Oli Patrick: Are Your Recovery Methods Actually Helping or Just Adding More Stress?

When most of us think about recovery, we picture ice baths, saunas, supplements and sleep trackers. But some of the things we do to recover place another stress on the body – and when we’re already running on empty, doing more might be the last thing we need.

In part three of our three-part performance series, in association with Samsung, MH Fitness Director Andrew Tracey is joined by physiologist and human-performance expert Oli Patrick to ask a surprisingly overlooked question: what actually is recovery?

They explore the difference between recovering from training and recovering from the demands of everyday life, why you can be under-recovered without being overtrained, and when an ice bath or sauna might help – or simply add to the load. Oli also explains what to look for in your energy, performance and health data, why sleep starts long before bedtime, and why sometimes the best recovery method is simply giving yourself time to rest.

Men’s Health UK

Guest:

Oli Patrick: instagram.com/_olipatrick

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