Build recovery habits
44 KHADEVIS ROBINSON,
TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN,
800M (2004, 2012)
• ‘IF YOU TAKE care of your body, you can compete for a long time. I made my last Olympic team when I was 36. But you have to adapt as you age. As a young athlete, you’re still developing. But once you’ve built the athleticism you need [and reached your ceiling], you don’t have to train the same, because you hit a rate of diminishing returns. Injuries come from pushing to get better and not being able to recover.
‘I still train six days a week, but if I go hard two days in a row, I’m risking injury. I follow every high-intensity day with two low-intensity days. On low-intensity days, I drop my effort to 70 per cent. After a hard 10-mile tempo run, I’ll do seven miles the next day, or run at 70 per cent of my previous pace. When I do strength work, I use lighter weights or perform fewer reps and I take more rest between sets.
‘I always stretch after workouts and, on rest days, I’ll soak in hot water with Epsom salt, take vitamin D and even have a massage. To make sure I get enough protein, I take collagen, eat boiled eggs and supplement with whey protein shakes.’ • THE EXPERTS SAY Reduce intensity and emphasise protein in your 40s to maintain muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance. By the time men hit 40, strength and cardiovascular capacity start to drop by a per cent or two per year, according to a study in Sports Medicine. Training smarter instead of harder – prioritising recovery – helps you maintain performance, says Dr Michael Fredericson, director of sports medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, US. He advises two or three high-intensity runs a week at this age.
A Dutch study suggests eating 40 grams of protein after a run can restore muscle faster than if you’d skimped on the protein, and research from Spain shows adequate vitamin D is associated with improved performance and lower risk of injury. •