The Top 11 Recovery Methods for Footballers
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Football is a very intense game that requires a lot of starts, stops and changes of direction.
In addition to the decelerations and accelerations, you have to cover a lot of ground.
As a footballer, you can run from 6-8 (9-13 km) miles per game, depending on your position.
Proper Planning:
You need to properly plan your training week with the correct amount of work and the proper amount of rest and recovery to make sure you are ready for the weekend, so you can be fit and play 90 minutes at a high tempo to help your team get the 3 points that you’ve been working all week for, on the weekend.
As hard as it is, balance is key here. There cannot be too much work, where you are tired and heavy on the weekend, and there can’t be too little work where you’re not at the correct tempo & sharpness to play well.
This is where proper planning and periodization comes into play…
When you train, you are actually breaking yourself down. The only time that you grow and adapt (which is why we train), is when you recover.
Therefore, YOU NEED TO RECOVER AS HARD AS YOU TRAIN!
I understand that recovery isn’t as sexy as “grinding hard,” but if you want to be at your best when it matters; it’s essential to try your best to strike that balance!
Without that balance, you are setting yourself up for injury and/or not the best possible results.
Here are the Top 11 Recovery Methods for Footballers
Method 1- Sleep
-This is hands down the most important recovery method of all.
To be honest, I would rather you have proper sleep than do the rest of these 10 recovery methods.
Adequate sleep is the most important thing. I don’t care how many times you use the sauna, cryotherapy chamber, massage gun, etc.
Without 8-9 hours of high-quality sleep, you will never recover properly!
Once again, sleep is not a supplement or something sexy, so it’s not something that’s talked about enough in the football community.
Everyone always wants something shining, trending and sexy, but I promise you that if you invest in your sleep like you’re willing to invest in magic supplements, you will change the way you feel, look and perform!
For a more in depth look at sleep, and how to improve your sleep, please take a look at this article:
Method 2- Proper Nutrition:
-If you have been following me for a while, you know how much I talk about this.
-When you eat the right foods, you will be able to optimize your performance and you will be able to recover properly.
I am sure you have heard this many many times, and yes it’s cliché.
But, there is a reason that sayings are cliché. It’s because they work and they are true!
If you had a Ferrari (maybe you do, not sure), you would give it premium fuel, not low-grade fuel. It’s the same thing as your body (and your body is more important than your car). You need to give it premium fuel so it can perform well and efficiently.
What are the right foods?
- Lean Proteins (chicken, beef, fish, tofu, tempeh, eggs)
- Complex Carbohydrates (rice, oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, sprouted bread, fruit)
- Healthy Fats (olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, fatty fish, nuts)
- Lots of Vegetables (any type)
When you eat these foods, you will be able to properly re-build and repair your muscles after intense training.
Obviously, portion size is key based on your goals, training loads, etc. There is no one size fits all approach, but there are general principles.
Remember, eating too little is never good, and eating too much is also not good.
You have to individualize your nutrition protocol based on you and your goals, not based on what your body Johnny did to get jacked for summer.
Lack of the Right Nutrients:
Without adequate protein, your body won’t be able to re-build and recover.
Without adequate carbohydrate intake, your body won’t be able to restore glycogen and you will experience fatigue in the following training sessions, workouts and games.
Without proper fats, you will not be able to synthesize and make hormones and protect your cells to help you fuel your training.
If you are training intensely, make sure you aim to re-fuel with nutrient dense foods every 3-4 hours.
Post Workout Meals are essential for optimized recovery.
Immediately after your workout, get your first meal in the liquid form.
Depending on how intensely you trained, you want to shoot for 2:1 Carb: Protein Ratio.
For example, if you have 40 Carbs, you should have 20 grams of protein. This may look like a shake with protein of your choice with water or unsweetened almond milk with 1-2 bananas and 2-3 dates or something similar.
Your next “solid meal” should follow about 1-2 hours after your workout when your adrenaline and cortisol are lowered and back to their normal state.
Hydration is also very important for you to be and explosive and athletic athlete.
You must drink enough water to stay hydrated at all times. Water is essential for every single organ in your body and is key for your fascia, muscles, joints and ligaments.
Without enough water, your fascia will become sticky. Well-hydrated fascia is smooth and able to move properly. Sticky fascia will lead to injuries and decreased athleticism.
If you want a more in-depth look at nutrition, check out this video:
Method 3- Listen to Your Body!
