Implementing Recovery and Downregulation Strategies for Optimal Performance
Sometimes we need to slow down in order to speed up - breathwork allows us to attain a calm state, giving us the opportunity for internal reflection and recalibration.
Optimizing adaptations through recovery:
To recap on our previous post, adequate recovery is essential for allowing physical adaptations to occur in order to sustain peak performance. We know that properly applied load can induce positive change and build up overall capacity, but only as well as we can recover from it.
We want to ensure our recovery outpaces our dance and training demands for sustainable, long-term improvements. Provided that we are also attending to the fundamentals of proper nutrition/hydration, sleep, and load management, down-regulation strategies such as breath-work can serve to support our overall recovery and be used in conjunction with other post-training protocols to effectively bring our bodies back to baseline.
Downregulation:
After we’ve gone through the active part of cooling down as detailed previously, we can engage in practices that further downregulate the nervous system to restore balance. During physical activity, the sympathetic nervous system (associated with the “fight or flight” response) dominates. Studies have shown that taking active control over the breath through a relaxed, controlled breathing rhythm is highly effective at increasing parasympathetic activity (associated with the “rest and digest” response).
When it comes to recovery, the gold standard of measurement is heart rate variability, an indicator of autonomic nervous system function. Generally speaking, higher heart rate variability is associated with increased resilience to stress and better recovery. Tools that help the autonomic nervous system return to a state of readiness such as structured breathwork following training, can help us recalibrate our nervous system so that we can take on additional load.
Simple Downregulation Techniques:
Box Breathing: inhale (4 counts), hold (4 counts), exhale (4 counts), hold (4 counts); repeat. Modifiable for longer exhalations for a stronger parasympathetic response.
Physiological Sigh: Two sharp inhales through the nose, followed by an extended exhale through the mouth, focusing on complete lung inflation.
4-7-8 Breathing (extended exhale): Inhale quietly through the nose (4 counts), hold (7 counts), exhale through the mouth (8 counts) with a whoosh sound.
Note: Ensure a quiet, comfortable environment for practice, emphasizing 360-degree breathing (thinking of sending breath through the ribcage, allowing it to expand in a 360 degree direction). Down-regulation can be combined with other mindfulness strategies or cool-down techniques including foam rolling, listening to slow paced music, heat/ice, internal reflection, etc.
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Takeaways:
In addition to active recovery methods, downregulation strategies can be an actionable item to accelerate recovery and implement into our cool-down routines.
We encourage artist-athletes to take stock of how we’re filling up our buckets post training to effectively replenish our energy. Questions to ask ourselves include:
What are my current training needs?
What am I optimizing for?
Which recovery strategies can I implement to serve me best?
We sometimes need to slow down in order to speed up - breathwork allows us to attain a calm state, giving us the opportunity for internal reflection and recalibration to support our physical and mental needs.
Authored by: Dr. Claire Spivak, PT, DPT
References:
Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Rep Med. 2023;4(1):100895. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895
Huberman, A. (2023) Dr. Andy Galpin: Maximize Recovery to Achieve Fitness & Performance Goals. Huberman Lab Podcast
Nestor, J. Breath: The new science of a lost art. New York: Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. 2020.