Hampshire Hilly Special: Recover Like a Boss

Recovery 101: Recover like a boss, without it becoming a part time job. 

Long gone are the days of rocking up to events and winging it on a slice of toast. Looking at the pro peloton and how switched on the pack are at dialling in recovery using proven sports science methods is at an all time high. With the addition of strength training to optimise on bike performance and sports nutrition to ensure energy demands are met without fatigue, the standard is rather high.  

So, applying this to weekend warriors and everyday cyclists, how do we recover like a boss, without it becoming a part time job? 

Firstly, why should we be applying recovery methods? Well, there's nothing worse that having a mild hangover-like feeling for the next few days so I'm here to share the playbook on recovery that really works, post event! 

Let's introduce our three pillar approach to recovery comprising of Nutrition, Mobility and Strength Correctives.  

Nutrition  

Muscle glycogen stores will be at an all time low post endurance event, especially events which move into the 6hrs+ territory.  

Key action: Increase your Carbohydrate (CHO) intake on the following two days after the event. Increasing your regular/standard carbohydrate intake by 25-30% for the following two days post event to fully replenish stores. A simple way to achieve this is to simply choose one meal in the day where you would double your standard CHO intake. 

Carbohydrate in the form of simple sugars, directly post event (40-60g within 20mins of finishing) will start to replenish muscle glycogen stores as fast as possible. However at minimum >1g CHO/kg/bodyweight 0-4hrs post event is recommended. Choose something which works for you! For gold standard, 30g+ of protein within 40mins of finishing- often consuming protein as shake is much easier, liquid format.  

Lastly for nutrition we haven't mentioned Hydration- it's a given that this has to be in check but if you find it a challenge to consume water, try opting for hydration tabs of your choice, again, finding something that works for yourself.  

Mobility  

If we could just choose just three mobility drills, as cyclists we would target quads/hip flexors, low back and hips (piriformis) 

1: Hip Extension/Knee flexion 

Arguably one of the biggest bang for buck flexibility exercises as it targets both quads and hip flexors simultaneously. The closer your back knee is to the block or edge of the sofa the more intense it will feel. 2-3 rounds of 30-45s is ideal.

Extra intensity: Squeeze your glute on your back leg in order to further extend the hip and therefore the hip flexor.   

2: Downward dog to Lumbar extension 

Using this mobility flow we can target the hamstrings, shoulders and calfs along with putting that lumbar spine into that all important extended position. Move from position 1 in the first pic to position 2 in the second. Holding at each position for 5-10s. For extra: Exploring gentle rotation with the shoulders when in extension.  

*Caution- if your hips are not in contact with the floor in position 2 (extension) then soften the arms until your hips are. No rotation necessary.  

3: SMR on Glutes/Piriformis  

Self Myofascial Release work with a foam roller is a valuable quick win. Ideally using a smooth foam roller, we have tipped onto the main area of the glute and we are slowing rolling (imagine 1inch/s). The piriformis muscle originates at the sacrum and runs across to insert at the very top of the femur. So, tipping onto the roller (towards the camera in our case) is more effective at targeting this specific muscle.  

ProTips: Strength Correctives  

Why is posterior chain strength training so important for cyclists? Think about your posture on the bike. The hip position is very similar to sitting down at work. Closed hip positions for longer periods mean that your hip flexors spend excessive time in shortened positions. This means anything apart from cycling/sitting, like normal family life, can become more uncomfortable as time goes on.  

Our aim here is to restore basic human function in those muscle groups and joints especially around the lumbar spine and supporting musculature which take a pasting from endurance riding. The majority of cyclists we work with have significant weaknesses or lack of function- normal if you haven't started this yet. Below are two great exercises to fix this.  

1: Single leg glute bridges - Easier to begin with as a corrective as the maximum tension in the hamstring occurs in the shortened position at the top of the bridge. Extra tip: Pre 'squeeze' your glute before lifting the hips so the shoulder, hip & knee is in alignment on the working leg. 

2: Deadlifts Variations- Or hip hinge patterns are the gold standard of working the posterior chain. More challenging to execute but will deliver great results. Of course getting your technique right with the help of a strength coach is advisable, especially if you are new to this.

Recover hard,  

Coach Phil Gough