-Besides sleep and nutrition, this is probably one of the most important on the list, even though all these 3 things are directly related to each other.
-This is one of the most important skills any footballer can develop.
-Like I always say, every single individual has different psychology and physiology, which means, you react differently to different stimuluses than others.
-Sometimes you will take MORE time to recover than your program says.
-Sometimes you have to take some extra rest days.
-Sometimes it’s okay to push past slight muscle soreness, but remember, we NEVER want to push past joint soreness.
-Sometimes you may be playing too much extra footy in addition to the your team training, which will cause excess fatigue.
-Sometimes you may be staying up too late at night with the boys..
-Sometimes you may be staying up too late at night with the tings..
-Learn how to identify symptoms of overtraining and don’t be afraid to take extra rest when needed.
-I promise you, slightly under training is far better than over training.
Method 4- Meditation/Deep Breathing:
-As I’ve stated many times before, this is one of the BEST things you can do after a workout to prime yourself for optimal recovery.
-During workouts, your body is in a sympathetic mode, which is excellent for performance and improving your body and mind.
-Though, when we remain in this state post workout, you cannot truly begin the recovery and repair process.
-The body repairs itself when we’re in a parasympathetic state, which is your rest and relax mode.
-Believe it or not, ONLY FIVE MINUTES of belly breathing post workout will be HUGE for your body to get out of the sympathetic mode and into the parasympathetic mode.
-You can also do this during the day any time you feel stressed.
-Stress in the “real world” affects your body the same way the physical stress in the gym affects your body.
-A relationship issue, deadline or test can cause just as much damage to your nervous system as much as a hard workout. The only way to combat this stress is to consciously deep breathe and put yourself into a more relaxed state.
-The more relaxed you are, the more READY you will be when it comes to games, workouts and trainings.
Here’s a very easy way to do it.
This is called Box Breathing.
Lay on your back or sit in a comfortable chair with an upright posture. All breaths should be taken through your diaphragm:
-4 Second Inhale through your Nose
-4 Second Hold at the Top
-4 Second Exhale through your Nose
-4 Second Hold at the End of the Breath
Repeat this for 5 minutes.
Method 5- Self-Myofascial Release (SMR)/Foam Rolling:
-Foam rolling will increase flexibility, decrease tissue stiffness and push metabolic waste out of your muscles, allowing you to relax and recover from sessions quicker. Yes, I know, I know, there are some scientific studies that prove it does nothing! But, for my clients and I, it’s something that makes us feel better.
-So, as always, experiment! Try it out and see if it makes you feel better or worse. Obviously, if it makes you feel better, keep doing it. If it makes you feel worse, stop.
-Foam rolling (even if it doesn’t help your muscles) will immediately put you in a parasympathetic nervous system state, which is essential for recovery. If you are constantly switched on and “ramped” up, your body will never have the chance to recover. Foam rolling will put you on the ground, and give your muscles and nervous system a relaxing sensory input to calm your mind down and lower your heart rate.
-You can foam roll anytime in the day; before a workout, after a workout, before bed, while watching TV. From a general standpoint, you can’t do too much.
-Most foam rolling benefits are short term. Follow it up with some specific stretches to make it more effective and lengthen out the tissue!
-The general rule of thumb:
Foam roll your “problem areas” and what feels tight. Sit on that spot for a couple of minutes and breathe into it until you feel it release.
-If you are not tight, and don’t have problem areas, go up and down 30-90 seconds on each muscle group. And hey, I promise you’ll find something tight :).
-If you have access to a vibrating foam roller or massage gun, take advantage of it (you don’t need it)! It can make a huge difference in your fascial health.
Check Out this Full Follow Along Foam Rolling & Stretching Routine to Help You Out:
Method 6- Ice Baths:
-If your main goal is muscle growth and hypertrophy, NEVER do this after a heavy weights session.
-Ice baths will decrease the inflammatory response. If you want to build muscle, you want an inflammatory response to build bigger and more dense muscle tissue.
-They can also decrease certain enzymes that are needed to signal muscle gain after you train.
-With that being said, ice baths are very good for your mental health and nervous system as well as sore joints and ligaments.
-They are also excellent after a tough training session, if you want to come back a little fresher for the next session and you aren’t as concerned about gaining muscle.
-Ice baths can also be very useful if you are an athlete with several matches per week. These may be very beneficial for you because your main goal should be top performance and not so much muscle gain.
