Tough game last night? Did it drag out and end late at night? Or did you just fully expend yourself physically and mentally?
Or, does yesterday’s workout having you feeling sore? After a week of working and training are you feeling a bit stale?
Here are 5 tricks to help you recover faster so you never have to miss a day of training or games:
SLEEP
Sleep as much as you can! This has to be the most important point. Sleeping is when your body finally gets the opportunity to recover and repair from its daily stressors (e.g., training, games, and mental stressors like school). Get to bed early and be responsible, your body, mood, and performance depends on it!
FOAM ROLL
Foam rolling is crucial for alleviating and preventing sore muscles. If a workout or game has you waddling around from muscle soreness you need to jump on a foam roller. The roller heats and draws attention to the muscles being worked on, promoting better blood flow delivering new nutrients and aiding in the recovery of the muscle microtears.
STRETCH
Have you ever stretched a sore muscle? If you have, I don’t need to sell you much on this one; It feels great! Two important things to remember here, make sure you foam roll first to warm your muscles up and prime them to stretch, and always make sure the stretch feels good. If you’re overstretching, and holding your breath or grimacing in pain, you could actually be causing more damage to the muscle which is counterproductive.
EAT
Food is the fuel your body uses to function. Eating foods high in protein after all activity and carbohydrates after or before bouts of vigorous activity is essential to optimal performance; as long as you’re eating consciously. Think about your body as a car and food the fuel you put in it. You wouldn’t jump in your car without putting fuel in it and expect it to run all day.
ICE
If you have a specific injury from a previous game (ex. Getting hit by a pitch, or rolling an ankle) that you can pinpoint to one area, it may be beneficial to apply ice to that area. The ice will prevent and reduce any excessive inflammation and limit any soreness that may follow. Get ice on the area the same night as or day after the incident in bouts of 20 minute on and 20 minutes off for no more than an hour.
With these 5 tips, you should feel better, recover more quickly, and be able to crush it during your training sessions and workouts.
If you’re looking for more training tips, or want to embark on a program that will take your game to the next level, click the banner below and fill out the form that pops up.
