3 tips for regeneration and recovery in sport

Professional volleyball player Sebastian Rösler plays in the 1st Bundesliga for TSV Unterhaching and tells us how he keeps his body and mind in balance in addition to the intense training routine.

If you look at the programme of a top athlete in volleyball, you honestly get anxious. For a world-class athlete, tournaments are scheduled almost the entire year. The season runs from October to May. After the end, it's off to the national team to prepare for the Nations League. The Nations League runs from June to the final tournament at the end of July/beginning of August. After a minimal break, it's off to the European or World Cup or the Olympics. After the end of this climax, it's straight back to the professional club and the start of the new season.

Olympic and world champion Bruno Rezende protested against the almost inhumane game plan on Instagram and finds support from top athletes around the world.

"Inhumane. Wear and tear is what it is. We are not machines"

But even for "normal" professionals, everyday life is extremely physically demanding.

I, Sebastian Rösler, am now in my 2nd season as a professional volleyball player and would like to share my experiences and insights on the topic of regeneration or recovery and relaxation with you.

20 to 25 hours of training per week plus match day. 8 times ball training and 2 times strength. Or the playoff phase of the season where there can be up to 3 match days per week.

It is clear that the topic of regeneration is essential. I would like to share with you my daily routines and my personal secret tips for optimal and fastest possible recovery.

Regeneration is very individual. That means that every body reacts differently. At First, it is important to get to know your body over time and to be able to interpret the signals it sends. Since this takes time and experience, I would like to talk to you about the following topics:

1. Nutrition
2. Sleep
3. Active regeneration

1. nutrition

This is a topic that should be familiar to anyone who cares about their health. I had to make my own experiences with this topic and realise that nutrition really has a great influence on performance. Especially the comprehensive supply of the body with all necessary minerals and vitamins contributes underestimated much to the regeneration and recovery of the body. For me personally, this topic includes 4 things. Directly in the morning I try to give my body a good start into the day with 3 different food supplements. A complex of essential amino acids for optimal regeneration of the muscles, magnesium to get through long training sessions and stress well, and a complex with other necessary minerals to give the body energy for the day and to be ready for morning training even without coffee.

I don't have any guidelines for what I should eat during the day. I try to stick to the basics. That means long-chain carbohydrates, lots of fruit and vegetables and quality protein sources.

After strength training, the muscles need to be supplied with protein as quickly as possible. In this case, a protein shake is the best and easiest for me personally.

Basically, however, everyone should find their own personal way and find out what they should give their body in order to keep it in the best possible balance. A personal recommendation is a vitamin check, where you can find out where your body has deficits.

2. sleep

In my opinion, sleep is probably the most underestimated aspect when it comes to a good regeneration of the body. Sleeping may not be seen as important because it is "so easy". But a good and sufficiently long sleep is probably most important to be able to perform again and again. Especially in phases with hard training or many games, sleep is the be-all and end-all for an athlete to be able to call up his performance level again and again. Personally, I always need and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep. But what do you do if you have problems sleeping? I had to make this experience last year in April. I played my first play-off finals for the Finnish championship. There was a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, because we were favourites and we had to win. Moreover, it was a lot of games in a short time. My sleep pattern was getting worse and I was having trouble falling asleep, which was having a significant impact on my performance and mental health. I quickly realised that I had to do something about it. Personally, a regular evening routine helped me a lot. This means switching off all electronic devices (an hour before I want to sleep), reading and meditation. But what has also proven to be very effective is melatonin. When I am very agitated, I use it as a spray and it helps me to fall asleep quickly and, above all, to sleep through the night. So I always manage to be very well rested and fit for the next session or the next match.

3. active regeneration

Rest day is not just rest day. This sentence may not make sense to many people at first. But first of all: Rest days are important. If you want to improve your performance over a longer period of time, you should make sure that you have at least one rest day a week in addition to high-quality training. In my opinion, however, a rest day doesn't always have to be about lying around and watching Netflix. And that brings us to the point of active regeneration. For me personally, work-life balance also means getting out and about. It means doing something away from volleyball. For me personally, a short bike ride with friends is extremely helpful to switch off and a bit of exercise that is not too strenuous also helps the body to regenerate. I can also recommend a sauna on a Sunday evening. It really helps to reduce stress, strengthen the immune system and relax the muscles. Stretching is also part of active regeneration, which should definitely be part of the programme on Rest Days. An ice bath is highly recommended not only on rest days but also during the week or after strenuous games. Especially when alternating between warm and cold, it contributes immensely to the regeneration of the muscles and also strengthens the immune system. So if you have the opportunity, by all means do it! And especially for those who train early in the morning, it is an absolute wake-up call ;)

So, that's it from me for now. Hopefully I was able to give you some new input. Basically, just try to get to know your body and interpret the signals it sends. If you can do that and then take the right nutrients, half the battle is won.

Stay healthy and on the ball.

Basti