Ultimate Recovery!

Is there an ultimate recovery, well there are certainly good and bad ways to recover, I like to follow a few simple golden rules.

GOLDEN RULE 1:
Eat! Eat! Eat! eating the right amount and right type of food as soon as possible after you finish a workout is incredibly important in determining wether you wake up limping or bounce out of bed the next day.
- Aim to eat within twenty minutes of finishing your workout.
- A three to one ratio of carbs to protein is the best deal. (More protein if after a weights session)
Chocolate milkshake,  Peanut Butter Sandwich are my personal choice. To make things easier, sport recovery shakes such as REGO by 'science in sport' are quick and have the Puuuuurfect balance of carbs, protein and vitamins.
GOLDEN RULE 2:
Stretch! Stretch! Stretch! stretching aids recovery but only if done properly. Too often do I see people adopting a stretching pose but then only holding it for about ten seconds. You will only benefit from a stretch if you hold it for at least 30 seconds so you can overcome the muscles natural stretching reflex. Proper stretching should be uncomfortable for the most benefit, obviously don't go pushing your legs to point where your legs have bent back on themselves, just a make sure you can at least feel some strain or resistance on the muscle.
GOLDEN RULE 3:
Rest! Rest! Rest! probably the most important point in recovery unfortunately the most annoying. we would all love to be superman and knock out session after session of hard exercise but NO-ONE is capable of this. we wish we could but we would be in hospital, stuck in bed with man-flu or limping our way around if we tryed. How do you know if you have had enough rest?!
that is a toughie, you see everyone is different and different in the sense that we recover differently to certain types of exercise for different durations and intensities. For this answer you really need to know yourself well and what you are capable of.
The simplest way to make sure you have enough recovery is to follow each hard day with an easy day and to make sure you have a rest day at least once a week (if amateur, monthly or fortnightly if pro).


Now for the ULTIMATE recovery, the secret I feel lies with these two magic points;
- Compression
- Elevation
Although the science is sketchy and the research inconclusive in most instants, it seems that using compression clothing can enhance recovery. I use the 'Orca' brand of 'Killa Kompression' clothing, well just the tights and I wear them overnight, my legs always seem to be fresh even after the hardest of workouts.
For elevation i simply just place a folded pillow under my legs as I go to sleep and in combination with the compression tights I practically leap out of bed.

there you go my first post,

Don't forget to EAT STRETCH REST COMPRESS (elevate too). :P