How Team USA Recovers After Competition at the Olympics and Paralympics

SELF Magazine

For any athlete, rest and recovery after a competition is just as important as their preparation beforehand. SELF gets the lowdown on Team USA’s go-to recovery processes they’ll be putting into practice at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

Transcript

00:00 [upbeat music]

00:03 My recovery process is extremely extensive,

00:06 particularly after a competition.

00:08 I immediately take the Theragun.

00:10 I Theragun my full body for maybe five to 10 minutes.

00:13 Then I have these jet boots by Therabody that I put on

00:16 while I'm then Theragunning my upper body.

00:19 Oftentimes I'll go to Reset,

00:20 which is a recovery facility by Therabody.

00:22 I'll go do red light, sauna, stretch and massage,

00:26 cryotherapy, hyperbaric.

00:28 I have a really, really extensive recovery routine.

00:31 I do this on a daily basis as well.

00:33 So I'm very into the recovery,

00:34 making sure my body's optimized,

00:36 making sure I'm not leaving any centimeters on the table

00:39 as far as performance,

00:40 and then staying healthy all throughout the season.

00:43 - I usually lift because then if I lift right after the game

00:46 I'll already, you know,

00:48 just continue a high intensity workout.

00:50 So then the following day can really be like a recovery day.

00:53 - Sleep.

00:54 [laughs]

00:54 No, ice baths work pretty good too, actually.

00:57 But they have this thing, it's like a NormaTec,

01:00 and it goes around my legs and it kind of helps

01:03 push all the blood and move everything around

01:06 and kind of helps me recover a little bit.

01:07 - The first thing that I do is I always call my mom

01:09 'cause we talk about the match.

01:10 And it's literally within like 15 minutes.

01:12 So like I change, like call my mom.

01:14 As of lately, it's drinking kombucha

01:18 'cause I feel like I'm fancy, like it's my wine.

01:21 I try to get in some word.

01:23 So like the Bible before bed.

01:25 Guilty pleasure, I squirrel before bed.

01:27 So I'll like go through TikTok and just like watch videos

01:31 and then knock out.

01:31 - Well, I've had to really focus on my recovery game

01:34 as I've aged in my career.

01:36 I'm 36 years old now,

01:37 but it feels like I'm about 107 in athlete years.

01:40 So recovery is super important.

01:42 As soon as the game ends,

01:43 I'm back out doing some dynamic stretching,

01:45 making sure that I feel loose

01:47 and getting ready for the next game.

01:49 So that's the physical side.

01:50 I always try to get like a protein smoothie,

01:52 like right afterwards, just to get some like fast carbs,

01:55 get some protein that my body can process

01:57 as fast as humanly possible.

01:59 And then it starts with like another big meal

02:00 right after the game.

02:01 So to make sure that my body is fueled the right way

02:05 to not only help recover,

02:07 but to propel me towards victory in the next competition.

02:10 - After a game, our recovery process

02:11 is kind of like down to a T.

02:13 So we get down in the game,

02:14 we meet on the sideline, have a huddle, take a few breaths,

02:17 and then we head back to our locker room,

02:19 usually beforehand, you know, take some pictures with fans.

02:21 And then we get to our locker room,

02:22 we put our legs up for about two minutes.

02:23 Afterwards, we do shout outs

02:25 and just kind of come together as a team,

02:26 say what happened in that game.

02:27 And then we get a protein shake

02:29 and I try to hop in the ice bath as quickly as I can.

02:32 Usually, especially if it's a hot climate,

02:33 we try to hop in really quickly.

02:35 And then from there, just kind of like

02:36 all sorts of modalities, like whether it's Norma Tex,

02:38 you know, stretching, whatnot, we try to get it in.

02:40 - My recovery process is, as a girl, dry shampoo.

02:44 'Cause you know what's not cute is sweaty helmet hair.

02:47 And the minute they want to take your helmet off,

02:49 it's not cute.

02:50 So in my hand cycle, I will have dry shampoo in it.

02:53 And then also just like right afterwards,

02:56 going to get my recovery drink,

02:59 taking off my sweaty clothes and the uniform

03:02 and putting a new one on.

03:03 That's part of my after race routine is dissecting it.

03:07 What I could have improved, what I wish I didn't do

03:10 and what I am proud of,

03:12 because I have another race after that.

03:14 And so just want to keep that fresh.

03:17 - You got to cool down.

03:18 So hop in the cool down pool, swim a few laps.

03:21 I have some special bands that help with blood flow.

03:23 So that's good.

03:25 Other than that, I love saunas.

03:26 I love ice baths.

03:28 I love massages.

03:29 So if you're a masseuse and you want to come massage me,

03:32 I may be accepting applications.

03:34 - Not always, but if I'm feeling it, it's an ice bath.

03:38 When it's still cold in the season,

03:39 I don't like to go into the ice bath after the freezing cold,

03:41 but I actually lift after.

03:43 It just helps with recovery

03:45 and kind of just like pushing your border.

03:46 And then yeah, protein shakes, water.

03:49 You just need to refuel, drink the right things.

03:52 Yeah, get ready for the next week.

03:54 - Seeing my massage therapist once or twice a week,

03:56 that usually helps right after the competition

03:59 just to release everything,

04:00 the tension from the stress and the ride.

04:02 - After a race, a lot of times

04:04 I'll have another one coming right up.

04:05 So I try to rest as much as possible.

04:08 If I have two races in the same day,

04:11 I'll immediately like try to go somewhere

04:12 where I can lie down and then re-caffeinate

04:15 when it's time to go again.

