In this short article we will try to better explain what recovery is, how it is divided and, above all, how to estimate the right amount.
- adaptation that puts him in a position to better face the same circumstance.Everyone agrees that, if the recovery is incomplete, the subsequent performance will be lower, or in any case there will be no adaptation to the athletic abilities of the athlete.
But how to understand if post-workout recovery is adequate or not?
For most it is enough to "know how to listen", noting the presence or absence of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness, or delayed-onset muscle aches) and performance capacity.
Having said that, one of the "thorniest" questions and the subject of debate among the various schools of thought concerns precisely this aspect: are DOMS a useful parameter? Is it enough to wait for them to disappear or do you have to wait longer? On the contrary, can you train even after the feeling of fatigue has disappeared, so before the DOMS completely disappears?
To be able to answer, you must first understand, on a scientific level, what the training stimulus consists of. It is, on balance, the "application of a specific stress; this, of a local and / or metabolic nature," puts the organism in crisis to the point of damaging the tissues involved.
This damage, which is generally associated with the so-called "fatigue", is obviously visible (at a biochemical level) with simple blood tests, which will reveal the presence of biomarkers such as CK or CRP or IL-6.
It is different if we talk about DOMS; these do not find a direct correlation with the aforementioned biomarkers, but for many they still constitute a deterrent to training, denoting an unpleasant sensation during performance.
of various physiological systems as a result of conspicuous metabolic, inflammatory processes and muscle damage induced by training sessions.
Therefore, during the recovery, the body carries out important repair processes, aimed at:
- Restoration of the previous functional state;
- Supercompensation, or the strengthening of existing resources, in view of an upcoming possible critical condition.
