Recovery After Extreme Heavy Training

16-08-2016

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Martial artists often train for extreme long at a time. While an optimal bodybuilding training lasts for about one hour, martial artists often train for 3-4 hours nonstop. This heavy load often leads to overtraining, injuries, weakened immune system or loss of motivation. It is much easier to get exhausted while exercising, than to recover properly afterwards.

Thanks to modern science, now the body can recover fast even after a long and hard competition or dan exam.

There are three ways you can (and you should) recover. The natural way, by physiotherapy and, last but not least: mentally.

1 The natural way

a) active recreation

This means low intensity aerobic workout, which is a great way to flush lactic acid out of your tired muscles and body.

b) stretching

Stretching is also great for recovering muscles and joints as well. In Canada, there is even a special clinic exclusively for stretching for therapeutic purposes.

c) passive rest

One of our favorites: sleeping. Although many think it is a waste of time, we know that this most extreme form of passive recreation is extremely important for athletes.When you sleep, your body produces vital hormones. So, having a good sleep is the best you can do after a heavy training.

2 Physiotherapy

a) massage

Everybody knows what massage is good for (relaxes muscles; enhances circulation; purifies and relaxes the body by removing a lot of harmful substances etc.). Still many skip the massage after competitions.

b) heat therapy

In other words: sauna or hot bath. Heat widens the blood vessels an opens up the pores on the skin, too, which is another good way of getting rid of harmful toxic substances.

c) cryotherapy (cold sauna)

Now things are starting to get a bit costly. A full body massage will most likely cost you several thousand forints. And you will surely not find an ice sauna below HUF 6000. However, it may be worth trying, because it releases healing hormones and enzymes. Still this is not its most important benefit: most of all, it heals micro-traumas, which are the No. 1 cause of injuries.

d) oxygen therapy

The air in the mountains or forests (or the sea, or at waterfalls) can do miracles, because it is negatively charged. This means, it contains a lot of negative ions, which is good for the human body.

e) reflexology (acupuncture)

Believe it or not, traditional Chinese medicine is at least as important and effective as traditional Japanese martial arts.Many underestimate acupuncture or they simply don’t believe in it. However, it is more and more recommended by experts for tired athletes.

f) cupping

This is an ancient method modern martial artists can also profit from. During cupping, the vacuum widens the capillaries, which enables more fresh blood and oxygen to enter the connective tissues. It enhances blood circulation and revs up the metabolism of the organs. Learn more here.

g) supplements

This is so self-evident that we’d prefer not to explain it now. You know: vitamins, minerals, proteins etc. all facilitate recovery.

3 Mental recreation

For brevity’s sake, just a short list of the most important things you should add to your bucket list: yoga (it has a lot of types); meditation; consulting sports experts or masters; qigong; autogenic training etc.

Remember: no matter how hard you train, if you do not recover properly, you will not progress. Recovery takes a lot of time and money, but being skimpy about it doesn’t pay. After all, you can prevent injuries this way.