Have you ever wondered why recovery is important for athletes? The best athletes in the game aren’t made from sleep deprivation and consistent overtraining. It’s all about prioritizing rest and recovery. Proper recovery is one of the most underrated performance tools for elite athletes.

In this post I'll break down recovery for athletes and why recovery is important for athletes.

Why is recovery important for athletes?

It’s simple, recovery is essential for both your mental and physical game. And to be honest, how you recover is almost more important than the amount of weight lifted, the miles on your training log, or the number of calories burned because it has a near immediate (and long-lasting) impact on your performance on the field.

It’s more than just short-term recovery though, we’re playing for the long game.

Recovery is more than just taking a "do-absolutely-nothing" rest day and sitting on the couch for 12 hours while scrolling on your phone.

You can sprinkle recovery into your workout routine, add it daily as part of a cool down, or schedule it into your weekly programming.

Recovery occurs in the hours and days that you aren’t going hard in the gym, doing sprint repeats at the track, or putting in the long miles on the weekends. It’s the intentional time you take between these workouts actually taking care of your body and mind that makes up your recovery.

What does recovery actually do for athletes?

Implementing just a few simple recovery strategies into your training and overall wellness routine allows your body and nervous system to repair and prepare for optimal performance.

You don’t need an extensive three-hour daily routine routine. In fact, it’s more about being strategic with your rest, nutrition, hydration, and sleep to reduce your risk of injury and to prime the body so it’s ready for competition. Trust me, getting injured and having to rehab an injury takes WAY longer than any preventative recovery routine. 

Recovery practices help the body to adapt from both everyday and training stressors.

It helps the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other body tissues repair and regenerate, so that we can continue to move forward with life and our sport. Rest allows the body to work more efficiently as it optimizes protein synthesis, reduces muscle soreness, increases strength, and regenerates energy stores.

And I want to point out how great recovery is for muscle repair. As an elite athlete, you're in a strength program or training program and also participating in game play. You need all of the muscle repair and tissue health you can get.

Want to learn my favorite ways to make the most of your recovery? Check out this blog which gives an inside look into my favorite recovery techniques. You'll see details on both active recovery and passive recovery techniques.

If recovery is THAT important, why do athletes skip it? 

Recovery routines don't give you the runner’s high, the endorphine rush, or the immediate gratification that you get from high intensity exercise and other types of exercise sessions, like body building.

It almost feels too easy, which makes some athletes feel like isn’t worth their time.

You know that feeling that you get when you run 10 miles or crush an all-out max lifting day in the gym? Yeah, foam rolling and mobility work doesn’t have that same effect, which makes it difficult for athletes to stay consistent and exposes them to what some may call "overtraining syndrome".

So what happens when you skip all the recovery stuff and just keep going?

Most athletes think, “Why should I focus on recovery? I’m not hurt, I’m doing fine, and I’d rather spend my time working hard in the gym, getting faster and stronger.” Quite frankly, that’s the kind of thinking that leads to overtraining and injury, which derails your training and leads to frustration.

In a society where we pride ourselves on how many hours we work, how little sleep we got, and how hard our workout was - it almost shames the athletes who put forth the effort to take care of themselves. Without an emphasis on recovery in our training program, our bodies live in a constant state of distress with elevated cortisol levels (a stress hormone). We can function in this state for a while, but over time it leads to athlete burnout and injury. 

What do you recommend for recovery techniques for athletes?

Find something that works well for you and your needs. Our goal is to create a routine that you can continue doing for years. I recommend consulting with a sports physical therapist near you to create a custom routine for you.

In the meantime, I’ve included some of my top tips for athlete recovery in this blog post.

Where can you get recovery care as an athlete?

At Game Changer PT, we have many options for athletes who are looking for help with recovery. You can book a free discovery call to learn more.