"Perfect for athletes in need of a reminder that being quick with their recovery efforts isn’t a quick fix. This impressive book shows how slowing down speeds up results in the gym, on the road, and beyond." - Library Journal, Starred Review

An invaluable guide to help athletes maximize training gains by making the most of their recovery time.

Recovery—physical and mental—is a red-hot topic, and the worlds of sports, technology, and commerce have all taken note. But which practices and devices really make a difference in recovery, and which should be avoided? What will truly maximize performance?

In this second edition of The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery, endurance and recovery coach Sage Rountree, PhD, explains exactly how to get the most out of training by optimizing recovery time. She provides easy-to-follow and practical recovery tips that include:

• How athletes can measure their own state of recovery
• What can go wrong when recovery is insufficient
• Proven techniques to enhance recovery and improve performance
• Evaluations of current tech devices
• Sample recovery plans for all types of training and competition

Emphasizing the fundamentals of sleep, nutrition, and stress management, this second edition features up-to-date research that has emerged to support the importance of these basic recovery strategies and includes a much-needed, careful look at new devices on the market. Whether self-coached, coached, or team-sport athletes, The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery provides readers with an evidence-based approach to finding the right balance between stress and rest.

Sage Rountree, PhD, is a specialist in yoga for athletes, an endurance sports coach, a yoga teacher trainer at the highest level, and co-owner of the Carolina Yoga Company. She has worked extensively with many University of North Carolina athletic teams as a key recovery coach as well as with the Charlotte Hornets and other NBA and NFL players. She has coached athletes to peak performances in races from 5Ks to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Sage is the author of many books, including The Athletes Guide to Yoga, The Runners Guide to Yoga, and Racing Wisely. She has written for Runners World, Yoga Journal, USA Triathlon Life, and Endurance magazines, among others. For more information, visit sagerountree.com.

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Part 1: Defining and Measuring Recovery

1 Why Recovery Matters

2 Avoiding Overtraining

3 Qualitative Measurements of Recovery

4 Quantitative Measurements of Recovery

5 Recovery from Injury and Illness

Part 2: Recovery Techniques

6 Active Recovery

7 Stress Reduction

8 Sleep

9 Nutrition and Hydration

10 Supplements

11 Cold and Heat

12 Home Technological Aids

13 Other Technological Aids

14 Massage

15 Self-Massage

16 Restorative Yoga

17 Meditation and Breathing

Part 3: Recovery Protocols

18 Putting It Together

19 Recovery from Short-Distance Training and Racing

20 Recovery from Long-Distance Training and Racing

References and Further Reading

An invaluable guide to help athletes maximize training gains by making the most of their recovery time.

Runner/athlete/yogi Rountree’s interest in recovery as a modality of performance-boosting self-care began long before it became a wellness trend. This updated edition of her 2011 book integrates her historical knowledge, personal and professional practice, and recent research into an accessible, approachable guide designed to convince high-performance exercisers that recovery shouldn’t be an afterthought; Rountree believes it must be incorporated into the training cycle with intentionality. Her charts will appeal to readers familiar with the periodization-style approach to training, and her examples of how recovery benefits elite athletes will inspire everyday fitness enthusiasts to think about how they might be able to expand their limits by viewing yoga, foam rolling, stretching, and sleep as integral to their training. Perfect for athletes in need of a reminder that being quick with their recovery efforts isn’t a quick fix. This impressive book shows how slowing down speeds up results in the gym, on the road, and beyond.
— Library Journal, Starred Review

Rountree—yoga teacher, spa owner, triathlete, and coach—offers good, common-sense advice for athletes who want to perform at a high level…. Rountree nicely compares the ideal ratio of work to rest to the fine line between perfectly roasting a marshmallow and incinerating it. Rountree includes charts, including one on how to distinguish between normal soreness and a problem. Heat can loosen stiff muscles and increase circulation, whereas cold can combat training-induced inflammation. Rountree offers low-tech, low-price fixes. To make an ice pack that conforms to knobby body parts like knees, put water in a Ziploc bag and mix it with rubbing alcohol; that keeps it liquid. Use a rolling pin for a massage.… Rountree, who has worked with all kinds of college athletes and many NBA and NFL players, shares practical and valuable tips.
— Booklist

Sage Rountree has written the definitive guide to athletic recovery. There’s not an ounce of fluff in this important book. Every sentence has practical value for athletes seeking their full potential.
— Matt Fitzgerald, author of 80/20 Running

I’m no athlete and haven’t been for a lot of years, but rest is still hard for me. To “do nothing” goes against my nature. Here Sage makes the case and gives strategies for doing just that. Happy training! And happy recovery to you!
— Roy Williams, Basketball Hall of Fame coach

A must read! This book is an invaluable resource for athletes seeking cutting-edge recovery modalities to optimize performance
— Susan Kitchen, board certified sport performance coach and dietician and owner of Race Smart

In this 24/7, go-go world we live—and exercise—in, it’s crucial to be reminded of the importance of rest and recovery. With her deep well of wisdom as a coach, instructor, and athlete, Sage Rountree is the perfect person to guide us all on steps for putting recovery into action.
— Sarah Bowen Shea, host of Another Mother Runner podcast

Athletes are a driven bunch and spend countless hours training to perfect their sport. All those hours count, but so too does the time invested in recovery, which is where the magic happens. In The Athletes Guide to Recovery, Second Edition, Sage Rountree makes the case for why recovery is every bit as important as training. She also provides a guide on how to properly work recovery into your routine. Sages essential second edition brings you all the latest research and recommendations to ensure you properly balance your training with recovery, all in the name of better performance and better health.
— Amanda Loudin, freelance journalist specializing in health and science

This is the book every athlete should have in their library. Through excellent research and reporting plus insights from her own personal and professional experiences, Sage Rountree invites us to reimagine recovery as an essential part of training and racing—and gives us actionable, accessible tips on how to make it part of our routines.
— Pam Moore, journalist, intuitive eating coach, and host of the Real Fit podcast