I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to the science behind training. The more you learn about this subject, the more you discover the importance recovery in order to reap the benefits from the training itself.
If all the repair & rebuilding post training is done during the recovery period, then you recover faster, and more can be achieved in a shorter space of time, right?
I’m also impatient, so this seems like a pretty good idea to me.
My interest in the subject often leads me through the maze of social media and that’s how I came across Cultivate Recovery, a new centre, which has opened in Sydney (Darlinghurst).
To me, this seemed like the perfect place to experiment with all the science.
My first impressions – what an amazing space to be in! The owners, Hamish and Tori are awesome, as is their Boston Terrier Dan, nicknamed “The Pig”. It feels like you are going around to a friends place to hang out. A friend who just happens to have the state of the art recovery equipment as well as fantastic interior design skills and great taste in décor.. (There’s also a free beer on Friday nights, but sadly that’s lost on me).
The three main recovery therapies I’ve started using are the Infrared Sauna, Normatec and Oxygen Therapy. They also have spot cryotherapy, which is particularly great for sports injuries.
It’s been a little over a month since I’ve been going to see Hamish and Tori at Cultivate Recovery. So, if like me you are curious about post training recovery and wonder if it actually works, I’ve complied a little review of my own personal experience. (Note, this is my own personal anecdotal review, I’m no sports scientist! Every body has different needs & will respond differently).
To prevent this post from being too long, I’ll go through each one of the therapies individually over the next few weeks. First up, the sauna!
Why did I do it?
What is it good for?
– Improves attention and focus
– Causes your brain to function faster
– Improves the ability for you to retain new information, and ameliorates certain types of depression and anxiety
– Results in your body becoming more sensitive to the ensuing endorphins
– Improves Endurance by increasing nutrients to your muscles and thus sparing local Glycogen stores
– Improves cardiovascular mechanisms and reducing heart rate
– Improves thermoregulatory control and reducing core temperature during workload.
– Helps with muscle building
Clearly from the list above, there are many good reasons. For me, there were a couple of main reasons why I wanted to give this one a go. Firstly, for heat adaption in the rally car. As you know, it gets rather hot in the cars, so the better I can deal with the heat, the better my focus and performance will be.
Secondly, for the general brain benefits outlined above, which is obviously also a huge help in the car. Improving endurance also added into the mix is a win.
How did I find it?
It’s hard initially! The first few times I struggled a little and I’d never been a big fan of saunas or sitting in a room sweating. However, I was very surprised with how quickly I could deal with the heat.
They also have speakers and an auxiliary connection in the saunas, so you can put on a podcast or some music and take some time out with no other distractions. It’s a great “escape”.
You can set whatever temperature you like. I’ve been going for around 62+ degrees C, which really pushes me after 30-45 minutes, but you can still get heaps out of it going in at 50-55 degrees C.
I’ve been trying to schedule in two session a week, as you see better results if you do it frequently.
The space is really peaceful and there are three separate sauna rooms, so you have a private room all to yourself. Or, there is a two-person room if you’re going with a friend.
One of the best bits for me is how relaxed I feel afterwards. I’m actually writing this now after a sauna earlier this evening and I feel a gooooood sleep coming on. Many of the benefits from sauna are long term, so it’s difficult to quantify completely after one month. However, I feel much more relaxed afterwards, sleep better and can therefore switch on better when I need to.
I haven’t competed in a rally since going to the saunas as yet, so I can’t report on how I’ve found it helping that side of things at this stage. However, I will be sure to report back on that aspect in a couple of weeks after Rally Adelaide.
In the meantime, you can check out more info on the saunas and other services Cultivate offer here:
https://cultivaterecovery.com.au
EDIT:
I have now done a rally and whilst the temperatures weren’t crazily high, we did have one of the longest stages of our season so far (just under 40km). I actually found this was one of my best stages throughout the whole rally and that it was easy to concentrate. Feeling comfortable in an otherwise uncomfortable environment pays huge dividends, enabling you to focus on the key things and not get distracted. Safe to say I will definitely be continuing with the infrared saunas and I think they will be even more beneficial heading into Rally Australia next month, where we will most likely see our hottest temps and longest stages.
