can further enhance circulation and recovery.

This active recovery principle also applies to doing "two-a-days" in which you'll complete a regular workout in the morning, then a recovery ride in the evening. Or, if you do a hard workout one evening, do a light recovery ride the following morning. As little as 15-20 minutes can make a difference.

Next time you feel too tired to ride, consider going out for 30 minutes just to loosen up and get your circulation going - you'll recover faster, and you'll feel better.