Science Archives • Tenac Championship Coaching

Written by Coach Jorge Munoz

Many factors play a role in a successful training program, and Recovery is at the top of the list. Without recovery, there is no adaption and without adaptation, there is no improvement.

Recovery can occur in many parts of your day and you have control of it. Think of them as small goals through your day to optimize your workouts.

It starts as soon as you wake up in the morning.

Nutrition

During your nighttime sleep, your water and glycogen stores deplete. First Recovery goal in the morning is drink a glass of water (8 to 10 oz) and have a balanced breakfast with a majority of calories being carbohydrates. This is crucial if you are going out for your workout in the morning. If you skip this simple goal and go straight into your workout, you will not optimize your training and will delay recovery afterwards. How much carbohydrates depends on the length of the workout, the time between breakfast and your workout, and/or intensity and the period you are training in. Contact your coach for your individual needs.

Next goal is to prepare accordingly for your morning workout. If you are going to be out there for more than 1.5 hrs, then pack some food ,a carbohydrate drink and some water. I’ve been experimenting lately with natural food and have found many of the recipes from the Feedzone Portables book to sit well with me on long rides. Skratch Labs hydration mix is super light in taste and it provides just what you need for the ride. By being on top of your nutrition and hydration during your workout, not only will you keep your energy in place, but you will also be aiding your body by maintaining your hydration and glycogen stores. This plays very much in how quickly you recover from each workout.

Now comes the post workout goal. Everyone has a post recovery window after your training when your body is primed to replenish its glycogen stores and prepare for the next workout. The fastest way is fluides like a Recovery specific drink or even a smoothie will do the trick. To make a smoothie, take out the blender and experiment with whatever you like most. I usually start with 1 or 2 fruits, yogurt, oatmeal, and either almond or peanut butter. Lately almond milk has been my choice, but regular milk also works. Add some brown sugar, and/or honey for a sweeter taste.

Modalities

While you are enjoying your smoothie use this as an opportunity to complete your next goal – stretch your muscles. Specifically the muscles you just worked out.. Make your stretches gentle and you should not feel pain. Find the spot that feels right and hold for 2-3 deep breaths. Stretch the same muscle 3-4 times. Work on your quads, hamstrings, calves, hips, back, and arms. You can also use the goTenac.com Yoga Release sequence to ease those working muscles.

For the rest of the day your goals are

Drinking water regularly
- aim for 2-3 liters of water
Post workout meal (separate from your post workout recovery food) to include a mix of protein, carbs, and fat.
- Lean meats/poultry are the best options for protein intake. Take it easy on the carbs, there is no need to over do it by eating a pound of pasta, just a normal portion will do.
Repeat for dinner and put more emphasis on protein to help with muscle recovery.

Other goal modalities include massage, recovery boots, foam rollers, and simply getting your feet up. I always say if you are standing, sit. If you are sitting, lay down. If you are laying down, get your feet up. Afternoon naps work wonders, too.

Sleep

Aside from all these processes, sleep is your last Recovery goal. If you are lucky and have the option to sleep 8 or more hours at the end of the day, do so! During sleep, your body works and recovers itself from all the day’s work. Do the opposite and your legs will suffer the next day, specially after a hard workout or race. With good sleep hygiene, you’ll see improvements in performance, be mentally fresh, and lessen injury/infection risk.

With these easy day to day recovery goals, you’ll find yourself recovering quicker and ready for another quality workout. Therefore, a higher gain in fitness and putting you closer to your dream goals.

Summer has arrived and along with it, a rise in temperatures. Increasing temperatures increase your hydration rate during workouts. Typically, we assume 20-30 ounces per hour is enough for most athletes, but when the temp rises, the need to increase hydration AND electrolyte intake also increases. But how much do we increase that number? There are general guidelines suggesting 0.185 ounces per pound of body weight but this is just a “general” recommendation and as we know we are all very different. To properly predict how much fluid you need to replenish, you need to keep in mind factors like heat, humidity, metabolic rate, intensity of training, body core temperature, body surface area, etc…That’s a lot of science and calculations. It could get expensive testing all this in a laboratory not to mention that it all changes as the environment changes; and you change too(typically the fitter you are the higher your sweat rates). But there is a simplified approach which is also cost effective. Use a scale. Yes, a simple scale like one you typically have in your bathroom. Most of the weight you lose during your workouts is water weight. So weigh yourself (dry) before and after your workout. Note the environmental conditions to get familiar with how your body reacts to conditions. Then – and most important – know how much you drank during the workout and how many minutes the workout lasted. When these three variables (nevermind environment for just a minute here) are known, you then have the ability to create the equation for what your sweat rate is. We have a nice outline and equation below. But before that… When it comes to the consideratioin of environment, what we are looking for is standardization of the elements. We tyically ride through consistent blocks of weather as we prepare for – and during – the season: the winter cold, the spring rain, the summer heat. Each of these “zones” are relatively consistent. In that, your sweat rate will different in each, and so, it goes to say that when you learn what “zone” you’re in, you can adjust your hydration rate based on what you learn of your sweat rate. Now, for a very important note: One pound of water equals 15.4 ounces or 1 kilogram equals 1 liter of water. Now, experiment. Find out what your needs are and how good you are at managing your hydration by doing the pre-ride and post ride weigh-ins, then noting your consumption during the ride. I suggest measuring for a week in similar environmental conditions to get a good guideline for yourself. By the end of the week, you’ll know before you even get on the scale how well you did during your workout. Sweat Rate Calculator

A. Weight Pre exercise ________lbs

B. Weight Post exercise ________lbs

C. Change in Body weight (= A-B) ________lbs

D. Volume of fluid consumed ________oz

E. Sweat Loss (=(C*15.4)+D)) ________oz

F. Exercise time ________min

G. Sweat Rate (=E/F ) ________oz/min

All measurements in ounces (oz) and pounds (lbs) To convert to metric system:

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
29.6 mL = 1 ounce

Why is all this important? Hydration is the number one reason for fatigue during exercise. Even at 2% loss in hydration, you can expect a performance decrease. Stay ahead of the curve and DRINK! Do note that your sweat rates will change with changing environments (ex. winter vs summer). Also if you are just changing to a higher temperature environment, that your sweat rates should increase in 10-14 days as you acclimate to the warmer temperatures. If you would Tenac Championship Coaching to calculate your sweat rate, simply contact at info@gotenac.com with the subject line: Sweat rate

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