A multi-day CrossFit competition is not for the faint of heart, and a recovery protocol is key to an athlete’s success.
Aerobic Capacity creator Chris Hinshaw and Smart Tools co-founder Nick Colosi discuss ways athletes can recover and prepare for multi-day competitions.
One of the first and most important recommendations is that athletes consume carbohydrates immediately after each event to restore muscle glycogen stores. In other words, they must replenish the stored form of glucose the body uses for fuel.
“Athletes must be aware of their specific carb needs based on the workout intensity and their body requirements,” Hinshaw told Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
He adds that a larger meal with complex carbohydrates in the evening “is essential” to further help refuel for the next day’s events.
Credit: Carlos Fleury
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Hydration is also critical to recovery, especially when competing in hot climates. Athletes should drink consistently throughout the day, focusing on electrolyte-rich options to replace salt loss and prevent dehydration.
“Maintaining a balance between water and electrolytes is crucial to ensure peak performance,” he says.
Post-event, athletes should hop on a bike for active recovery, such as the Echo Bike or Concept 2 bike, and pedal at a zone 2 or higher intensity. This movement helps engage maximal muscle fibers to accelerate the clearance of lactate and, more importantly, fatigue-causing metabolites, a substance produced during metabolism.
The cool-down process is essential for accelerating the body’s recovery process, Hinshaw says.
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A part of preparation is readying the body for intense activity.
Colosi, who has a background in exercise physiology and is a doctor of chiropractic, developed a medical-grade stainless steel version of IASTM tools. These are manual therapy tools used to break up tissue and stimulate the nervous system. Medical practitioners often use them on CrossFit athletes before and during competition.
There are many supplemental tools these days to aid recovery and help athletes recover more efficiently. While diet and immediate post-workout recovery are integral, it’s clear that newer technology-driven tools are on the market and are helping drive the recovery protocol.
For instance, Colosi’s company, Smart Tools, has developed a new blood flow restriction cuff called SmartCuffs®. This product is built for athletes recovering from an injury and for muscle growth during fitness. It can also be a great tool after a tough workout to help speed up the muscle recovery process.
“From a fitness perspective, it just goes back to deloading the joints, and then as they [athletes] get closer to events—CrossFitters, NBA athletes— use the recovery method as well,” Colosi says.
With the SmartCuffs, athletes can use it during a recovery session by only inflating the cuff to 80 to 100 percent, and then it’s a “completely passive” activity.
Colosi adds the experience is not the most comfortable thing in the world, but when the cuffs are released, the blood just rushes back to the limbs, and they get that blood flow moving again. The tool is best used by athletes during active rest days to deload the joints.
“You kind of jump-start your whole system,” Colosi says.
Other new tools on the market targeted at recovery focus on red light therapy, muscle relief through a therapy device like a massage gun, and other compression tools that target the legs, hips, or arms.
All of these types of technology must be part of the overall recovery discussion. As science and technology advance, so does the interest from athletes seeking to add more to their protocols.
Other tools, like wearables, are also increasingly popular as athletes want to learn more about their bodies. Many athletes are not just ingesting that information. They’re using it to influence the way they approach a competition, how they train, and what they do to recover.
“People are fascinated with their own bodies,” he says.
The Bottom Line
As CrossFitters mature, so do the recovery protocols and the ways athletes treat their bodies overall. If there’s anything to learn, it’s that timing and nutrition should rank high as athletes develop and execute their recovery plans.
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Featured image: Carlos Fleury
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