-Also, ice baths are generally “placebo” and based on the individual, so, you need to test ice baths and see how they make you feel. If they make you feel better, do them. If they make you feel worse, stay away from them!
-If you have any tendonitis issues, ankle or knee soreness, it may also be a good idea to put ice directly on the ligament or the joint to decrease inflammation.
Method 7- Contrast Showers:
-These are very useful if you don’t have access to a full facility with a lot of equipment.
-These showers are excellent to increase your circulation throughout your body to get warmth and nutrients to the working tissues, so you can recover quicker and more effectively.
-The cold water constricts the blood vessels.
-The hot water dilates the blood vessels
-This dilation/constriction allows the blood vessels to work like a pump to get rid of metabolic waste and circulate blood/nutrients through your body.
Here’s how to do it:
-Hop in the shower with an interval timer or a clock nearby.
-Start with 3 minutes of warm water.
-1 Minute of Cold water.
-Repeat a total of 3 times for a total of 12 minutes.
-Try to make the water warmer and colder each time you do it.
-As always, don’t go from 0-100. Take it step by step, and increase your intensity gradually.
Method 8- Mobility Circuits:
-Movement is the key to recovery and life. Without movement, you become stagnate in your mind and body, and that’s the last thing we want.
-Even if you’re sore in a certain area of the body, some movement to get warmth and blood flow to the area will be key for it to feel better and loosen up.
-If you’re feeling sore and stiff, don’t just sit around on the couch all day watching the Sopranos (what a show by the way), get up, move your joints through a full range of motion and I promise you will recover quicker and more efficiently, and you will feel better.
-You can do dynamic mobility and static stretching in the evening while watching footy.
If you want a specific mobility routine for footballers, check out this video:
Method 9- Specific Training Sessions focused on Recovery:
-If you are sore in a certain muscle group or muscle, I want you to focus on getting adequate blood flow, oxygen (through the breath) and warmth (through movement) to that region.
-We aren’t trying to create more soreness, we just want blood flow, because the more oxygen and nutrients you get in there; the quicker you will recover.
-You can literally do something as simple as going back to the gym and doing all of the same exercises that made you sore for 1-2 sets of 20+ reps with LIGHTWEIGHT or BODYWEIGHT.
-During the session, you can drink a carb/protein combination drink to get the nutrients directly into the tissue.
Method 10- Epsom Salt Baths:
-These are definitely one of my favorites. There’s nothing more relaxing.
-These have been used to treat muscle soreness for decades.
-They work wonders for some people and for others, they are a waste of time. As always, it’s about listening to your body (as said in the beginning), and seeing what works for you.
-Buy EPSOM SALT at a supermarket or a pharmacy. The magnesium rich salt is super relaxing and is an excellent method to do before sleep to make you sleep deeper and better.
-Your skin is transdermal, which means the Epsom salt will seep through your skin and get into your bloodstream, helping you relax even more,
Method 11- Steady State Aerobic Training:
-As you should know, I am not a big fan of steady state cardio because it doesn’t do much to improve your fitness and it was once overused, which actually caused a light of injury.
-But it does have a HUGE role in recovery and potential fat loss, if that’s your goal.
-The more aerobically fit you are, the more efficient your cells become, which leads to faster recovery times.
-If you are playing a lot of footy or other sport, you may not need additional running, but if you aren’t playing a lot, you can do steady state, easy cardio 2+ days per week.
– Light jogs, stationary bike sessions or swims are excellent to do before your recovery stretches to get blood flow and warmth to the tissue, which will make them much more pliable and easier to make changes in.
-The main key here is you want it to be very light and not taxing on your body. In order to optimize recovery, we want light aerobic workouts to get you a good sweat, but not leave you beat down and out of breath.
-You can add these on recovery days and low intensity workout days before a stretch and foam roll session.
-Also, like I love to talk about all over my Instagram, long walks are excellent for your mind and body, and getting additional steps in, especially if you don’t have your phone. To make them even better, go for a walk in a nature or by a pond/stream, and make sure to have your headphones out of your ears!
-The additional steps from walking will contribute to fat loss without putting extra unneeded stress on your body.
Use These Methods to Help You Perform Your Best:
If you can find a way to implement these 11 recovery methods into your training, I promise you that you will be able to optimize your body and mind to make sure you are performing at your best, in order to reach your goals! You do not need to do all 11. Find a couple of them that make you feel best, and work for you, and go all in on them!
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