Images courtesy of Njinga Cycling
In part three of our brilliant series, Team GB Master’s Cyclist and British Cycling Coach Togo Keynes (left), dives into the fundamentals of recovery.
The lead coach and co-founder of Njinga Cycling cites an example of how under-recovering can kill gains - and how in he reduced his client's weekly training hours by 40% and saw his metrics soar.
Togo writes:
Ever finished a training session feeling shattered and struggling for days afterwards?
Or that you still have heavy legs before the next session even starts?
You’re not overtraining, you’re likely under-recovering. And it’s hurting the real gains you can make during any training phase.
Recovery isn’t difficult to incorporate and implement in a training plan. For endurance cyclists, triathletes, and duathletes, training is where the stress happens. Recovery is where the adaptation occurs. I like to call it where the ‘true magic happens.’
It’s a matter of prioritising quality over quantity sessions. Most athletes I coach come to me in the beginning and tell me about how many miles they do a week on the bike. This approach of ‘more miles is better’ is a flawed mindset for most athletes and its what’s holding them back.
This blog will change how you think about recovery. I’ll show you how proper recovery can lead to greater and more consistent endurance gains using science, real client results, and coaching insights that actually work.
Shift Your Mindset
No matter how smart your training plan is, without proper recovery, you’ll hit plateaus, struggle with motivation, and stay stuck in that grey zone of always being tired and never getting faster.
By incorporating better recovery strategies (amongst other things) into a holistic training plan, you will be able to absorb the training load to maximise adaptation.
The Science To Improving Your Recovery Gains
· Improved Glycogen Resynthesis: your muscles hold a limited amount of glycogen (stored carbs) so prioritising high-quality post-training nutrition protocols will help restore those levels faster and more efficiently. Getting this right will allow you to perform better, especially when frequency of training is high.
· Mitochondrial Repair and Growth: the real Zone 2 benefits (see my prior blog HERE) don’t happen on the bike or on the trails or gym - but afterwards. This is when the body has time to respond. Without recovery, your mitochondria don’t adapt.
· Hormonal Rebalancing: chronic stress from under-recovery - whether physical or mental - leads to elevated cortisol levels and suppressed testosterone. This kills the gains and increases fat storage, having an adverse effect on the intended training stimulus of that programme phase.
It’s important to blunt cortisol levels fast so the body can move from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic to allow the body to fully repair and recover.
Essentially, we are trying to move the body from a catabolic state (fight or flight) into an anabolic state. This is the repair phase where things like damaged muscles are repaired, allowing them to grow and enabling you to get stronger on the bike.
· Enhanced Immune Function: cyclists and other athletes who train hard but don’t recover are more prone to illnesses, niggles and later injuries. One study from the University of Bath on Exercise and Immune Function (1) showed that immune suppression from high training loads can last 72 hours post-ride unless cyclists prioritise their recovery.
Njinga Client Story
How David Made a 36W FTP Gain Without Training Harder
When David (pictured, above) joined our Elevate 1-1 coaching programme, he was stuck in a rut and not improving. He was training 6–7 times per week, constantly tired, and seeing his numbers plateau. Like many time-starved senior executives who love cycling, he thought the only way forward was to find more time, do more miles and hit it hard each time he rode.
Everything he did was at pace. He had a ‘take no prisoners approach’ to training and tried to win virtually every Strava segment or get a new PB each ride.
We dialled his intensity back, increased his sleep and protein intake, introduced daily breathwork to regulate his nervous system and slashed his total weekly hours by 40%.
The result?
- 36 watts FTP gain
- Power to weight ratio from 3.01 to 4.37 watts
- Lower resting HR in the mid 40’s and faster recovery times
- More energy for both training and family life
- Better mood
· All while smashing some epic cycling challenges like Etape du Tour, Maratona des Dolomites, Etape Caledonia and so many more.
By changing his training sessions, load and intensity, we introduced more quality over quantity sessions. As a result, his body started adapting and getting stronger. It’s a remarkable story of how focusing on the right things like prioritising recovery, intensity and training load can have such a dramatic impact.
What Recovery Should Actually Look Like
Here’s what I believe world-class recovery should look like, which I’ve adapted for everyday endurance cyclists, triathletes and duathletes. I’ve listed the forms of recovery in order of importance first as there is no point in only focusing on stretching and nutrition then neglecting sleep.
|
NO. |
RECOVERY AREA |
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE |
WHY IT WORKS |
|
1 |
Sleep |
7-9 hours per night. |
Growth hormone, tissue repair, immune function |
|
2 |
Nutrition |
20-30g protein within 20-30mins post ride as protein recovery shake with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. Then a few hours later have whole foods with quality lean protein and carbs (different coloured veg). Replenish with electrolytes - and I strongly recommend 1-2 Curranz to accelerate the recovery process. |
Reduces muscle soreness and lower fatigue levels then rebuilds muscle and restores glycogen
|
|
3 |
Mobility |
10mins daily stretching, yoga practise or Qigong sequence |
Promotes circulation and reduces stiffness |
|
4 |
Breathwork |
5min downregulating breathwork post session |
Moves the body into the parasympathetic nervous system and allows for faster HR recovery. |
|
5 |
Cold & Heat |
Contrast showers, ice baths, sauna 2-3 x per week |
Reduces inflammation, boosts resilience and ability to ultimately find calmness in extremes |
|
6 |
Mental Unplug |
Walks in nature, journaling, stillness, limiting blue screen time |
Reduces cortisol levels and improves sleep latency |
|
7 |
Grounding |
Being outside barefoot, standing on the grass and being present and calm |
Promotes sleep, healing, and even alters the immune system |
Every Njinga Cycling client we coach follows a holistic approach to improving their performance and enjoyment on the bike, and recovery is no exception. The key thing we prioritise is getting sleep right.
Coach Tip: Prioritise your sleep by creating a set bedtime. Then create a non-stimulating before bed routine like reading a book, gentle yoga stretch or a short meditation practice.
In Summary
Recovery isn’t about simply resting and doing nothing. It’s about training smarter and doing the right things at the right time so your body can get stronger, fitter and faster with less effort.
Train smart. Prioritise holistic recovery. Then watch the magic happen.
Reference
Campbell, J. P., & Turner, J. E. Debunking the Myth of Exercise‑Induced Immune Suppression: Redefining the Impact of Exercise on Immunological Health Across the Lifespan. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, Article 648, 2018
Togo Keynes
Co-founder & Head Performance Coach
Njinga Cycling
www.njingacycling.com
https://www.instagram.com/njingacycling/