REPAIR THE DAMAGE

Preparing meticulously and emptying the tank in your workouts is all well good, but are you forgetting the most important part of the fitness puzzle? By that we mean, doing absolutely nothing.

Rest and recovery are the most crucial aspects of any exercise programme. Without recovery, your body cannot heal, rebuild muscle and get stronger ahead of the next training load. You might be good at putting your body through stress, risking injury, inflicting micro-tears on your muscles and diminishing your energy stores. But when it comes to getting really good nutrition in, plus a good night’s sleep? For most of us, not so much.

Laziness plays a part, but mostly it’s because figuring out the best methods can be a minefield – one littered with brightly coloured adverts promising miracle cures. But while research into many recovery gadgets, strategies and techniques is still in its infancy, there is still much that sports science can tell us about what can help the process, from foam rolling, via protein shakes, to the most miraculous cure of all: plenty of sleep.

1. COOL OFF

Wellness trends may come and go, but cold-water therapy is a constant. The Romans plunged into frigidariums after their hot-water bathing; in 1702, John Locke wrote of ‘miracles done by cold baths on decay’d and weak constitutions’; and the Victorians flocked to spa towns to douse themselves in icy showers. Yet despite millenia of use, there’s still much