One of the most important aspects of being an athlete is recovery. If a solid player uses the best recovery tactics to improve his or her body, he or she becomes more than a solid player, they become an excellent player. What an athlete does off the field is what dictates their performance on the field. Chris Gillies gives a deeper dive into the best forms of recovery that athletes at UT Martin should do.
Tactic 1: Rolling out- A typical and easy recovery ritual is rolling out. Rolling out is when the athlete uses a foam roller and rolls out their muscles. Usually, the athlete works from the calf up. The muscles that should always be rolled out are the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, IT band and glutes. That’s five muscles, one minute per leg, for ten minutes in total. Rolling out is very simple yet extremely effective. Gillies likes for every workout to “start off and have our athletes foam roll. They can take a band, do some stretching. This basically gives them some free opportunity based on how they feel to get a little extra attention to those areas that they deem fit.” The basic act of rolling out improves an athlete’s performance by loosening muscles, and it only takes about 10 minutes out of their day. It also gives them the necessary preparation for the weight room and what exercises they have for that workout.
Tactic 2: Diet- Gillies encourages all the athletes to eat right or, in other words, to fuel one’s body with healthy foods. When an athlete fuels properly, it shows within performance. For example, eating ice cream before the game is most likely not going to provide you with the right energy. Perhaps a sugar rush, at most. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, if one fuels before competition with complex carbohydrates and protein, the food will provide excellent fuel for the game and allow one to play more minutes effectively, which is ultimately what is desired. For more game-day nutrition tips, visit: https://www.eatright.org/fitness/sports-and-performance/tips-for-athletes/gameday-nutrition-tips-for-young-athletes
Tactic 3: Sleep- One of the most important aspects of recovery is sleep. The most crucial time that the body and mind recover is when an athlete sleeps “During REM sleep, the body shifts its resources to the task of repairing tissues and cells. It also begins to reboot CNS energy and function; this is an absolutely vital task after physical and mental stress occurs,” the Life of an Athlete sleep manual states. The Sleep Foundation recommends that a student athlete should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Athletes work out during season up to 40-hour weeks. The workload that the athlete takes on is like having a full-time job, and sleep is absolutely necessary to make sure the athlete is not just surviving the week but thriving. To learn about a helpful sleep schedule and effective sleep system, please visit the link above.
When athletes control what they can control and recover properly, their performance will elevate from the behind-the-scenes preparation. Recovery is what separates athletes who are surviving from those who are thriving. An athlete’s life is already difficult; they can make it less difficult by actively recovering every day.
