If you’re looking for the best training recovery tips for student athletes, our physical therapy team have compiled some simple, but effective ways to help.
As a student athlete, it can be very difficult to balance study, training, games and your social life and this can lead to more frequent injuries, bouts of sickness and low energy.
Following these recovery tips after training and games can really make a big difference and help you thrive on campus and on the field.
Why Is Recovery So Important?
Recovery – or taking time for your body to repair and rebuild after demanding activity – is vital to athletic success. Too much physical exertion can lead to injuries which can derail your season.
To help you fully recover after intensive exercise, it is recommended to take a minimum of 1-2 days per week of rest.
These rest days should be free from all strenuous activity.
By improving your recovery strategies, you should be able to improve your performance, have more energy and reduce your risk of injury.
Training Recovery Tips For Student Athletes
#1 – Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is crucial to the healthy physical development of young athletes.
Growth hormones are released into the body during sleep and these hormones manage muscle growth and repair, bone formation, and fat-burning capacity.
Athletes need at least nine hours of sleep a night to allow their bodies to recover from activity.
A lack of sleep can directly decrease performance.
#2 – Stay Hydrated
While most student athletes understand the importance of game day hydration, good recovery day hydration is just as vital.
Water helps with more efficient nutrient uptake and aids in faster recovery from sessions, and enables you to be ready for the next training session or game.
#3 – Eat Well
Proper nutrition during recovery aids the body as it heals and replenishes its energy store for the next big energy burn.
#4 – Stretch
Tight muscles and trigger points can hinder our performance.
By taking time to stretch or foam roll, student athletes can release muscular restrictions and reduce their risks of in-game injury.
An issue that’s particularly relevant for student athletes is the time they spend seated during their studies. If you are approaching exams and need to spend a lot of time at a desk studying, we recommend standing up and walking around every 30 minutes. This can be an easy way to reduce problems in the lower back, hips and hamstrings.
#5 – Have Injury Maintenance
Student athletes should use rest days to care for injuries. Using ice, heat, or compression can be applied to facilitate healing.
If you’re noticing that you’re feeling run down, your performance is suffering, you’re getting sick more often, and you keep getting injured, it’s time to change your routine.
Take time off, dial back your intensity, cross-train to add variety once you’re adequately rested, and call us to treat any injuries.
Stay Strong, Fit And Healthy During Your Season As A Student Athlete
A lot of our patients visit us as recreational, amateur or even professional athletes who want to recover quickly from training, perform better in games and stay injury-free.
If your body is struggling to keep up with the demands of being a student athlete, and pain, stiffness and injuries are affecting your sport, our team can help.
We’ve worked with hundreds of athletes from a wide range of sports, and through Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy and Personal Training enabled them to perform at their best on the field.
To find out how you can hit peak performance and stay injury-free, Arrange A Free Discovery Visit by completing our online contact form in under 30 seconds or call our friendly team on (425) 628-2031.
Unsure whether we are right for you?
We understand that you may not have visited a Physical Therapy clinic before, and be unsure whether it’s going to help you as a student athlete.
If so, check out this review from K J Wright, Linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks:
“Can’t thank SPT enough for getting my body back strong! They understand how to be smart and work hard at the same time! Awesome group to work with”
Our team were able to help KJ, and we can help you too!
Arrange A Free Discovery Visit at one of our five locations (Bellevue, Everett, Factoria, Kirkland and Lake Stevens) today!
Other Helpful Ways To Stay Active And Exercise Pain-Free
Read Our Blog – How To Better Understand Concussion
Follow Us On Social Media – Sports Physical Therapy Facebook and Sports Physical Therapy Instagram