Muscle recovery
All about its importance
When you exercise at the gym, we know it, your body works hard! When they are strained more than what they are normally able to bear, the fibres that make up our musclesare stressed to the point that they present micro-fractures. To avoid being exposed to this kind of stress again, the body reacts with a process of “super compensation”. In this phase, the fibres are mended and restored, making muscles stronger and more performing than they were. However, this can only happen if enough time is devoted to muscle recovery!
How much? Hard to say! According to some research conducted by the University of Alabama, the optimum recovery time is not the same for everyone. It depends on several factors, varying from one individual to another:
– age
– sex
– individual skills
– fitness level
– nutrition
– hydration level
– quantity and quality of sleep
– training frequency
– specific recovery strategies, if any
– general lifestyle
Let’s try and understand better what muscle recovery is and what it means for athletes who train regularly
What happens?
The process of super compensation is based on muscle recovery. Quality, scheduled, and correctly performed muscle recovery is as important as the training that precedes it.
Supercompensation is a theoretical model that explains the process of homeostasis. It is a process that the body enacts to restore balance it has lost due to a specific external stimulus.
After an intense training session, the homeostatis process requires much more energy and consumes much more oxygen, causing us to burn a lot of calories. The reconstruction phase strengthens muscles and prevents future injuries.
Recovery time is also an extraordinary tool for mental training, intended as the time used to find new motivation and regain the necessary energy to reach the set objectives.
Muscle recovery after training: the various techniques
Each athlete has different recovery needs, depending on several factors:
1. type of sport practised
2. available time
3. preferences
4. personal habits
During the recovery phase, the body enacts important and deep repairing processes, which help to:
– recover the previous functioning state
– enhance the existing resources, in view of possible critical conditions in the future.
Recovery Classifying the different types
Muscle recovery may be classified in three different categories, according to the time:
- Immediate – during the training session itself;
- Short-term – again, during the training session. It consists of regeneration breaks between exercises;
- Medium/Long-term – performed between training sessions.
The applied methods for muscle recovery are different, depending on the applied technique:
- Passive recovery – it simply consists of relaxing and letting the body rest
- Active recovery – it is a “light” training, which allows rest, but also faster lactate drainage
- Sleep – it is the most important recovery tool, because it is right during sleep that the repairing and muscle growth processes happen.
Recovery techniques also need to be supported by correct dietary habits, with the right protein intake – even in the form of food supplements – and with a good level of hydration.
Zerobody at your gym Innovation and technology for effective recovery
Nowadays, every gym should find a way to stand out from the competition. Through the quality of the equipment, the competence of the staff, and the ability to meet the clients’ recovery needs, each business can stand out in the current market.
Zerobody and Fitness
We at Starpool have always placed the utmost attention to the needs of athletes, from the pre-training phase, to the training itself, to the recovery. We are well aware of the importance of muscle recovery, which is fundamental to ensure top physical performance. For this reason, research and development led us to realise a number of products designed specifically for the psycho-physical regeneration of athletes. This is how Zerobody was developed: our unique and innovative solution that combines the recovery techniques and meet athletes’ requirements.
A sensory experience that can deeply regenerate body and mind, taking advantage of the power of dry floatation. There are multiple proven benefits:
– it acts on stress physiological parameters, generating a state of profound relaxation and of physical and mental regeneration;
– it favours the drainage of excess lactate, thanks to the therapeutic effect of floatation on lymphatic and venous micro-circulation;
– if used regularly, it promotes better quality of sleep and favours the release of excess adrenaline after physical effort;
– if used on rest days and combined with the supplied mindfulness programs, it ensures the right amount of mental training to enhance focus and tenacity towards the achievement of goals;
– if used with a mental coach, it favours ideo-motor rehabilitation for post-injury recovery.
Zerobody is easy to install, has very low management costs, and it suits everyone, without any contraindications or age limits.
If, all other variables (training, nutrition, hydration, personal traits) being equal, the one who rests and recovers is stronger, then, services and equipment being equal, the gym that offers an effective and complete recovery system is more successful.