4 Rs of Recovery
Refuel – with carbohydrates.
- Post game > 1g/kg/bm every hour for 4h post-game
- MD+1 > 6-8g/kg/bm
- Post hard training > 1-2g/kg/bm.
Rehydrate – with fluids.
- Weigh yourself pre training.
- Weigh yourself post training.
- Multiply the amount lost by 1.5 > this is your rehydration requirement.
- E.g., 80kg pre training, 79kg post training > 80 – 79 = 1 > 1 x 1.5 = 1.5L > rehydrate with 1.5L of fluid
Repair – with protein
- 30-4g high quality protein every 3 hours
Relax – with sleep
- Aim for 8h of sleep per day.
Anti-inflammatory foods
- Fruit derived polyphenols (Cherries, blackcurrants, blueberries, blackberries, pomegranate) e.g. mixed berry smoothie
- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
- Nuts like almonds and walnuts
- Leafy greens like spinach, kale
Helpful supplements
Creatine
- 20g within 24h post-game can increase carbohydrate resynthesis by 80%
Omega 3s
- helps manage inflammation and reduce muscle soreness.
- 2-3g from supplements or foods > 170g portion of salmon contains 2g
Turmeric (curcumin)
- helps manage inflammation.
Supplements you may hear about
Cherry juice – may help reduce oxidative stress, but research is not conclusive.
CurraNZ Blackcurrant Extract – may help reduce oxidative stress, but research is not conclusive.
