The Recovery Process Flashcards
Define excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)
EPOC is the volume of oxygen consumed post exercise to return the body to a pre-exercise state.
Define fast alactacid recovery
The initial fast stage of EPOC where the oxygen consumed within three minutes resaturates haemoglobin and myoglobin stores and provides the energy for ATP and PC resynthesis
Explain the slow lactacid component of recovery
This portion of EPOC shows the volume of oxygen (approximately 5-8 litres) to complete the more complex and time-consuming jobs to return the body to a pre-exercise state
Implications of recovery on training
Knowledge and understanding of EPOC and the recovery process are essential for both athlete and coach to maintain training efficiently and ensure repeated peak performances. At an elite level each athlete’s recovery is individually designed following general principles based on the use of a warm up, active recovery, cooling aids, intensity planning, work:relief ratios and the correct nutrition
Explain the benefits of a warm up
By performing a warm up, respiratory, heart and metabolic rates increase, accelerating use of the aerobic system, which minimises the time spent using the associated lactic acid accumulation. This will reduce the oxygen deficit, limiting the amount of oxygen required to ‘pay it back’ during EPOC
Explain the benefits of active recovery
Using an active cool down maintains respiratory and heart rates, flushing the muscle and capillary beds with oxygenated blood flow. This speeds up the removal of lactic acid and reduces the length of the slow lactacid component of EPOC, essential if there are repeated bouts of exercise on the same day. A moderate intensity, active recovery 40-60% VO2 max is advisable for athletes who accumulate lactic acid during their performance; however it may have little benefit for aerobic athletes who achieve a steady-state oxygen consumption. A passive recovery may help reduce the temperature and metabolic rate, diminishing the energy cost on ATP.
Explain the benefits of cooling aids
Cooling aids, such as ice baths, can be used post event to lower the muscle and blood temperature to resting levels, reducing the metabolic rate and demand on the slow lactacid component of EPOC. Cooling aids can also be used after an event to speed up lactic acid removal, reduce muscle damage and decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Explain the benefits of monitoring the intensity of training
The intensity of training should be monitored using heart rate to ensure training intensity is specific to the energy system and muscle fibre type, and mirrors the demands of the activity, overloading to progressively create an appropriate adaptation:
• high intensity training will increase muscle mass, ATP and PC storage capacity, boosting the efficiency of the fast component of recovery
• high intensity training will increase the tolerance to lactic acid, increase buffering capacity and delay OBLA, reducing the demand in the slow lactacid component of EPOC
• low/moderate intensity training will increase the aerobic capacity, and respiratory and cardiovascular efficiency. An earlier move to aerobic energy production minimises lactic acid build up, delaying OBLA, and maximises oxygen delivery post exercise during EPOC
Explain the benefits of using the correct work:relief ratios
Based on the predominant energy system required in a physical activity, training intensity and the correct work:relief ratio can maximise recovery:
• for speed and explosive strength-based performers predominantly using the ATP-PC system, a work:relief ratio of 1:3+ should give them sufficient time for ATP and PC stores to resynthesise within the session
• for lactate tolerance and high intensity muscular endurance performance predominantly using the glycolytic system, a work:relief ratio of 1:2 should give sufficient recovery to continue training but encourage lactic acid accumulation to increase tolerance and buffering capacity.
• for aerobic capacity or endurance performers predominantly using the aerobic system, a work:relief ratio of 1:1 or 1:0.5 will promote adaptation, delay OBLA and muscular fatigue
Explain the benefits of strategies and tactics
A coach should use timeouts and substitutions to allow 30 second rest intervals for 50% ATP and PC replenishment. Performers can delay play, for example, by a team maintaining possession in defence or a tennis player changing rackets, lowering the intensity to allow relief intervals to clear lactic acid and resynthesise ATP and PC stores. Set plays and marking or running strategies can also lower the intensity, delaying OBLA and fatigue.
Explain the benefits of nutrition
The correct pre, during, and post event nutrition can help the performer to maximise fuel stores, delay fatigue, reduce lactic acid accumulation and speed up recovery:
• to maximise PC stores a performer may load creatine, phosphagen and protein, increasing the efficiency of the ATP-PC system and the fast stage of recovery
• to maximise glucose and glycogen a performer may carbohydrate load, and use pre event, during event and post event meals and snacks, maximising the efficiency of the glycolytic and aerobic systems and the slow stage of recovery
• to tolerate the effects of lactic acid a performer may use bicarbonate to enhance the buffering process. Those training close to the lactate threshold may use nitrates to reduce the oxygen cost of exercise and speed up recovery times with enhanced oxygen blood flow
