Recovery 101: Basic tips and tricks athletes should know about recovery

From the last blog post, we learned what the difference is between Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and an injury: the type of Swelling, the Time it takes for you to start feeling discomfort, the level of Pain, and lastly, Movement. Now that we know what the difference is, let's dive into the tools you can use to recover properly as an athlete! But first, what is recovery exactly? Recovery is basically a term that is used to show that our body is relaxing after intense exercise; this involves mainly relaxing our breathing, heart rate, and muscles. Recovery is important for an athlete because it allows you to grow, perform for your next training, and most importantly, reduce the risk of injury!

A simple overview of recovery tools athletes can use after training. Details explained below.

Note: This infographic is a simple guide. Some tools (like ice baths and massage) are optional and depend on the athlete and session intensity. If unsure, check with your coach.

So, the first step to recovery is by doing a ‘cool down’ after exercise; this can first be done by walking for 5 minutes so that you slowly lower your heart rate. Walking slowly is also helps your body transition back to a relaxed state by keeping blood flow moving and easing stiffness after training. Breathing deeply such as with the box breathing technique or diaphragmatic breathing can also help you calm down and lower your heart rate. Then, stretching your muscles (for example, holding each stretch for around 15-30 seconds) may help reduce tightness and improve flexibility after intense exercise. You want to focus stretching on the body parts that was most used during your exercises. While a cool-down won’t completely prevent DOMS, it may help reduce stiffness and make the soreness feel more manageable the next day.

The next step you can take is having an ice bath (2-5 minutes for beginners and up to 10 minutes for experienced individuals, depending on tolerance). An ice bath is sometimes used to reduce soreness and help athletes feel fresher after hard training, mainly by cooling the muscles and reduce discomfort. Don’t worry about having to need an expensive tub; you can sometimes just soak the used muscles only (e.g., lower body only) in ice. However, if you do need an affordable option to submerge your whole body, you may buy those garbage bins online for under RM100, add 2-3 big ice packs and water. Most importantly for your safety, stop immediately if you feel dizzy or too uncomfortable. Ice baths are optional, and not every session needs one, use it mainly after very hard sessions or competitions if it helps you recover better.

Other than that, you can opt for a Sports massage, which is a common recovery tool used by many athletes. Within 24 to 72 hours after heavy training sessions can be suitable time for a sports massage, depending on how your body feels. Sport massages may help by improving relaxation, reducing the feeling of tightness/soreness, and helping you feel looser, especially in overused muscles (muscle knots/trigger points). It may also temporarily improve flexibility and range of motion. Lastly, sports massage can promote relaxation and stress relief, which can support recovery as a whole. For comfort, it’s best to do sports massage before a meal or at least 2 hours after eating.

Sport massage is available at our SS3 centre until 3rd January 2026 only. Scan the QR code to book your slot (by appointment). Limited availability.

Moving on to the next step, proper nutrition! How? 2 things to remember are the timing of meals and the quality of meals. After exercise, it helps to eat or drink something with carbohydrates and protein within the first 1-2 hours, especially after a hard session, to support muscle recovery and restore energy. However, the key is still your overall daily nutrition, not just one “perfect” timing window. As for the quality of our meals, we must make sure our meals have all the macro nutrients such as your carbohydrates, protein, and fats, and don’t forget your veggies!

Lastly is sleep! Most of the top athletes aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep because sleep is when your body does a lot of repair and recovery. Getting enough sleep also helps your brain to react and make decisions faster. Additionally, it's helpful to try sleeping at a similar time every day. Your body has an internal clock (circadian rhythm), and keeping a consistent sleep schedule supports better recovery and hormone regulation. Lastly, we want to be sleeping in the right condition, that means we want minimal light and noise in the room as well as a cool environment.

Train hard, recover smart. Use the basics first (cool down, nutrition, sleep), and add recovery tools when needed. When in doubt, talk to your coach.