Athlete Recovery: Prioritise Sleep and Nutrition Before Cryotherapy an

Introduction

Athlete recovery is a growing industry, but is more always better? From cryotherapy chambers to recovery boots, athletes are surrounded by tools promising quicker bounce-back. Yet, without a strong foundation of sleep, nutrition and well-managed training, many of these interventions are little more than the icing on a poorly baked cake. This article reviews the scientific evidence to establish a hierarchy of recovery strategies based on efficacy, relevance, and practicality.

The Fundamentals of Recovery: The Base of the Pyramid

Sleep: The Most Important Recovery Tool

Sleep is consistently identified as the most critical recovery strategy. It is during sleep that hormonal processes such as growth hormone release occur, which facilitate muscle repair and immune recovery. Yet, up to 64% of elite athletes report poor sleep quality (Doherty et al., 2021). Sleep deprivation negatively affects carbohydrate regeneration, immune function, and muscle protein synthesis, all of which are crucial for post-exercise recovery (Doherty et al., 2021).

Nutrition: Fuel for Repair

Recovery cannot occur efficiently without adequate and timely nutrition. According to Doherty et al. (2021), post-exercise carbohydrate intake is crucial for glycogen resynthesis, particularly for endurance athletes or those training more than once per day. Glycogen stores may take up to 24 hours to fully replenish, and insufficient intake can delay recovery and increase fatigue risk.

Key nutritional principles from the literature include:

Carbohydrate intake of 1.0 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight in the first hour after training supports optimal glycogen restoration
Protein intake of 20 to 30 grams per meal, especially post-exercise, is necessary to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and repair tissue
Timing matters, as nutrient intake within 30 to 60 minutes after training can maximise recovery, particularly when training sessions are close together

Hydration and electrolyte replacement, including sodium, potassium, and magnesium, are also essential, especially for endurance athletes training in heat or for extended periods.

Inadequate fuelling slows recovery, reduces adaptation, and may compromise immune function under heavy training loads.

Training Structure and Recovery Windows

While load management is not the central focus of this article, how training is structured remains essential for effective recovery and long-term performance. According to Driller and Leabeater (2023), inadequate recovery between sessions, particularly in the context of high training frequency or intensity, can lead to functional overreaching.

If not corrected, this may progress to non-functional overreaching or overtraining syndrome. The consequences include suppressed performance, increased injury risk, and hormonal disruption, particularly involving cortisol and testosterone levels.

The type of training also influences recovery needs. For instance:

Eccentric strength work or high-volume hypertrophy sessions require longer muscular recovery (48 to 72 hours) due to increased muscle damage
Endurance training imposes greater metabolic stress, such as glycogen depletion and thermoregulatory strain, requiring strategic replenishment and rest, especially during back-to-back sessions

Active and Passive Recovery: Helpful, But Not Essential

Active Recovery

Light aerobic activity, often referred to as active recovery, has shown positive effects on circulation and metabolic waste clearance. In resistance training, methods such as light cardio or training opposing muscle groups can enhance recovery and even yield post-activation potentiation effects (Sousa et al., 2024).

Cold and Compression: Useful in Context

Compression garments and cryotherapy are popular among athletes, but evidence of their benefit is inconsistent. An umbrella review found that cryotherapy and compression showed some positive effects in endurance athletes, but results varied significantly across studies and outcome markers (Li et al., 2024). Massage showed no consistent benefit in the same review.

Moreover, some interventions like cryotherapy may interfere with adaptation if used too frequently, especially in resistance training (Driller & Leabeater, 2023).

Differences in Recovery: Strength vs Endurance Athletes

Strength Athletes

Recovery in resistance training is heavily influenced by variables such as volume, intensity, and exercise type. Exercises involving eccentric contractions, compound movements, or performed to failure require longer recovery periods. A review of 24 studies concluded that training to failure or using high volume increases recovery demands, particularly for multi-joint movements like squats and deadlifts (Sousa et al., 2024).

Endurance Athletes

Endurance athletes, by contrast, deal more with metabolic stress — such as glycogen depletion and thermal strain. The same umbrella review noted that compression and cryotherapy may benefit endurance athletes, but no strategy showed consistent effectiveness across all recovery outcomes (Li et al., 2024).

This suggests that recovery needs differ based on the dominant stress type: mechanical (strength) versus metabolic (endurance), and recovery methods should be adapted accordingly.

The Icing on the Cake: Novel Recovery Devices

We tend to see a lot of hype around technologies like massage guns, recovery boots, and red light therapy which now are widespread easily available. However the evidence is fairly limited evidence for consistent benefits. These tools may improve perceived recovery, but often do not outperform placebo effects (Thorpe, 2021). They key takeaway is that they are best considered complementary, not foundational. So while it wouldn't hurt to implement these methods take can never make up for a lack of sleep, quality nutrition and load management.

Supplements and Vitamins: Helpful or Overhyped?

Creatine

Creatine is well-supported for recovery in strength and high-intensity sports. It enhances ATP resynthesis, reduces muscle damage, and improves training tolerance (Wax et al., 2021).

We're currently exploring the addition of a high-quality creatine supplement to our product range.

Vitamins

Vitamins A, B6, D, E, and K play essential roles in immune, muscle and metabolic function. However, supplementation is only necessary in the presence of a deficiency. In fact, excessive use of antioxidants like vitamins C and E may blunt some training adaptations (Brancaccio et al., 2022).

Our Multivitamin is designed to help cover common gaps in essential micronutrients, especially for active individuals.

Tart Cherry & Omega-3

Among recovery aids, tart cherry extract and omega-3 fatty acids have the most consistent support for reducing inflammation, muscle soreness, and aiding recovery. Other compounds show inconsistent results (O’Connor et al., 2022).

We offer a Vegan Omega-3 sourced from algae, supporting recovery and sustainability.

Magnesium

Magnesium supports muscle function, glucose metabolism, and neuromuscular recovery. A recent review found that 400–500 mg of magnesium, taken two hours before training, may reduce muscle soreness and aid recovery in both strength and endurance athletes (Tarsitano et al., 2024). Athletes may require 10–20% more magnesium than sedentary individuals.

Our Magnesium Complex is formulated to support these needs, using well-absorbed forms like Bisglycinate, Malate, and Taurate

Final Thoughts: Build Your Recovery Pyramid the Right Way

The science is clear. If you're not getting at least 7–9 hours of quality sleep, eating enough to fuel recovery, and balancing training with rest, no amount of ice baths or compression gear will save your performance.

Before investing in recovery tech, invest in habits: