Recovery

I have been doing quite a bit of research over the past few weeks on recovery and recuperation. The faster I can recover, the better I can lift at the next session, the more I can build power and strength and I can minimise injury.

I do love the sauna and the benefits I have been getting over the past months from sauna use, however I decided I need to make sure I am getting the best use of my time in relation to recovery. As my lifting progresses, even my light days are reasonably heavy weights and from time to time my recovery has been less than what I would like it to be. I have also been looking at cardio as most of the successful male lifters I know do very little or no cardio at all, and I certainly rest from cardio close to competition. My main reason for doing cardio is to keep my weight down, and my heart healthy.

So what have I been doing? I have changed my sauna routine to include cold therapy before the heat, and I have done some more active recovery cardio and stretching. I am doing no more than 25 mins cardio at anyone time, and no more than 3 times a week. I have also dropped my spin to once a week and I am thinking I may drop it as a regular part of my routine. Over the past 2 weeks I have been quite happy with my increased rate of recovery, so as I get to heavy reps in the next 2 weeks it will be a good test to see what strength gains I see.

Lisa