Active recovery versus total rest?

KnightOfTheLongTights

was just wondering what the latest received wisdom is on this?

Is it just personal preference, or is there some empirical evidence that slow recovery rides are actually more effective than total rest (or vice versa!)?

And if so in what way: by aiding adaptions? or by helping to minimise soreness / stiffness?

do people tend to use them after their longest, endurance rides; or after ballbusting intervals / threshold sessions?

I fully sponsor days off - at least one a week, often two for me. Just wondering whether taking those days off after the most intense efforts is the right thing to do.

Team Banana Spokesman

proper recovery ride is less than 50% FTP. very very slow. increases bloodflow to the legs but without damaging anything. benefits of more blood are obvious: more nutrients and chemicals getting in to all the right places. so hydrate well before the ride. it is important to not stress the system by going hard. you should be able to talk and breathe freely. adding spices to food will improve the taste but a good chef knows that too much is counterproductive. things go back into the NEGATIVE with too much.

Herbsman

Team Banana Spokesman wrote:

proper recovery ride is less than 50% FTP. very very slow. increases bloodflow to the legs but without damaging anything. benefits of more blood are obvious: more nutrients and chemicals getting in to all the right places. so hydrate well before the ride. it is important to not stress the system by going hard. you should be able to talk and breathe freely. adding spices to food will improve the taste but a good chef knows that too much is counterproductive. things go back into the NEGATIVE with too much.

What's the spice content of food got to do with recovery rides vs total rest?

rdt

Herbsman wrote:

Team Banana Spokesman wrote:

proper recovery ride is less than 50% FTP. very very slow. increases bloodflow to the legs but without damaging anything. benefits of more blood are obvious: more nutrients and chemicals getting in to all the right places. so hydrate well before the ride. it is important to not stress the system by going hard. you should be able to talk and breathe freely. adding spices to food will improve the taste but a good chef knows that too much is counterproductive. things go back into the NEGATIVE with too much.

What's the spice content of food got to do with recovery rides vs total rest?

Whereas a Korma can aide recovery, a Phal hinders it. So to speak.

Pseudonym

rdt wrote:

Whereas a Korma can aide recovery, a Phal hinders it. So to speak.

where would a vegetable biryani fit in..?

mattshrops

Pseudonym wrote:

rdt wrote:

Whereas a Korma can aide recovery, a Phal hinders it. So to speak.

where would a vegetable biryani fit in..?

In the bin, unless theres some meat to put in it

KnightOfTheLongTights

OK.

By the flipside, is there any evidence that, say, going out and getting pished after a hard training session decreases the benefits?

Like, I know your recovery will be less efficient, as alcohol thins the blood and that hinders muscle repair (so I believe anyway) - but aside from that does it actually hinder gains in aerobic fitness?

Garz

I have been out drinking after sessions and although it's not advised by the pro's it keeps people sane and allows one to enjoy oneself.

If you do it infrequently then it wont make much difference, however if your doing it regularly then your liver will be concentrating on fighting the poison.

Last spring I cycled to a party about 65 miles away over the peak district and drank copious amounts enjoying myself. The next day I dreaded heading back however the body tackled it no problem and seemed to utilise all the sugary goodness!

I wouldn't recommend getting wasted every weekend and doing long training rides though!

KnightOfTheLongTights

Garz wrote:

I I wouldn't recommend getting wasted every weekend and doing long training rides though!

yeah totally

Two days to recover from a big night out for me these days - but then I am 40, so what do I expect ...

Saturday is my one night out of the week - but that's usually following my most intense training of the week on Sat a.m. Sometimes wake up Sunday thinking - 'well that was all the good work undone then!'

stonehouse

By the flipside, is there any evidence that, say, going out and getting pished after a hard training session decreases the benefits?

Like, I know your recovery will be less efficient, as alcohol thins the blood and that hinders muscle repair (so I believe anyway) - but aside from that does it actually hinder gains in aerobic fitness?

I would think that your CNS has enough to cope with during and after proper hard training without having to deal with the toxic shock that alcohol brings to the system. I'm sure that the odd beer would be fine, but getting drunk is asking for trouble and leaving yourself wide open to catching any bugs you come in contact with..... (IMHO).

rock_hopper

From what I understand recovery riding can be quite effective if done right, i.e very very easy riding. If you cant control the effort and start upping it your wasting your time and doing more harm than good. I changed one of my rest days for a recovery day this year and it has seemed to work really well. I often feel worse after my total rest day.

Oh yea, drinking and hard training don't go very well together at all!

SBezza

Recovery rides can help your legs stop getting stiff, especially after a very hard race/training session. I feel better doing them rather than just pure rest, as if I have a day off the bike the legs take a while to get going again.

They should be very very easy, mine are generally around 40% of FTP, and an hour max, anything longer and you will be starting to stress the muscles again.

As for drinking alcohol after a hard training session, well that is a pretty pointless thing to do if you want proper recovery, as mentioned above your body has to work hard to repair the damage from training, to divert that energy away to clear the body of extra toxins will just mean a much slower recovery. I would save the drinking for rest/recovery days, or when training has been a little bit easier. You won't undo any work you have done, just recovery will take longer, and subsquent sessions might be below par.