The Importance of Recovery
KP Coaches Tip of the Week, by Head Coach Pete Kain.
This weeks tip is on RECOVERY!!! (Nice, during the recovery week!)
Triathletes train for three sports and juggle work and family and many
other commitments. It is a tough schedule, but one many people take on
every year. Juggling three sports is tough and many triathletes feel the
fatigue of training week after week. Training is very important and a key
to being successful, but RECOVERY is just as important! After training for
triathlons for the past 28 years, I have learned a few things about how to
keep the body in the best shape as possible and how to aid in the
recovery.
***Here are a few things I have learned over the years. These are all
good, so I hope you give them a try. In no particular order…
1) Get a massage! You are constantly beating your body up with grueling
workouts, day after day! It needs a break every so often! Massage is a
great way to help aches and pains and help flush the muscles out. I have
used massage for years and have found it one of the most effective ways of
aiding recovery. At the end of this email is more information on our KP
Team Massage Therapist, Dave Ledesma. Dave has been working on both Shari
and I for years. He has worked with Team USA and knows what it takes to be
a triathlete! I highly recommend him!!
2) Cold Dunk!! Yes, the cold soak after a tough ride, or run will also
help flush the muscles. This is best done post workout, but will help
anytime the legs are feeling fatigued. We use a cold creek in front of our
house, but a cold tub, or cold lake, or ocean also works. If you have a
hot tub nearby, then a cold dunk/hot tub combo is also great! Ironman
Champion Tim Deboom came and stayed with us before a few of his great IM
Hawaii performances and loved having the cold dunk/hot tub combo after
each days workout. He would go in and out of each about 2-3 times a day!
3) Put your legs up on a wall. This is an old cyclists trick that Shari
learned while racing in Europe. Put your legs high up on a wall and let
them flush out. Try to get them to close to 90 degree’s. We usually have
them up for at least 10 minutes. It is also a good hamstring stretch. Just
grab a good book, or take a nice nap and let the legs flush out!
4) Yoga! Stretch!! Yes, take a YOGA class once a week if possible. You
don’t have to do Power Yoga, but a nice relaxing restorative yoga is great
for recovery. Try out a few classes and find one you like. The Bikram, or
Hot yoga, can actually be a good class if you plan on racing in hot
temperatures (like Hawaii!).
5) Compression socks and tights. These are gaining popularity every year.
The jury is still out on how well they aid in recovery, but they are worth
a try. I have been using them over the past couple years and really like
them. I especially like them in colder temperatures, but they can be used
anytime. Go for the ones that have medical grade compression, like 2xu, or
Zoot.
6) Chiropractic care. You don’t even have to have your back adjusted to
get some great care from a good Chiropracter. Many are now certified in
ART, Graston technique and taping. Check out our KP Website for our great
KP Team Chiropracters: Dr. Steve Capobianco of Symmetry Sports (he now has
a room dedicated to recovery), Dr. Brad Schmidt of Excel Sports Therapy
and Dr. Joe Leahy of Chase Chiropractic.
7) SLEEP!! Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep a day!! I know its hard,
but sleep is key to performing well in all aspects of life! If possible,
take a nap! Even a 20 minute nap can do wonders for a tired body.
8) Take at least one day off a week! Monday is usually a scheduled rest
day for the KP Team. During a recovery week, or anytime you are feeling
overly fatigued, take an additional rest day. This does wonders for tired
legs and will make the training to come much more enjoyable.
9) Stay hydrated! Yes, staying hydrated is key to recovery. Water is
always your best option, but there are plenty of other recovery drinks out
there. Post workout drinks are great! Try a few and see what works best
for you!
10) Active recovery! This means you do a very light workout with the
purpose being on aiding recovery. I will do a light spin on the bike after
a long run to help flush the legs out. Nothing too hard, but a light spin
for 30 minutes to 1 hour over flat terrain and at a high cadence of 90+
RPM’s. I will also do a light swim to aid recovery. I will just swim an
easy 500-1,000 yards after a weight workout, or on an easy day. I find
your body really gets stretched out just being in the water. These
workouts are done at a very low heart rate and meant to aid recovery.
I hope you can use some of these recovery tips to aid your body to be at
its best when you want it to be! Recovery is as important as a good hard
workout, so don’t think you don’t need it!! Everyone will benefit from all
of the recovery tips above, please use them. We have some of the best in
the business to help with all of your recovery needs, so use them!! Ask
any of the KP Coaches for tips on recovery if you need more information.
Remember to “train hard and rest harder”!!
Good luck and Happy Training (and resting),
Coach Kain
www.kainperformance.com
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About your Coach:
Coach Pete Kain was a competitive swimmer and water polo player in high
school and college. His first triathlon was in 1984 at the age of 21. He
swore it was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life and would
never do another one. 28 years later he has over 35 Overall Triathlon
Victories, including the Overall USA Triathlon National Championship in
2002. He has raced all over the world and is one of only a select few that
have appeared on the cover of Triathlete Magazine more than once (1997 +
1999).
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“Official” KP Team Massage Therapist:
Advanced Muscle Therapy Sports Massage
Dave Ledesma is pleased to offer Kain Performance his Sports Massage
Sponsorship Package at a $15.00 discount!
1 hour – $70.00
1.5 hours – $105.00
2 hours – $140.00
(All pricing listed above includes the discount.)
Contact Dave directly to make an appointment.
Phone: 408-243-3949
email: svtriathlete@hotmail.com
Address: 3033 Moorpark Ave., Suite 23; San Jose (at the corner of Moorpark
& Winchester).
Office Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1:00pm-9:30pm
Sat. & Sun: 2:30pm-4:45pm
The benefits of Sports Massage include increased circulation, increased
flexibility, decreased recovery time, helps tp prevent injuries as well as
enhancing injury recovery, thus improving overall Performance! Dave has
been a Sports Massage Therapist since 1989. Since 1995 he has been the
Lead Sports Massage Therapist for USA Triathlon’s Team USA at the ITU
Olympic Distance/Long Course Triathlon World Championships, and the ITU
Duathlon Short/Long Course World Championships.