How To Master A Recovery Ride

- We often talk about the importance of rest here on GCN.
Rest is when your body can actually repair itself
and so that is the time when you get stronger and fitter.
Having all ready done the hard work beforehand of course.
- Yeah, you have two options when it comes to said rest.
You can either take the word literally
and sit on your backside for a day.
Or you can do what is called active recovery
or a recovery ride.
Always one of my favourite days as a pro.
(upbeat music)
- Now, before we start to explain exactly how to do
a recovery ride.
What actually is one supposed to do then?
Well, it is a way of gently boosting blood flow
around the body through gentle exercise.
And then the theory is that will help deliver nutrients
to your damaged muscles and also start to flush out
some of the waste products from them
that would have accumulated through hard training.
- How then do you do a recovery ride?
Why they really are quite simple.
All you need to do is ride at a very low intensity
for quite short period of time.
So, 60 minutes at a maximum
at an effort level of between one and two
if you're going on feel.
You should basically be able to
breathe through your nose throughout.
- That sounds good.
- It does.
That's why I love recovery rides.
If you're going on power, less than 50% of your FTP
or less than 60% of your maximum heart rate.
There should be no accelerations and no sprints at all.
Just spinning on a nice easy gear.
- I tell you what.
I am liking the sound of this more and more.
Can we stop for coffee?
- We can.
In fact amongst professional riders it is almost
against the law not to stop for coffee.
- Well I tell you what.
We better stop for coffee.
I don't want to get into trouble.
- Just spin nice and easy to a cafe.
- Well, I tell you what Dan,
I am thoroughly enjoying my recovery ride so far.
Question is, is there actually any scientific proof
that this is going to be a benefit to us?
- There isn't a great deal I must admit.
- Oh?
- But, there is some.
There is one study which seems to suggest
that recovery rides can increase lactic clearing
which I guess has got to be a good thing.
And I've also found some other evidence of other benefits
to recovery rides, as well.
- Okay, so we have not just completely wasted 15 minutes.
- No.
Not at all.
So I've been reading some excerpts from a book
by Matt Fitzgerald entitled Brain Training for Runners.
- Sorry.
Runners?
- Yep, bear with me.
He says that the benefits of recovery exercise
are due to the presence of a cytokine
called interleukin-6 or IL -6 for short.
- Oh, yes, yes that's one of my favourites.
- IL-6 will cause a feeling of fatigue when it's present
in the body but it can also lead to gains in fitness.
So if you do recovery rides
in a state of glycogen depletion,
as you normally would be after a block of hard training.
In the presence of IL-6 in your body.
You actually get fitness gains.
Which I think is a great thing.
And there are other benefits to recovery rides as well.
In terms of improved cognitive function.
Also an increased resistance to muscle tissue damage
and better fat metabolism as well.
- That's really good.
- Yeah.
I though you'd like that a bit.
So if you do recovery rides
it should teach your body to prefer fat as it's fuel source.
Especially if the ride that you do in between
is generally of quite high intensity.
- I am sold.
Recovery rides sound so beneficial
I think I am going to do them everyday.
- Ah, it doesn't quite work like that actually.
You need something to recover from i.e. some hard training.
- Hmm?
(upbeat music)
- So, should you bother with recovery rides?
Well, if the weather is spectacular.
If you've done some hard training
and if you go very easy and you don't do it for too long.
Then the answer is probably yes.
It will give you a small benefit.
However, if you haven't done any hard training
or if you're someone who can't hold yourself back
when you go out on the bike or don't have much spare time
or it's tipping it down with rain.
Then you're probably not going to get much benefit at all.
- Well, fair enough then.
Dan, that has been an education.
I must just echo that last point though.
That if you do not do a proper recovery ride
and your not training either
then actually you are just doing junk miles
that serve no benefit whatsoever and are only negative.
So if you do a recovery ride make sure you do it properly.
With coffee and cake.
- Yeah.
Okay if you haven't yet subscribed
to the Global Cycle Network you can do so now
by clicking on the globe
and then this next video should show you how to
get into a fatigued state in the first place.
And that you deserve recovery ride.
Just down here are three sessions
to help you improve your climbing.
- Yeah.
Or, how about this one down here where we ask the pro's
what they do on recovery days.
Are they doing it against Dan's advice?
- Quite possibly.
- Say what, GCN is made for recovery day.
Isn't it?
- Yeah.
Pro's don't always do it right?
Do they?
- No.
It's funny enough,
we didn't do it right until we were retired.
Now we're right every time.
- (laughs)

How To Master A Recovery Ride

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