Noosa Triathlon Physical Recovery Tips

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Post by Will Thwaite (BPhty(Hons), BSc, Physiotherapist APAM)

Firstly, a big congratulations from RHP Physiotherapy to all Red Dog athletes who competed (and supported) at the Noosa Triathlon Festival over the weekend! It was a great day filled with great results. Peter and I had good day doing post race recovery work on a lot of tired bodies – fortunately this year there were no traumatic injuries on the day. It is normal to feel a few niggles and aches after a race, so I wanted to share a few strategies that you can use to enhance your physical recovery.

This week it is important to follow up on your recovery as arduous exercise can leave the muscles of your legs feeling heavy, stiff, fatigued or tight – or a combination of these things. A good recovery will allow you to get back training hard for the next event and reduce the risk of developing injury.

Here are a few recovery ideas for this week to get your body going again –

1. Get a massage – Deep and firm soft tissue work can help delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from high intensity exercise. It can also restore some flexibility in the legs. Regular soft tissue work is also a good idea if you are in consistent training.

2. Active recovery session – a light session of cross training or on the bike/pool/road will increase blood flow and help with soreness. Increasing blood flow can also speed up the muscle-rebuilding process. Aim for a 20-30 minute session of 40-60% of your maximum heart rate.

alter g(image taken from www.alterg.com)

3. Alter G Treadmill – as mentioned above, a light recovery run is a good way to facilitate muscle recovery. The Alter G treadmill allows you to run at a reduced body weight, thus reducing your metabolic demands and the impact of running on joints and muscles. A 20 minute run at 50% bodyweight could be a great active recovery session.  For pricing and bookings call RHP Physiotherapy Kelvin Grove – 3856 5566.

4. Foam roller – a foam roller is a quick and easy way to get some additional soft tissue work done at home. Evidence shows that foam rolling before training increases flexibility without affecting muscle strength, and foam rolling after training reduces muscle soreness. Foam rolling for 2-3 mins per muscle group will have you feeling fresh for your next training. Here are some key muscle groups to get stuck into with the foam roller:

Gluteals

Gluteals

Quads (front of thigh)

Quads (front of thigh)

Hamstrings

Hamstrings

ITB (lateral thigh)

ITB (lateral thigh)

Calf

Calf

(images taken fromhttp://hpsm.ca/my-hpsm/exercise-tutorials/foam-roll-massage/)

5. Get checked by a physiotherapist –While all of these suggestions are great for recovery sometimes niggles can persist after a Triathlon. If you feel any pain that is different to normal post race soreness – no matter how small or large get in to see a physiotherapist. An early diagnosis and management plan is always better than dealing with an injury weeks down the track.

RHP Physiotherapy has discounted rates for Red Dog athletes, so get in to make sure your body is ready for the summer season. To make an appointment at RHP Physiotherapy contact us at 3856 5566.

Good luck with your recovery and congratulations again on a fantastic weekend! All the best for your ongoing training and any upcoming events!

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