work out recovery magic

i get the impression that there are some very fit very strong people on this forum, in all kinds of sports n activities. that's not me. i'm a guy with average genes at best who works hard for his athletic abilities/performance. i just like to play stuff, ride bikes, chase balls n pucks, etc. but i do 'train' to some extent to maintain some strength and fitness for sports (and vanity ). as i get older i find i still like to go hard, maybe more now than ever but recovering from hard efforts is tough. especially from ice hockey. the maximal full body effort leaves me with a deep tissue fatigue like every strand in my body has worked super hard. which i think, is the case. deep in the core and back i get so tired. sprinting, stop n go and shooting are so demanding. i imagine basketball and other court sports would be similar.

anyhow… clearly a good diet is best, but do any of you have experience with or believe in the various sports recovery lotions/potions n pills? there is so much out there from endurance drinks to body building powders to aid in muscle repair. all so confusing, i wish i could hire a consulting team of doctors and physios to be my personal sports performance team. when i win the lottery…

I'm definitely not a super athlete but I work physically outside every day and find that taking a magnesium supplement before bed helps my muscles relax from that deep tissue soreness you are talking about. Do some reading, give it a try…YMMV

ZMA pills are fucking amazing.

I'm the epitome of sporadic training, due mostly to wanting to fall down mountains first and foremost. Training comes second. When I've had a prolonged absence from training (weeks to months), if I go anything above 50% of what I know I can do I'll be walking like I'm remote controlled. Sitting down on the john to take a dump involves a leap of faith I'm not crushing a testicle on my freefall to the seat.

After a couple of weeks of training, I can never get to that level of dysfunction. I usually tell myself I'll take it easy after any layoff, but I never do and just accept my fate.

One thing I have read is that alcohol can accentuate DOMS, but I am unable to confirm/deny because I'm not not going to drink beer.

foam rolling will help to relieve the tightness inyour fascia that may be building up. yoga or better yet pilates will help keep you pliable as well. good sleep is critical.

supplements for the most part are really only a temporary fix and aren't a replacement for lack of good eating habits. but, if you're looking for a plan…

bcaa drink about an hour before workout/activity, recovery drink/shake of whey isolate with an extra scoop of glutamine right after and then a meal when you get home.

the zma thing is interesting, some people swear by it, but there is no science that says it actually works. benefits may simply ber perceived or placebo effect.

For me ZMA is all about the sleep.

Fucking amazing.

I drink Biosteel ARF as soon as I get off the ice, I mix it before I leave the house and it's ready to go as soon as I hit the dressing room. I don't drink so it's easy for me to avoid the post game brew. You're dehydrated when you're done your game, throwing back a few beers makes it worse. I use the Biosteel right after workouts as well. My nutrition is pretty dialed all around though. The older you get, the more important it is to properly fuel the machine. It doesn't run as well on pizza and burgers as it used to.

Ice bath. If that's not convenient take a 10 minute full cold shower. I had to work up to it over the course of a few weeks but man oh man do they work wonders, especially right before bedtime.

foam rolling will help to relieve the tightness inyour fascia that may be building up. yoga or better yet pilates will help keep you pliable as well. good sleep is critical.

This ^^^^. Sleep being number 1.

I too have found ice baths and contrast therapy good when warranted. Reading about nutrition, what you burn and when, and being aware of what you eat are all good things. Keeping you metabolism up once you feel it coming on is good as well.

The biggest thing I've noticed is ramping up… If I go too quickly from not working out for a month, to my 'active' schedule, I get fatigued way too quickly, then it's hard to keep it up. If I slowly ease into it, my body can slowly adapt and it's a lot easier physically and mentally. Over-training is very real, and something to take seriously if you're trying to get into a proper training schedule.

Listen to your body, if your muscles are feeling tired, but you feel like you need to do something; go for a long walk.

My schedule now is basically (road biking):
Saturday/Sunday - One short ride (30km ish), one 100km ish ride
Monday - indoor climbing
Tuesday - biking (anywhere from 50-80km)
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - ice hockey
Friday - soccer

That + lots of sleep keeps me busy.

I'm not sure about ZMA's effects on sleep but as someone who suffers from insomnia 2-3 times a week I find the magnesium supplement really helps knock me out.

Lots of talk on the 'net about homemade ZMA, as far as I can see all it is is a B-vitamin, magnesium and Zinc. You can buy all those supplements for pennies on the dollar and make your own OR buy the expensive pre-packaged stuff with shiny advertising.

i concur with a number of ideas here.

Less or no sugar can help your recovery. (Water instead of sports drinks)

Rolling, stretching, the stick and a tennis ball post session can be extremely effective.

Using HRV (heart rate variability) to structure your activities can help choose days where rest might be appropriate (I have been using IThlete for the last several months). Can help avoid overtraining.

Magnesium does help me when I start to get foot cramps, but during ridinng season I found it made me lathargic if taken the night before a big ride (no idea why).

Training structure: hard and easy no moderate. More rest and active rest in the form of walking. I was surprised how big a difference this made this year. Walking is the single most underrated recovery tool around.

Sleep. Another underrated recovery tool.

For me ZMA is all about the sleep.

Fucking amazing.

another product, called sandman by athletic alliance, is also good for restorative sleep. but like any sort of sleep aid it's important to be careful with it and not become dependent on it. getting good sleep can be helped by establishing a pre-sleep routine that gets you into sleep mode.

there was also some news recently that sleeping naked helps you get better sleep.

Apple cider vinegar is amazing for PH balance which leads to better hydration. No more cramping, had a bitch of a time dealing with in long endurance races in the heat.

Foam roller, yoga

Not one for the recovery drinks, never felt like they did anything except cost money.

Another nod to the foam roller. After a week or two, you will find the actual foam ones are too soft to be useful, upgrade to a harder model. I use the Travel Roller, basically a PVC pipe with a yoga mat glued on. It also comes with 3 varying density trigger point balls (like a lacross ball) which are helpful for dat ass muscle. Using it religiously helps immensely with soreness.

The other thing I find helpful is warming up properly. I do a 10-15 min warm-up before working out, starting with 500m rowing or 400m jog on the treadmill then a quick foam roll and dynamic stretching (leg swings, inch worms, stuff like that). This also helps with injury prevention for lifting.

I don't warm-up properly before biking or skiing (unless I'm going to said activity from my door). Instead, I sit in a car for 30-90 minutes. This is not helpful.

Sleep, sleep, and sleep.

If you have problems sleeping, try a hard workout two to two-and-a-half hours before bed + post-ride snack. Instant lights out.