A mix of methods for accelerating and improving the efficiency of post-exercise recovery in the process of athletic training.
Objective and Targets
To maintain athlete performance parameters required to complete the training program in the pre-contest preparation cycle and optimal accomplishment of the level achieved at the contest.
- Body adaptation to the training loads at all stages of the athlete training cycle.
- Recovery of functional and psycho-emotional condition of athletes at conditions of continuous exposure to workloads within the regular training.
- Emergency body recovery under the conditions of contests of various duration (including single- or multi-day contests).
Reportable Parameters
The choice of an effective method (mix of methods) of recovery and methods of individual application is based on the trend analysis using the parameters used for monitoring of the body indicators at different stages of training of an individual athlete.
1. Pedagogical (test) parameters of physical and coordinational and motor qualities – performed in field or test-bed (laboratory) conditions. The testing is mainly aimed at assessing specific physical parameters and their compliance with model characteristics of compliance with tournament standards and level of training.
Based on the athlete condition parameters obtained, informative conclusions are made and recommendations on individual use of specific methods of recovery are developed.
1.1. Objective integral – the ratio of completed and scheduled loads and their account based on intensity areas.
1.2. Test parameters of strength, speed-strength qualities, and endurance.
1.2.1. Strength – deadlift, leg/arm pressing, squat with a barbell.
1.2.2. Speed-strength – five or ten long jumps, putting-stone dash forward, putting-stone dash from behind the back, 30 m sprint with a flying start, step load at different strength areas (arms/legs) etc.
1.2.3. Endurance – 12-minute jogging (Cooper test).
1.3. Subjective (wish to continue training, mood, agitation, sleep etc.).
2. Medical and Biological (Test) Parameters – assessment and control of body reactions and body systems to current and stage loads.
2.1. Morphological Parameters *:
2.1.1. Body composition (body weight, absolute and relative lean skeletal muscle weight, fat weight, bound water weight).
* see details in the corresponding sections
2.2. Blood Biochemistry *:
2.2.1. WBCs and RBCs clinical parameters.
2.2.2. Metabolic blood parameters.
2.2.3. Hormonal blood and urine parameters.
* see details in the corresponding sections
3. Psychophysiological (Test) Parameters – at laboratory/test-bed conditions. The key objective of such tests is to assess the ability of central nervous system to manage movement at stress conditions at workout and contest conditions.
3.1. The rate of the nervous system adaptation to stimulus.
3.2. Motor and coordination stability.
3.3. Stress tolerance.
4. Psychological (Test) Parameters – проводятся в полевых и стендовых условиях. Основная цель этих тестов – определить психоэмоциональное состояние спортсмена.
4.1. Motivation level.
4.2. Anxiety level.
4.3. Relations in the pair of coach and athlete and in the team (e.g. in the games-based sport).
Recovery methods, methods of using and interpretation of results
Methods of post-exercise recovery are divided into the following groups:
| Types of Recovery | Content | Methods Used |
| Pedagogical | Urgent adjustment of the workout process in terms of load volume and intensity | Change of focus, tools, and methods of workouts |
| Physical (physio-therapeutic) | Effects of physical factors (temperature, mechanical, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic etc.) on optimization of physiological and metabolic processes in the body of an athlete at the post-workout recovery phase. | – Low-frequency magnetic therapy
– Hypothermic (cold) procedures (inc. cryosaunas) – Hyperthermic (heat procedures (incl. aromatherapy) – Meso-diencephalic modulation (MDM) – Hypo- and hyperbaric effects – Types of massage |
| Pharmacological | Effects of non-doping drugs (including food supplements) on the process of replenishment of plastic and energy resources. | Basic programs of pharmacological support::
– Diet correction – Hydroelectrolytic balance – Liver detoxication Model programs of pharmacological support: – Antioxidant – Haemo-stimulation – Stress-protector – Weight control – Osteo-chondroprotective – Immune correction – Desynchronosis correction |
| Psychological | Correction and optimization of psycho-emotional state of an athlete at workout and contest conditions. | Autogenic training |
Basic Provisions and Principles
The structure and technology of the overall process of recovery are based on the following basic principles and provisions:
– Effective recovery is achieved by reasonable combination of several methods of recovery.
– Current (regular) recovery is based on the principle of controlled recovery in the structure of the workout process (distribution and sequence of all types of loads and relaxation in micro- and macro-cycles of athletic training).
Based on that principle using different methods of recovery is a continuous process which should match the rhythm of own recovery potential of the body (end of micro cycle and days of rest and/or cycles off-load).
– Emergency recovery – the choice of an individual method of recovery based on deviations of specific parameters detected through monitoring of the condition of the athlete by morphological and biochemical methods.
– Reliability and diagnostic value of all the parameters used for assessment of individual level of recovery of the athlete is dependent on the time of follow-up tests – after a day of rest and before the next workout.