By Dr. Andy Galpin

In this episode 5 of a 6-part special series on fitness, I explain how to optimize post-training recovery and how to avoid overtraining in order to better achieve your fitness and exercise goals. I also explain the cellular mechanisms of muscle soreness and pain, why adequate recovery is essential for all physical adaptations, and how to enhance recovery using breathwork, thermal, movement, and pressure-based techniques.

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I also describe how overtraining impedes exercise progress and how to assess if you are overreaching or overtraining, by using specific biomarkers and indicators. Like other performance metrics, recovery is a skill that can and should be trained, and that can be learned.

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This episode provides an actionable toolkit for how to monitor and improve your exercise recovery abilities, which will improve your overall mental and physical health.

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Timestamps

00:00:00 Recovery

00:04:17 Exercise & Delayed Muscle Soreness, Pain

00:11:35 Muscle Spindles, Reduce Soreness

00:18:56 Exercise, Homeostasis & Hormesis; Blood Test & Fitness Level

00:30:20 Recovery Timescales, Adaptation & Optimization

00:35:10 Adaptation & Biomarkers Levels

00:40:36 4 Recovery Levels, Enhance Recovery

00:47:28 AG1 (Athletic Greens)

00:48:19 Overreaching vs. Overtraining

00:52:53 Tool: Acute Overload & Recovery, Breathwork

01:03:39 Tool: Alleviate Acute Soreness, Compression Clothing

01:08:27 Tool: Acute Soreness, Massage, Temperature

01:14:21 Cold & Heat Contrast, Cold Shower vs. Immersion, Sauna & Fertility

01:20:44 InsideTracker

01:21:46 Combine Recovery Techniques

01:24:34 Monitoring for Overreaching & Overtraining

01:31:33 Overreaching/Overtraining, Performance & Physiology, Sleep

01:45:41 Overreaching/Overtraining, Biomarkers, Cortisol

01:50:45 Cortisol, Daily Levels & Performance; Rhodiola Supplementation

02:01:25 Carbohydrates, Cortisol & Sleep

02:05:05 Tool: Stress Biomarkers, Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

02:15:07 Tool: “Acute State Shifters”, Stimulants, Dopamine Stacking, Phones

02:25:04 Mirrors & Resistance Training

02:29:01 Tool: “Chronic State Shifters”

02:32:43 Training Recovery & Resilience; Bowling Alley Analogy

02:39:45 Trigger Adaptations & Stress Recovery 

02:42:41 Tool: Measure Recovery; Blood Biomarkers

02:50:06 Libido & Sex Hormones, Supplementation Caution

03:00:08 Tools: No-/Low-Cost Recovery Measurements

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