Rest and recovery - the building blocks of training
I can definitely tell you what rest is NOT - and that is getting lost on a 50cc moped for 3 hours in the heat of the midday sun. Quite how my eye balls are not burnt to a crisp I'm not entirely sure but thank goodness for eyelashes and the human defence mechanisms!
As I get a little older (35 years wise!), I have to get smarter about training and also prioritising recovery and rest. The big one for me is sleep; an absolutely essential requirement without which I can barely assume the foetal position. Here in Thailand, I have been afforded the luxury of time; to play and experiment a bit with training and recovery.
I purposely imposed quite a hefty training schedule because 1) I have the time and 2) I was curious to see what my training capacity is and what would constitute adequate rest and recovery. I am delighted to see that my recovery is actually very good; but there is a lot of resting! I have trained twice daily; 60mins fasted state hill run (AM) and weight session (60mins) + 30mins cardio (PM), nine days on the trot for the first phase. Muscle soreness and tiredness is certainly present but for the most part I feel very good.
Rest days
Weeks of reduced training usually ties in with PMS week and this seems to be a fairly consistent rule, as this has the greatest impact on energy, motivation, diet, water retention etc. I also up my carbohydrate level at this point to prevent the "horned devil" coming out to play. Being able to spot the signs in personal energy levels; when, and when not to push is a really useful skill and has kept me motivated and completely injury free for 2 years throughout some very tough training schedules
Diet
Diet here in Thailand is 1850kcal: 50% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 20% fat (no carbohydrate after 6pm, only lean mean and vegetables). This is different to the two macronutrient splits I cycled during my last prep in the UK which seemed to work well i) 40%carb:30% protein:30% fat and ii) 30% carb:50%protein:20% fat.
I impose slightly more carbohydrate here (plain boiled white rice) because I'm doing much more cardio (at different intensities) both am and pm, earlier in the prep phase when I have more energy. I also find I can retain muscle on 30% of protein which is great as I really don't enjoy eating a high protein diet. It also means I can get all my protein needs from food. I do however drink BCAA's (branched chain amino acids)(10g) and glutamine (5g) before and after morning fasted cardio. It tastes like chalk and has artificial sweeteners in it but that is the only supplement I take; no protein shakes or vitamin, mineral supplements.
Mental recovery
I am a strong believer in managing stress levels and enjoyment is a huge part of this process. Having fun on rest days, doing something different that takes your mind off training, laughing - it's all really important. I meditate daily, which helps me no end and there are endless Buddhist temples to source out here so it is the perfect environment for cultivating that mind set. Just as some people impose a "cheat" meal into the diet phase, days of mental rest serve the same purpose and it works both physiologically and psychologically to allow an athlete clean focus for the next week of training.
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| Having a "giggle" with my new imaginary friend - she laughed at my jokes! |
Thai massage
Gosh...where do I start with this. My last massage was with a lady who can't have been more than 3 foot tall, weighing in about about 20kg but it was like being mounted by a pack of rhinos and I left feeling battered. Thailand is not exactly renowned for its health and safety rules so pretty much anything goes whilst you're on that massage table. My neck and back got adjusted and I got manoeuvred into positions I'm sure I only could have managed when I was 1 yr old, without a fully formed musculoskeletal system. That night, I slept better than I have in years and one of these every other day has proved invaluable in allowing me to train consistently.
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| Thai/Oil hybrid massage - this may look relaxing....it's NOT |
Tiger Balm and Thai Boxing liniment
Occasionally I opt for an oil massage and the "oil" is usually a coconut oil base with both tiger balm and Thai boxing liniment thrown in, which works remarkably well for easing muscle soreness.
The active ingredient in the latter is basically methyl salicylate (31%), of which there is both evidence for and against it as a pain and anti-inflammatory agent. This is an interesting one because I expect efficacy is all about the dosing here. Methyl salicylate is also called wintergreen oil and is found in Deep Heat (12.8%), so it doesn't take much imagination to create a picture of what an oil with 31% active ingredient feels like on the skin.
When I was preparing for a Boxing fight in Thailand 10 years ago...the modus operandi was to literally smother the whole body in a 250ml bottle of this oil and wait it out under a fan for 30 mins.
Other than feeling like a spatch-cooked chicken roasting at 2000C, I did feel pretty good the next day and win my fight. Like all these ergogenic aids in sport - who really knows? Sometimes these things do work, just not in the way we think they do and there is certainly an argument for the placebo effect, which we know works very well!
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| Thai Boxing Oil: 31% methyl salicylate and 1% menthol - I have no idea what the other 68% is! |
A casual word of warning.....
I did however do a little research on the anti-inflammatory properties of topical methyl salicylate and find out that over-application can be very toxic. It isn't clear what the toxic load of this topical analgesic is in adults, but perhaps use sparingly at first!
Hot and cold therapies
I thought in the spirit of experimentation I would indulge in some contrast bathing; sauna and ice bath. I did three rounds of sauna (5mins) and ice bath (3mins), however the ice was more like icy water. I'm really not too sure what to make of this one; it seems a really good way of having a heart attack! and I certainly didn't train well the next morning! My usual run was a walk, which then transitioned into a potter and then a complete stalling of action. For myself, it probably has the same efficacy as rubbing on a nice smelling body lotion; it feels vaguely nice afterwards but that's about it. I was however freezing for about 6 hours afterwards even walking around in 320C heat and got some very strange looks for wearing a hoodie!
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| Icy water therapy, and that is an expression of terror, delirium and shock! |
The efficacy of hot and cold therapies is still very much a grey area as there aren't enough robust randomised controlled trials on the effects of recovery and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Having performed a very quick scan of recent studies on this area, the whole thing is very ambivalent. Firstly, how do you quantify recovery? Performance, reduction in muscle soreness, inflammatory blood markers? Subjective measures? Secondly, methodology for interventions differ significantly.
Some of the proposed physiological effects of cold therapy include a reduction in:
- pain
- blood flow
- swelling and inflammation
- muscle spasm
- metabolic demand
Thoughts on Fat Camp Thailand
For me, this environment is the ultimate for competition prep. It is a very low stress environment with people in this particular location all training with a similar agenda, so it is a great location for creating motivation. High volume and training intensity is possible because recovery is also possible. I can verify I am fully heat acclimated now; it took about 10 days in total but I can now talk without spontaneously erupting into a waterfall and dripping over everything and everyone I see.
So... a big thumbs up for Bodybuilding prep camp Thailand!
So... a big thumbs up for Bodybuilding prep camp Thailand!
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