Optimizing Recovery for CF and COPD

          The body is a remarkable system that takes time to recover. When you have chronic illness, such as CF or COPD, the recovery time the body needs will be a little different than for a healthier individual. This is due to decreased oxygen consumption and nutrient intake often seen for patients with CF and COPD. The amount of recovery needed to resupply the brain and muscles with the proper amount of fuel to improve exercise capacity increases for individuals with CF and COPD.

          Generally speaking, ACSM’s guidelines for recovery when an individual performs resistance training is 2-3 minutes in between sets (Riebe, Ehrman, Liguori, & Magal, 2018). This is all dependent on the type of training and the goals that an individual has. The general rule of thumb is; the more volume (volume= length x width x height) of work (work= force x distance) you do per set, the more time you’ll need between your sets and the more days you’ll need between your workouts. Within those workouts, exercises also require a certain amount of energy. Recovery is exercise specific and each exercise impacts neurological and muscular recharge differently. Optimizing how you recover between workouts is important if you want to see positive results.

Exercising has a multiphasic impact on the body and here is why. 

            When you are exercising there is an increase in neural activity. Your brain is sending your muscle messages to guide your body on how and when to facilitate the right muscle at the right time to create a gross movement pattern. As the intensity or difficulty of the exercise increases, so do the neurological responses to the muscles (Ollivier-Lanvin, Lemay, Tessler, & Burns, 1985). Not only is there an increase in neurological responses to the muscles, but there is an increase in neurological and physiological responses within the heart, lungs and other organ systems.

          In order for your body to create the movement you desire, the brain needs to have the ATP (energy) to accomplish that movement. The increase in demand increases the brains need for oxygen and glucose. Oxygen and glucose are two substrates that the brain utilizes to refuel and recharge. Think of these substrates as the fuel you put into your gas tank. Without the adequate amount of oxygen and glucose to fuel the exercise, the brain will decrease its neural responses to the muscles, causing muscle fatigue and muscle cramping to set in.

          On top of that, the heart and lungs are working at a higher rate in order to provide your brain with the proper amount of fuel, while also supplying the muscles with sufficient oxygen to facilitate the demands on the muscles and joints. As reps increase, the more oxygen you will need to perform a set. That is why you often hear that 15 reps work muscle endurance. The more repetitions you do, the more oxygen you will need in order to complete the set. 

           As you can see, there is a lot going on within the body that is required for you to complete a workout. Depending on the goal of the workout and the intensity at which you work, your body will need adequate time to not only recover between sets, but also between workouts. Research has shown that 24-72 hours after a workout is the time frame at which inflammation is at the highest concentration within the body (Pournot, Bieuzen, Louis, Mounier, Fillard, Barbiche, & Hausswirth, 2011), and is why you may feel tried later in the day after a workout or feel stiff the next day.

Have you ever been sore two days after a workout? This is what exercise professionals call “second day soreness.” This time frame is also when the body is at its highest demand for recover.

          The human body strives to create a homeostatic balance, this results in the body needing time to rebalance the system after having exhausted its fuel following a workout. When you have a pulmonary condition, it can be hard to facilitate the body’s abilities to reach optimal recovery, as the body is working harder to fight off infections, inflammation, and respiratory distress.

Here are some Tips to optimize your recovery between workouts to set you up for success.

Follow a harder intensity workout with a lighter intensity workout.

          You only have so much fuel in the tank each week. Harder workouts, or workouts that tax your body, will require more recovery over the course of a week. Try performing a harder workout and then follow it up with a lighter workout, such as stretching, foam rolling, or a light walk or bike ride. Keeping the intensity low and moving the body will help increase blood flow to the muscles that are trying to recover without taxing the brain. For example, have you ever woken up stiff or tight the day after a tough workout? But then you stood up, stretched, walked around and felt better? Standing up and stretching get the body moving and increase blood flow to the muscles at a low intensity. This rhythm of blood flow helps to pull bad waste product away from the muscles, and delivers quality nutrients and oxygen to the muscles for repair. Drinking a glass of water 30 minutes within waking up will also help decrease dehydration and facilitate in increased nutrients to the muscles and brain for recharge.

Simply put, drink water and move around when you feel stiff.

Active Recovery

          It doesn’t matter who you are, if you move often you tend to feel better. Exercise doesn’t always have to be in the gym. It doesn’t always have to be a structured exercise class. Getting outside and playing catch with your son or daughter, kicking the soccer ball around or messing around on the local jungle gym with the family is a form of active recovery. Exercising is too often connected with weight training, cardio blast classes or the new trend of the year class, such as “cold yoga.” Exercising can consist of moving the body in many different directions and different intensities. Spending at least 1-2 days a week of active recovery could be what your body is looking for.

Don’t Forget to Cool Down

          Integrating 5-10 minutes of exercises that down regulate your breathing and bring down your heart rate after your workout is very important for your recovery, especially the days after your workout. As we stated earlier, research has shown that the highest inflammation rate and need for recovery is around 48-72hours after the workout. Ending your workout with stretching, foam rolling, or just lying on a mat with your eyes closed and breathing, gives the body time to catch up and start the recovery process. No matter what, your body will have to start recovery sooner or later. Spending 5-10minutes at the end of your workout stretching and relaxing will kick start this process so you can recover at a more efficient rate.

          Everyone’s recovery will be different, but everyone needs quality recovery. The key is to optimize how you recover. Creating self-awareness on how your body feels in-between sets, in-between workouts, and multiple days after your workouts will put you at an advantage. Recovery comes in all shapes and sizes. Your muscles need to recover just like your heart, lungs, and brain need to recover. If you feel like a zombie after a workout or the next day, your body is letting you know that it needs to recharge. If you are feeling stiff, sore, and/or stressed, your body is telling you it is in the recovery phase of your training. Understanding how your body is recovering between workouts gives you an opportunity to improve your training which will ultimately put you at an advantage to improve your strength, endurance, and potentially your lung function. Performance gains are not developed in the weight room, they are developed during your recovery (sleep, hydration, nutrition). Align your exercise goals with proper recovery and great things will happen.

References

Ollivier-Lanvin, K., Lemay, M. A., Tessler, A., & Burns, A. S. (2009). Neuromuscular  transmission failure and muscle fatigue in ankle muscles of the adult rat after spinal cord  injury. Journal of Applied Physiology, 107(4), 1190–1194.

Pournot, H., Bieuzen, F., Louis, J., Mounier, R., Fillard, J. R., Barbiche, E., & Hausswirth, C.   (2011). Correction: Time-Course of changes in inflammatory response after whole-body  cryotherapy multi exposures following Severe Exercise. PLoS ONE, 6(11)

Riebe, D., Ehrman, K. J., Liguori, G., & Magal, M. (2018). ACSMs Guidelines for exercise testing and prescription: American college of sports medicine. Philadelphia (PA): Wolters Kluwer.

For more exercises check out our YouTube Channel: Cystic Fibrosis Fitness Institute 

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