Do you get tired and sore after a round?
What about if you play 2-3 days in a row?
“What can I do for recovery?” is a common question
Many people have things backwards
Here’s 5 points covering the fundamentals of recovery👇🏽
1. Get in better shape 🏋🏻♂️
We get sore and tired when our physical capacity does not match the demands we place on our body.
- Carrying 20+ extra lbs of fat
- Don’t get a lot of daily steps in?
- Don’t swing a club regularly?
A round will be challenging for your body.
2. Fuel Your Body Adequately ⛽️
Eating & hydrating correctly will help reduce fatigue during & after a round.
- Protein for muscle repair🦵🏽
- Carbohydrates for energy🔋
- Water & (maybe) electrolytes for hydration 💦
Don’t start a round hungry or dehydrated!
3. Go To Bed 🛌
Once your physical condition & nutrition are solid, by far the next most valuable thing you can do for recovery is getting a great nights sleep.
If you can be well fed and hydrated before going to bed, even better!
Aim for 8 hours 💤
4. Limit Alcohol 🍺 🥃
Alcohol is not good for sleep quality, muscle recovery, or rehydration. (Or any other physiological process).
If you are having multiple drinks after a round, don’t be surprised if you don’t feel great the next day & fatigue easily.
Sorry 😬.
5. Stretching, Ice, Cold Water, Massage, etc 🤔
You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.
The majority of things you can do for recovery happen before the round start… weeks and months before. (Be physically prepared 🙂)
Popular recovery modalities like those listed above can make *some* difference, but pale in comparison to the effect physical conditioning, nutrition, & sleep have.
Like most things, the answer comes back to the basics.
Take care of your physical training and nutrition.
There are no shortcuts or hacks.
To be very fit & healthy, you need to allocate some time most days to exercise. Some strength & some cardio.
To be “Fit For Golf”, you also need to do the two things golf primarily consists of, walking and swinging.
Ideally walking is built into your daily routine already, and your exercise program will greatly increase your walking capacity.
Golf practice and speed training like many of you do, will mean you get plenty of weekly swings in.
Obviously, playing golf a lot helps too!