04:17 - We're given snacks right after the game.

04:18 So we get to eat right away, which is nice.

04:20 We always travel with the Normatec, like the puffy pants.

04:23 I just really try to distract myself

04:24 more than anything else after a game,

04:26 because it's so easy to be like,

04:27 "Oh, what did I do at this time?"

04:29 And like get really like down a rabbit hole.

04:31 So it's like, how can I distract my mind

04:33 to just like relax a little bit?

04:35 Like whether it's like reading, coloring,

04:37 or like honestly just working

04:39 or doing something different.

04:40 - From a physical standpoint,

04:42 it looks like it needs to be better, honestly.

04:46 I'll usually fly home the day after I fight.

04:48 I don't really have much time to recover

04:50 'cause we'll get right back into training.

04:51 Ice baths, stretching, you know,

04:55 Normatec, those big inflatable legs, that type of stuff.

04:58 I try my best to physically recover,

05:01 but the sport is ever moving

05:03 and you gotta get to the next thing real quick.

05:05 To mentally recover, usually, if I can,

05:09 I'll try to hit the beach or something

05:10 or go on a nice drive when I get home.

05:12 I just gotta disconnect and get in touch with nature.

05:15 Something, just touch the grass.

05:16 I'll go home and I'll touch grass.

05:19 - We fly out quite quickly after we fight.

05:22 So if I do have the time,

05:24 then I will be basically doing the same thing.

05:26 I am a person of routine.

05:27 Basically same thing for dinner,

05:29 just eating whatever it is.

05:30 I've just had some type of protein, some type of carb,

05:33 some vegetable source of some sort,

05:35 and then just a long shower.

05:37 That's it, as well as packing,

05:38 just in case I just don't leave my passport anywhere.

05:41 Not that I've ever done that before.

05:43 - If my doctor's there, he will readjust me.

05:46 He'll reset my system.

05:47 So it allows me to just recover a lot better.

05:50 If there's an ice bath available, I'll do that.

05:54 I'll do a lot of stretching and mobility work,

05:56 if it's not too late.

05:58 - I like to have a really good meal.

06:00 I like to maybe even go out to a restaurant.

06:02 If it's the end of a tournament,

06:04 debrief with my teammates, like watch video,

06:08 try to learn from what we did.

06:10 If we have another game, look forward to the next one

06:12 and start moving forward.

06:13 Whatever gets your mind moving,

06:15 gets those things flowing.

06:17 - I definitely do a lot of reflection,

06:19 whether that's individually or with others.

06:21 You'll find me talking game a lot with my teammates,

06:24 and then also just getting recovery in,

06:26 nutritionally with food, but also, you know,

06:29 if I need to see the trainer or, you know,

06:31 flush out my legs or stretch,

06:33 because water polo is a super tough sport

06:36 and we gotta be able to bounce back.

06:37 So just getting the recovery in that's needed.

06:40 - I always go get sushi with my mom.

06:42 But after that, I think we usually have about two days off

06:46 after World Cups and things.

06:48 So just taking those two days, I like to unpack right away,

06:51 do all the laundry, get all that stuff done,

06:54 recover and rest before my next meet.

06:57 I like to stick my legs up in the air and lay down

07:00 for like hours.

07:01 That's my favorite form of recovery.

07:04 - I try to convince myself to eat

07:05 because I think that eating right after a hard workout

07:08 or a race is really beneficial

07:11 to start that recovery process,

07:13 especially for the next day.

07:14 I do some stretching while my muscles are still warm,

07:17 try to cool down my muscles after a race with a light spin,

07:22 and then take a shower,

07:24 and then just try to really focus on listening to my body,

07:28 seeing what needs more attention,

07:30 if something needs a massage,

07:32 if my leg muscles are more tired than the day before,

07:37 if my left leg is a little bit more sore than my right,

07:39 and just try to make sure that I can get

07:43 that recovery process so that I can be ready

07:45 for the next race day.

07:47 - So it's usually Thorogun,

07:49 usually before and after icing

07:51 if there's some really like nagging injuries,

07:54 and then just a lot of like extra stretching.

07:56 - After a competition,

07:57 I'm usually out celebrating with friends

07:59 and traveling back home.

08:01 Once I'm home, I always take a week off away from the gym,

08:04 and I'm usually out just like enjoying good food,

08:08 and it's pretty relaxed.

08:10 - Normally my physio will be following with me,

08:15 so he will do some routines for that.

08:19 Sometimes if my muscles feel a little bit sore

08:22 or something, I will do some icing bath,

08:25 and then hot tub for a switch over, yeah.

08:28 - I feel like a good walk is how I like to recover,

08:31 and then just laying down and resting is pretty simple,

08:35 but that's what I like to do.

08:36 - This has gotten more and more important,

08:38 the longer I'm in the sport.

08:39 I love cold tubs, I love massage, that's my favorite.

08:42 I work with a PT,

08:43 so sometimes we'll do some stuff at the meet,

08:46 sometimes more at home.

08:47 I also love Norma Tech,

08:48 all the hyper ice like massage guns and everything,

08:52 so those are some of my go-tos.

08:53 - Recovery from contests is always really hard.

08:57 Those moments, especially mentally, take a toll,

09:00 and you love being in that atmosphere

09:02 if you're very competitive like I am.

09:04 So just kind of consists of getting back into the realm

09:06 of it, kind of taking some time off the board,

09:08 maybe getting out on the golf course, pretty mellow.

09:10 (upbeat music)

09:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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