Recovery Foundations

Diet

*If you have dietary restrictions or disorders reach out to your primary care physician (PCP)

• Eat between 1.5 and 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
• Carbohydrates and fats in things like whole grains/vegetables and nuts/avocados are important as well.

Example

• 17 year old pitcher who weighs 160 lbs and training regularly:
• 160lbs/2.2 = 73 kilograms
• 73x1.5 = 110 grams of protein per day

Hydration

• Drink 400 mL (14oz)  to 600 mL (20 oz) of fluid 2 hours before activity/exercise
• Weigh yourself right before activity and immediately after
  • The goal is not to lose > 2% of pre-activity weight
• Drink 150-300 mL (5-10oz) of water every 20 minutes during exercise
  • Drinks like gatorade and electrolyte supplements can be reserved for extreme heat training and/or training sessions longer than 90 minutes.

Sleep

• Sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night increases an athlete’s injury risk by 1.7x
• Sleep 8-9 hours per night
• Still not feeling rested?
  • Keep temperature at 65-68 degrees fahrenheit white sleeping
  • Use blackout curtains around windows and openings of light
  • Go to bed and wake up at exactly the same time every day including weekends
  • Only nap ~20 minutes per day
  • Put away all devices and place on Do Not Disturb 1 hour before bed
• Still not feeling rested? Contact your PCP

Mental Health

• Finding healthy coping strategies and communicating with your coaches/support staff is
• key.
• If there are enough stressors in your life that sports aren’t in the cards at this moment, that’s okay.
• Find a trained mental health professional that can help you come to that conclusion.

Workloads

• Don’t do too much too soon (no more than 30% of the previous 4 weeks of work)
• Don’t let activity dip below a baseline level (at least 70% of the previous 4 weeks)

Example:

• A professional reliever is rehabbing from a shoulder injury and is now in week 1 of his mound progression. In the first week on the mound, he’s scheduled to throw 2 bullpens for a total of 44 pitches
• By Week 5, that means, ideally, he doesn’t surpass ~58 total pitches from the bump (AKA no more than 30% of the volume from week 1).
• By Week 5, that means, ideally, he doesn’t throw any less than ~35 total pitches from the mound (AKA at least 70% of the volume from week 1).

Recovery Modalities

• Things like laser/red light therapy/cold plunges/hot tubs/shockwave therapy/massage or any other technology/service/device claiming to be the holy grail of recovery are absolutely meaningless unless the above principles are absolutely locked in.