Recovery, recovery, recovery coaches constantly ask their athletes, "Are you recovering properly?"  Most athletes consistently ask, "What exactly does this mean?  How much recovery do I need?  How often should I recover?  And, what do I use to recover with?"
 
The coaches at Empower Coaching Systems believe that your recovery, or body repair, is of the utmost importance to your fitness regimen.  Hard workouts produce torn and broken down muscle fibers and fatigued energy systems.  Only appropriate recovery will allow you to achieve full adaptation and growth, or improvement, from each and every workout.
 
When your body adapts to the stimulus you provide (your workout), you see an improvement in fitness.  In simple terms, you get what you have worked hard for, which is a faster, more efficient YOU!  However, you can only realize this change, adaptation and growth by effectively recovering from your workouts.

While some of our athletes race professionally, many of our clients have "real" jobs and do not have the luxury of spending hours each day laying on the couch while taking a couple of mini-HGH (human growth hormone) producing naps after a hard workout on the bike.
By implementing the practices we have employed with our professional athletes, and the nutrition and recovery techniques they utilize, this page of our website will explain and illustrate current scientific strategies that will enable you to become the best possible YOU.

October Highlight: Empower's Consultant Chaz Shand creates a balance and stability program for cyclists in the off-season!
 
First phase of off-season training for cyclists.
October - Balance & Stabilization.

Warm up: same as in video on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcqyiuQ4HWQ

Core: planks on or off the stability ball: same moves from video, except, they can be done on the floor for weaker core to begin with.

1)single leg- single hand touch down: stand with feet hip width apart. shift your weight to right leg. stand on right leg with left foot close to right. Slowly bend forward at the waist and deep in the knees. carefully touch the right hand to floor, hold for 2 sec's then stand back up tall. stay on that one foot for 60 sec's. bending , reaching and touching down, then coming up and repeating. go down as slow as you can, preferably 4 sec's down, hold for 2 sec's, back up in 2 sec's, hold 2 sec's, etc... then go to next exercise below.

2)push up with windmill twisting arms: lay on floor face down. put hands next to shoulders then move them out 1 to 2 inches. tuck your toes under, brace your legs, gluteus, core, the whole spine, especially the neck. keep your neck long and extended, eyes on floor. deep inhale, exhale and push! push yourself off the floor, hold at the top for 1 sec. then slowly lower in 4 sec's, hold at bottom for 1 long sec. exhale! push up again. do two push ups back to back. then at the top of your second push up you rotate your trunk and you reach your right arm to the ceiling and you hold for 1 sec, then you rotate to your left arm, hold for 1 sec. repeat two slow precise push ups, and two windmill arms. 60 sec. set. go to next move below.

3)Split stance cable low row: using a cable pulley or an exercise band with handles. start with feet together. step left leg back in to a deep lunge. stay in that deep lunge. ideally kneecap 1 to 2 inches from the floor. keep chest and eyes up. eyes look straight ahead. pull hands toward your lower ribs and hold for 1 sec. engage your back muscles all around your shoulder blades and below. Chest up, tall spine. slowly let your arms extend and straighten in 4 sec's, repeat 6o sec's one leg back, then do other leg 6o sec's.

DO these 3 exercises 2 x each by 60 sec's- rest for 1 min or less between sets. repeat just 2 times. Important that you do this slowly, engaging each muscle and contracting as you go up.

4) 3 plane lunge to balance: start with feet hip width apart. step right leg forward and slowly lower back legs(left leg) knee cap as close to the ground as you can get. ideally, gently touching ground. come back up with right leg bent knee(standing like a crane or karate kid) above belt line, then step back into deep lunge. back up to holding leg in bent position/crane same leg steps out to the right side. side lunge. left leg does not bend here. only the right leg. back to start. 6o sec. repeat this all on left leg now. Important slow 4 sec going down, hold for 1 sec, back up in 2 sec, hold your karate kid for 1 long sec, etc.. 60 sec set on each leg. go to next move below.

5) Squat press/ heel raise with dumbbells: stand with shoulder width apart. holding modest weights in hands at shoulder level, below the ears. slowly, 4 sec down sit into your squat, hold for 1 long sec. in that seated position. engage your gluteus and rise up in 2 sec's pressing the arms over the head into the ceiling, and going into a heel raise with a 2 sec hold at the top. repeat for 6o sec's. go to next below.

6) Hamstring curl with Stability ball: lay on back. put ball under lower legs. feet squeezed together on top of ball. ball should be under calves and feet. arms up to your sides at an angle to brace and support you. slowly raise your hips up into the air. hold and stabilize. push down hard with your feet and legs to control the ball. start to use your feet to draw the ball towards your head. raise the hips as high as you can to pull the feet into the hamstrings. hold for 1 sec. 4 sec slowly allow the ball to go back out until legs are straight. keep your hips off the floor. repeat slow and controlled. 6o sec sets. Do these 3 moves 2 times through.

Stretch: doing stretches that you know. 60 sec holds.

In good health, Chaz