Getting back on their feet

No matter the sport, athletes need to be able to recover quickly for their activity. For this reason, many athletes develop their own ways to refuel the oxygen in their muscles, and get the blood flowing. From makeshift methods to professional techniques, students, coaches and trainers have their own ways to help themselves up after a tiring performance on the field, track, or court.

One sport which expends energy quickly is track and field. Between 100m sprinters, pole vaulters, and javelin throwers, there is a lot of sweat dripping onto the track. A common way for these athletes to recover is with a foam roller.

“The foam roller helps athletes recover from strenuous workouts by massaging the muscle tissue,” says junior and sprinter Joshua Duque. “It is supposed to loosen your muscles by massaging the fascia, a connective tissue found in muscles, bones, tendons, and nerves. It also encourages blood flow and helps move lactic acid out of your body. It is literally a massage.”

Aside from using the roller, Duque also recommends that athletes stretch before and after each workout.

On-campus trainers are also a valuable resource for tips and tricks on how to get back up quickly.

“The worst mistake an athlete can make recovering is not hydrating, not eating properly, and not sleeping,” says Rhonda Huffman, one of the two trainers on the Pen campus.

It’s not just on-campus trainers that have great information. Any personal trainer generally has all the secrets to recovering fast and easy.

However, sometimes the easiest ways of improving recovery time lie in daily necessities and tasks. Duque also recommends that athletes have a healthy diet as well. “Get some protein, carbs, healthy fats,” Duque said. “Also stay hydrated.”

“We’re not talking sports drinks either,” says Huffman. “This is about getting enough water to hydrate yourself. A lot of sports drinks have too much sugar in them anyways.”