Welcome to Breakside Strength & Conditioning's 'Research Review' series. We look at the latest scientific research on human performance and offer practical advice for training, competition, nutrition, and more.
One of the biggest challenges facing most ultimate frisbee athletes is the grueling nature of tournament play. The most important games are played in the most fatigued conditions.
As a result, optimizing recovery after each day of competition is vital to maximizing performance later in the tournament.
Ultimate players employ a variety of techniques to recover -- cooldown activity, stretching, and cold water immersion (commonly 'ice baths') are especially popular -- but what is actually the best way to enhance recovery, especially with the knowledge that exercise will begin again in less than 18 hours?
Recent research provides some potential answers.