8

After a big event (in my case a weekend tennis tournament), what's an appropriate recovery time before continuing to workout again?

Shane
  • 265
  • 2
  • 5

1 Answers1

7

A good rule of thumb, is one day of rest or active recovery for every one hour of your event.

Active recovery is low intensity, low effort, low impact. A very easy swim would be great active recovery. The ideal is to get your blood flowing a bit and circulate any lactic acid and other post-workout "stuff" to help the body recover. Typically, I would avoid any kind of impact like running, jogging, plyometrics and even an aggressive game of basketball.

Ryan Miller
  • 2,566
  • 14
  • 17
  • Active recovery would be moderate activity right? Because else in some cases I wouldn't have been allowed to play waterpolo for over a week... – Ivo Flipse Jun 02 '11 at 20:43
  • 2
    Active recovery is low intensity, low effort, low impact. A very easy swim would be great active recovery. The ideal is to get your blood flowing a bit and circulate any lactic acid and other post-workout "stuff" to help the body recover. Typically, I would avoid any kind of impact like running, jogging, plyometrics and even an aggressive game of basketball. – Ryan Miller Jun 02 '11 at 20:49
  • I suggest you edit that into your answer then, because its a good advice :-) – Ivo Flipse Jun 02 '11 at 20:52
  • @ryan-miller - Thanks for the response. That actually helps a lot. I'm not sure what specifics you would need to be able to provide more detail. Here's what I can tell you: (1) Time of actual play varies from 6-12 hours during a tournament. (2) Intensity varies from moderate to very intense during that time period. Tennis is basically a lot of short sprints with short breaks in between. (3) The heat can be a pretty big factor late in the summer. I definitely feel more zapped after a tournament in August than I do after playing on in April. // Is there anything else I can share? – Shane Jun 02 '11 at 20:56
  • @Shane. No, I actually revised my answer to remove the concern for specifics. Make sure you compensate for the heat with plenty of hydration before, during and after your tournaments. – Ryan Miller Jun 02 '11 at 21:05
  • +1 Good answer. @Ryan Any good sources explaining the 'one day for every hour of activity' rule? This is the first time I've heard that and I'd like more material about it if there is some available. – Evan Plaice Jun 04 '11 at 00:53
  • @Evan. I believe I read it in Runners World magazine as part of a beginner marathon training plan I used to run my first marathon in 2009. Unfortunately, I can't find it any longer. Also, if memory serves me correctly, it recommended total rest, not active recovery. However, my experience has been that active recovery is better for ME than total rest. – Ryan Miller Jun 04 '11 at 01:39
  • @Ryan I agree with the active recovery being better as long as I eat enough of the right types of foods (ie properly carb load the night before an energy intensive activity) and get enough sleep. Lately I have been working out almost every day by alternating between surfing and beach running. The beach runs are done at an anaerobic pace (heart rate between 168-178bpm) and the surfing requires only short bursts of maximum effort. So far my energy level is increasing more every day and I'm only experiencing minor soreness. – Evan Plaice Jun 08 '11 at 17:53