THE 100 POINT RECOVERY SYSTEM
Make sure you are ready to train and play at the optimum level with this effective recovery model.
Take a look at the following table to see how each recovery modality is scored;
Points Modality
30 8-10 hours high quality sleep
30 Hit daily nutritional & hydration targets
25 30 min pool recovery - light swim, walking, stretching
25 30-45 min massage
20 30 minute active recovery session - foam roll, mobility, light bike
20 6-8 hours compression tights
20 Contrast bathing - 3 sets of 3 minutes COLD, 3 minutes WARM
15 30-60 minutes spent relaxing with friends & family
15 30-60 minutes light walk
15 10-20 minutes relaxation - mindfulness, breathing drills
The aim of the recovery system is to total 100 points or more within a 24-hour period after a training day or game. As you can see from the table, a larger point score is assigned to the elements of recovery which form the foundation of effective recovery.
Some modalities that may surprise you to see included within the system include relaxing with friends and family. The positive psychological impact of activities such as this are extremely important to promote psychological and emotional recovery alongside physical recovery.
The same can be said for 10-20 minutes relaxation including activities such as mindfulness and breathing drills. Taking time to escape daily stresses associated with both training/sport and everyday life is widely undervalued. Plus, specific breathing drills can have a massive impact on your performance levels.
Here is an example of how an athlete recently used the system to recovery effectively post game to be ready to train 36 hours later.
Sunday 17:00: Away fixture finishes
Sunday 17:30: Compression tights put on for journey home and to sleep in (25 POINTS) & optimal post-match nutrition & hydration (30 POINTS)
Sunday 21:30: Arrive home, continue optimal nutrition/hydration & complete 15 minutes mindfulness/breathing drills to facilitate falling asleep (15 POINTS)
Sunday 23:00: Fall to sleep
Monday 08:30: Wake up after 9.5 hours unbroken sleep (30 POINTS) **100 POINTS**
Monday 09:00: Continue optimal nutrition with breakfast and throughout day
Monday 10:00: Pool recovery (25 POINTS)
Monday 18:00: Meal with friends & family (15 POINTS)
Tuesday 07:30: 30 minutes massage prior to training day (25 POINTS)
Tuesday 09:00: Begin training day
As you can see from the example, 100 points were achieved very easily within 15.5 hours and 165 points were achieved before the next training day. You may look at that and think it’s easy for a professional athlete but knock the day back to Saturday and it would be very easy to apply this recovery routine following your Saturday afternoon fixture to set you up for a good week’s training come Monday.
Print off the table and give the system a go, noting how you feel 24 hours later and how you perform the following week!
