General Regeneration Recommendations
1) Follow a nutritional protocol listed in the nutritional section. You need to support the training you are executing with proper nutrition. Without fuel in the tank, you will go only so far. This general recommendation is critical.
2) Sleep 7-10 hrs every evening. Sleep is one of the most beneficial times to regenerate your bodies systems. Take frequent naps if time allows. Poor sleeping habits will ultimately decrease your performance.
3) Stay properly hydrated. A general guideline for males is 3.5-4.5 liters and for women it's 2.5-3.5 liters per day. As physical activity increases, so does water consumption. Heat plays a large part since it can accelerate the sweating processing, so it is paramount that athletes stay fully hydrated at all times.
4) Stay stress free. Everything in your life is a stressor. Manage your stressors the best you can, and your quality of work will be significantly higher. Again, contact the strength and conditioning staff for modality suggestions if you have exhausted your options.
After high intensive training sessions:
1) Immediately consume a post recovery shake (2:1 grams carbohydrate/protein i.e. 50 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein). If you do not have access to a post workout shake, immediately eat a post workout carbohydrate and protein. See the nutritional section for suggested foods. An example of a post workout shake is Cytofuse from XCell. There are many others, but make sure they meet NCAA guidelines. If you have any questions, contact the strength and conditioning staff.
2) See the flexibility section.
3) 1-1 ½ hrs after post workout shake (or meal); consume another meal containing carbohydrates and protein. Refer to the nutrition section.
4) We recommend not taking a hot shower after these workouts. Your body may be inflamed by the workout. Heat only accentuates the inflammation more, thus potentially slowing the recovery process down. Take a cool shower. Warm showers may be reserved in the evening if you worked out in the morning; otherwise, they are appropriate the next day.
Days Off or Low Intensive Training Sessions:
1) Ideally, these are the days you would want to get your tissue treatments (massage, myofascial release, etc.). *NOTE: If you have an injury that needs to be assessed, that must be taken care of immediately regardless of what training day you are in the week.
2) Proper nutrition is still essential on your off days, but your daily caloric intake can be lower on these days. If you are trying to gain weight, do not lower significantly.
3) Contrast showers. (Hot = 3 minutes Cold = 1 minute) Example: Hot ' Cold ' Hot ' Cold. End on Cold.
4) Epsom Salt baths: Use 200-400 grams of Epsom salt in a warm/hot bath for 20-30 minutes. Ensure you are using Epsom salt as normal table salt has a stimulatory effect, which is not what we are looking for especially during a day of rest or low intensity.
