Recovery and Regeneration

Hockey season lasts for most players from September to March.  If you make the playoffs or play in Spring Tournaments, it can last until May. It is a long season and the physical, mental and emotional demands of the season can take a toll on a player’s body. It is critical that you take the time to recover and regenerate your body in the offseason. Recovery means to allow body to get away from the rigors of the season. 

The first part of the offseason should be devoted to active rest. This does not mean to lay on the couch or stare at the computer. Active rest allows the athlete to physically and mentally recover from the stresses of the competition season while maintaining fitness levels. Forms of active rest include all spring sports, swimming, cycling, and jogging, which will help you to maintain your level of fitness. This active rest will also allow you to heal those bumps and bruises that may have occurred during the season.

A critical component to recovery and regeneration is sleep. Studies show that most people do not get enough sleep. Most athletes need 7-9 hours of sleep per night.  When school is over teenagers tend to stay up late and get up later!  It is important to maintain the discipline throughout the off season to ensure 8 hours of sleep per night.

Another form of recovery and regeneration is the use of pools to do light workouts.  Swimming, walking and running in the water are great ways to help your body recover from the wear and tear of the season. The hot/cold plunge is another great form of recovery.  Many professional teams now have hot tubs and cold baths (55 degrees!) in their locker rooms to help athletes recover after competition. The hot water causes blood to move away from your internal organs and towards your skin to prevent overheating; this is why your skin turns red. Conversely, the cold plunge causes your blood to rush away from your skin to your internal organs, which tends to make you lose color. The great news is you don’t have to have a hot tub or a cold tub; you can use your shower.  Try this -- 2 minutes in a hot shower then 30 seconds to a minute in a cold shower, repeat 3-5 times for a post workout recovery. This will help you to regenerate by stimulating muscle recovery.

One of the ways to help your body recover and regenerate itself is to use a foam roller. The foam roller is widely seen today in athletic training rooms, physical therapy clinics, and sports training centers. A foam roller is a cylinder of dense foam, that comes in various diameters and lengths and can be purchased online and in many fitness and sporting good stores.  Foam rollers are used to self massage muscle groups; the technical term for this technique is self myofascial release. The soft tissue system is made up of muscle, tendon, ligament and fascia. These tissues, through competing and training, and repetitive movement, can get damaged and cause tightness, soft tissue adhesions, which can alter muscle movement, joint movement and movement patterns, which can lead to soft tissue fatigue and cause injury. The benefits of self myofascial release are:

  • Correct muscle imbalances
  • ↑ Joint range of motion
  • ↓ Muscle soreness & relieve joint stress
  • ↓ Neuromuscular hypertonicity
  • ↑ Extensibility of musculotendinous junction
  • ↑ Neuromuscular efficiency
  • Maintain normal functional muscular length

(Clark MA:  Integrated Training for the New Millennium. NASM, Thousand Oaks. 2000)

Using the foam roller will help to maintain your soft tissue system. Use your bodyweight on the foam roller to apply pressure to sore spots within the muscle. The foam roller is like having your own massage therapist, whenever you need it, for a fraction of the price. A good rule of thumb for using the foam roller is to roll the muscle group 10 times up and down the length of the muscle.  If you feel an area of soreness, stop on the area for 30-45 seconds and you will begin to feel the soft tissue release and gradually become less sore and more pliable. Keep in mind -good self massage work on the foam roller can be a bit uncomfortable, just like stretching. You should feel better after using the foam roller and you will need to experiment on what level of pressure best works for your body.  You can also use the foam roller for regeneration purposes to help your body recover from the season for tight areas. It can also be used before and after a workout to prepare your body for movement and also to cool down.  

The foam roller exercises shown below are just a sampling of some of the techniques you can use to begin on the road to recovery and regeneration.  

In summary, after a long season, it is crucial to recover and regenerate your body before you begin training hard for the next season. Your offseason workouts can generally begin, in earnest, after 4 to 6 weeks of active rest. By the time school is out, your body will be ready to regenerate and begin your offseason training program. Remember to use a pool for a light workout, the hot/cold plunge, and the foam roller during your off season training to help aid in your recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

Foam Roller

Exercise

Low Back Myofascial massage
1. Start by placing the middle of your back on top of the foam roll.
2. Proceed to roll back and forth on top of the foam roll from your hips up to your upper back.
3. To intensify certain areas lean slightly to one side and you will http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/lowbackfasciastretch.giffeel a stronger pressure on that area of your back.

Upper back myofascial roll
1. Start by lying on the foam roll with your upper back.
2. Proceed to roll back and forth with your arms up and hand around your head.
3. Roll for the desired time limit. http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/upperbackfasciastretch.gif

Hamstring myofascial on the foam roll
1. Start by placing your leg on top of the foam roll.
2. Proceed to roll yourself back and forth across the foam roll.
3. To add pressure to the http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/hamstringfasciastretch.gifhamstring, push yourself up off the ground with your hands to shift the weight towards the hamstring.
4. Repeat for the desired number of seconds.

Glute Max Rollout
1. Start by sitting on the foam roll and leaning slightly onto the specified glute muscle.
2. Keep the affected leg straight and the opposite leg slightly bent.
3. Proceed to roll back and forth http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/Glute_Max%201.gifover the specified glute muscle.
4. Repeat for the recommended time or desired reps.

 Hip Rotators
 1. Start by sitting on the foam roll and leaning onto the specified glute muscle

 and more towards the side to hit more of the hip rotators.
 2. Bend the affected leg and place your foot over the opposite thigh.
 3. Proceed to roll back and forth over the specified hip rotators.
http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/Hip_Rotators_Key_Area.gif 4. Repeat for the recommended time or desired reps.

 Adductor Massage with foam roll
 1. Start by placing your leg with your inner thigh resting on top of the foam

 roll.
 2. Proceed to roll back and forth putting adequate pressure on your inner thigh.
http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/adductorfascia1.gif 3. To increase the pressure you can shift your body weight so that it is more  

 above your thigh than off to the side of the foam roll.

 Lat/Shoulder Massage
 1. Start by lying on your side and placing the foam roller under your shoulder.
 2. Keeping your arm straight proceed to roll back and forth to massage the  

 area between your http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/Lat_Shoulder.gifupper arm and mid side.
 3. Roll for the prescribed time or desired repetitions.
                  4. This may be tender so start by keeping most of your weight on the ground

                  and then as tolerable shifting more of your weight up onto the shoulder that is

                  on the foam roller.