Assess The Importance Of Recovery In Sport

Assess the benefits to performance of recovery strategies for a 1500m track athlete

Recovery is a very important element of fitness, due to the high physiological and phycological demands that arise from many different high intensity sports, such as 1500m track. Through studying many different types of recovery strategies, it is evident that the effectiveness of each strategy varies, however all play a positive role in decreasing fatigue, illness, injury and underperformance; all of which athletes aim to do after performing.
Physiological, neural, tissue damage and psychological strategies are four very different types of recovery strategies that aim to return an athlete to his or her pre-event, physical and mental state as quickly as possible.
These different strategies help muscle fibers, ligaments and tendons that may have been damaged through exercise, whilst also getting rid of waist products such as lactic acid from an athletes body. An example of physiological recovery strategy that should be implemented by a 1500m track athlete would be cool-down. Cool-down is very important as it gradually returns the body to its pre-event state, and can prevent micro tears from worsening, and blood pooling from happening. These three factors are the main causes of post-exercise muscle soreness, which can be a result of not cooling down after performing. Cool-down is a great example, illustrating the importance of physiological recovery strategies. Through assessing the benefits of physiological recovery strategies, it is obvious that a 1500m track athletes should incorporate these particular strategies into their daily routine to recover faster, and perform at their
This is a perfectly normal reaction by the body, however it can negatively affect the way an athlete feels. This is why tissue damage strategies are so important. Cryotherapy is a great tissue damage strategy that helps reduce inflammation, pain and muscle spasms that could occur after exercise. Cold water immersion, or ice baths helps repair the body, for vasoconstriction will occur. This drives blood away from the muscles, taking lactic acid and other by-products with it. When blood flow does return to the muscles, fresh supplies of energy are brought with it, along with enzymes needed for muscle repair. The benefits of quickly getting rid of lactic acid, and bringing enzymes for muscle repair, really demonstrate the importance of tissue damage strategies, especially to a 1500m track