Research & Development / 4/28/2024

Innovative recovery techniques

Mapei Sport offers sensorial deprivation tubs to recover like champions

Mapei Sport Research Centre recognizes the importance of recovery in training and make innovative techniques like cold water immersion and sensory deprivation floating available for everyone. The Mapei Wellness Program integrates health assessments and customized training for enhanced athletic performance, avoiding the effects of overtraining.

The Importance of optimized recovery strategies

Recovery is a key part of the training process. It is often underrated, but it counts just as much as exercise. More and more athletes are optimising the recovery process through special strategies. That is why Mapei Sport Research Centre’s Training Department has equipped itself with the most of innovative machinery for cold water immersion and buoyancy now available to top sportsmen/women and sports enthusiasts of all levels, who turn to the Centre for support and assistance.

Overtraining is a physical, behavioural and emotional condition that occurs when the volume, intensity and frequency of a person's training plan exceeds their ability to recover. A common problem among both professional and amateur athletes, it is a major concern for highly active fitness enthusiasts since it results in a drop in performance and increased fatigue. To avoid this, in addition to taking the right breaks between training sessions, it is advisable to optimise the recovery process, possibly by immersing yourself in cold water after exercising. This strategy can help during the recovery phase and it is crucial for athletes to recover quickly and as effectively as possible.

"Various articles suggest using water preferably at a temperature of between 10-15 °C and remaining immersed in it for around 10 minutes," - so Federico Donghi notes, Head of the Training Department at Mapei Sport. – “A further variable to take into account is how the body is immersed, with the water level reaching either above the lower limbs or up to the shoulders depending on the athlete’s needs. Immersion in cold water at the end of hard physical exercise may be useful in attenuating inflammatory processes and in some cases it may attenuate certain physiological responses associated with muscle damage. Last but not least, it seems to improve an athlete’s own perception of recovery”.

Sensorial deprivation tub.

Floating to reduce stress

This strategy is one of the tools used at the Mapei Sport Research Centre’s Training Department to ensure the best possible recovery at the end of training sessions, but it is not the only one. Andrea Bosio, Head of Scientific Research at Mapei Sport Centre, outlines another: "The symptoms of stress are anxiety, depression and insomnia, which, in the most serious cases, can lead to burnout syndrome resulting in sleep disturbances, stomach disorders and early-onset fatigue. Among the methods of combatting it is floating". Clearly this does not just mean floating in a swimming pool or bathtub. It is a technique that attempts to restrict environmental stimulation. In a special sensory deprivation tub, like the one at the Mapei Research Centre, a person spends a varying amount of time, which can be longer than 60 minutes, in a dark, soundproof environment. This method enables deep relaxation. Scientific evidence showes that its continued use can lead to a decrease in stress, depression, anxiety, improved sleep quality and optimism.

Floating can also be useful for sports people: "The training process is stressful by nature and floating can be a valuable part of the crucial recovery phase" so Bosio went on to say. "Research results show that it can lead to an improvement in sleep quality, a lower perception of muscular pain, and a small improvement in performance in jumping and sprinting compared to normal rest. At Mapei Sport, we have been carrying out research to assess how athletes can benefit from floating during recovery and how it can help improve performance".

Floating promotes deep relaxation and reduces perception of muscular pain

Health through movement: an opportunity not to be missed

The role of exercise as a means of maintaining or improving health can no longer be ignored and is backed up by numerous scientific studies documenting its beneficial effects. Despite this, it is estimated that a large amount of people are inactive (for instance, around 40% of Italians are inactive, according to data provided by the Italian National Institute of Statistics in 2021). The term "inactive" means a person is not getting the amount of weekly physical exercise recommended by international guidelines. In fact, a weekly total of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise would seem to be the minimum amount of activity required to attain a significant reduction in their mortality risk, which can be as high as 30% (Arem and others, " Leisure Time Physical Activity and Mortality", JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015).

The new Mapei Wellness Program

The "Mapei Wellness Program" is back in full swing this year, renewed in both its content and form. The programme is based on a combination of all the experience and knowledge that Mapei Sport Research Centre has gained working with top athletes and the needs of those people who simply want to get healthier through sport. It is structured in three parts: an annual clinical examination accompanied by a number of targeted examinations (including blood tests and an exercise electrocardiogram), functional assessment tests, a targeted exercise plan, and adjustments to any improper lifestyle choices. The main innovations are the introduction of new assessment tests and an all-encompassing approach to users to help improve their lifestyle. The assessment tests allow us to quantify physical efficiency levels and then customise the training process in the most effective way possible. The combined medical/technical skills of graduates in Sport Science indicate the best exercise plan for people to follow.

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