Regeneration - What is to be considered and how important is it?

Especially in the preseason period, but also after competitive matches and intensive training sessions, it is important to recover in order to restore your strength as quickly as possible. For this reason, appropriate regeneration is essential in order to achieve the desired training effect after specific workouts. Football is a very complex sport with a very broad requirement profile. Accordingly, the load is varied, which is why various symptoms of fatigue occur. A distinction can be made between physical and mental fatigue.

Physical factors include reduced strength performance due to high loads on the muscle system. Psychological factors include subjective sensations, deterioration in concentration/attention, worse coordination and poor technical execution.

In order to determine whether regeneration is necessary, there are objective and subjective indicators that the coach and player can use to adequately control the load. Subjective factors include feelings of exhaustion, fatigue, lethargy, mental absence, muscle pain, etc. Objective factors include decreasing muscle performance, increased reaction times, worse coordination and technical execution of movements.

It is important to recognize when recovery is necessary and when a new load should be added. In doing so, it is crucial to know the load profile of the individual players and to adjust the training priorities accordingly. The players should be instructed to take care of their own bodies and to talk to the coach if necessary, too.

Probably the most common regeneration method used by coaches is to give the players a day off the following day. However, the players then often do nothing at all. Active regeneration can be much more effective. Through light physical activity the recovery process in the body is stimulated and supported. However, this should not be seen as disguised punishment after a lost match. During active regeneration training, exercises are performed which are only a low physical and mental load for the players. 

A gym mat is also useful for regeneration training. You can buy this product in our shop.

Methods for stimulating the regeneration process

Some methods are generally known. These include swimming, cycling on a bicycle/ ergometer or running. However, it should be noted that this cannot always be done. Running has the advantage that it is similar to the movement of football and can be done almost anywhere. Cycling relieves the musculoskeletal system and puts a similar load on the cardiovascular system, the same applies to swimming.

As an alternative to running, football specific exercises with low intensity can also be performed. In that way the players stay motivated and usually have fun at the same time. For example, football tennis or 4 vs.2 are suitable methods to achieve this goal.

Alternating baths can also be done to stimulate the blood circulation in the body and thus stimulate the metabolism. The recommendation is that you change from warm water to cold water or vice versa about every 30 seconds.

Another underestimated factor is sufficient fluid intake. It is important to drink enough fluids already during the match / exercise.

In addition to fluid intake, nutrition is a major factor influencing the athlete's performance. Already before the load, a high resistance can be ensured. After a high level of physical activity, it is not advisable to wait too long before taking in food. However, it is important to pay attention to what is consumed in order to improve the regeneration process.

Sufficient sleep influences the recovery processes as well. Both the quality and quantity of sleep is important.

A very popular method is massage. Since many teams cannot afford a physiotherapist, it is also possible to use a FoamRoll for self-massage. This improves not only the physical factors but also the subjective well-being of the players.

Conclusion

It can be said that regeneration is an extremely important part of the training process and can be done in many ways. The responsibility lies with both the coach and the player. For specific exercises in this area, there are various exercise files on this website that can help.