Time restrictions? Here’s how to meet your recovery needs

We get it, time is tight. Whether you're training before work, juggling lectures, or squeezing a gym session between school runs, finding time to recover can feel like a luxury. But skipping recovery? That’s a fast track to injury, fatigue, and burnout.

Those who fail to incorporate adequate recovery are at significantly higher risk of injury and performance decline. (Soligard et al., 2016) found that insufficient recovery, particularly sleep deprivation and training overload, was linked to a

2 to 4 times greater risk of overuse injuries and illness in elite athletes.

The good news? You don’t need hours. You just need a plan. So here’s some ways you can meet your recovery needs, even with a stacked schedule.

1. Just 10 minutes of focused foam rolling

A 10 minute foam rolling session post-workout can significantly reduce muscle soreness and improve range of motion (Cheatham et al., 2015).

What to do:

Use a foam roller on your quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. Research supports that foam rolling major lower body muscle groups improves flexibility and decreases soreness in as little as 90 seconds per area (MacDonald et al., 2013).
Roll each muscle group for 60–90 seconds, moving slowly.
Focus on areas that feel tight or tender.

Try foam rolling before bed, it can help reduce muscle tension, helping to improve sleep quality.

2. 6 minute contrast showers

Cold Water Immersion can yield many benefits, read here, but if you don’t have time (or access) to an ice bath, contrast showers are a fast, accessible alternative.

Switching between hot and cold water can help reduce muscle soreness and inflammation (Higgins et al., 2017).

What to do:

Start with 1 minute of hot water (comfortable but warm). This helps dilate blood vessels and promote relaxation.
Switch to 1 minute of cold (as cold as tolerable). The cold phase causes vasoconstriction and may reduce inflammation and muscle damage.
Repeat this cycle 3 times (total 6 minutes). This cycle is shown to improve perceptions of recovery and reduce fatigue when done consistently (Vaile et al., 2008).

Doing this post-exercise or before bed can help to boost circulation and help your nervous system wind down.

3. Build a 5 minute post-run yoga flow

Even five minutes of yoga-style stretching can improve flexibility and reduce stiffness, especially when done regularly.

Suggestions:

1 minute: Downward dog to pedal out calves. Improves ankle mobility and stretches hamstrings.
1 minute: Lizard pose on each side to open hips. Helps counteract hip tightness from running and sitting.
1 minute: Seated forward fold for hamstrings. Enhances posterior chain flexibility, which supports running mechanics.

Incorporating stretching post-exercise helps reduce cortisol levels and enhances recovery (Huang et al., 2010). Scheduling this as part of your cooldown could help to ensure you make time for this and reap the rewards.

4. Use compression boots or massage guns for 10 to 15 minutes

Compression therapy improves blood flow and reduces stiffness, even in short bursts. Research supports benefits from sessions as brief as 15 minutes (Zelikovski et al., 2020).

What to do:

Compression boots: Sit with your legs elevated for 15 minutes. This reduces venous pooling and enhances lymphatic drainage, accelerating recovery (Hotfiel et al., 2017).
Massage gun: Use for 60 seconds per muscle group – quads, calves, hamstrings, glutes.

Vibration therapy has been shown to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and improve flexibility (Imtiyaz et al., 2014).

This doesn't have to replace your other priorities, do this while watching Netflix or taking calls, passive recovery at its best. Bear in mind that whilst this is a more costly recovery practice, mini massage guns are available for as little as £60 on sites such as Amazon.

5. 2 minute breathing reset after training

Recovery isn’t just physical; nervous system regulation plays a massive part. A 2 minute box breathing session (in for 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4) post-training helps bring your body out of "fight or flight" and into "rest and digest" mode (van der Zwan et al., 2015).

What to do:

Sit or lie down. Practicing in a reclined position can increase parasympathetic nervous system activation.
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds. Nasal breathing encourages diaphragmatic breathing and oxygen exchange.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Exhale slowly for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds. Repeat for 2 minutes. This pattern has been shown to reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure (Lehrer et al., 2020).

This practice can be especially beneficial for winding down after intense evening workouts.

6. Optimise your sleep. Even by just 15 minutes

A common recommendation is to prioritise sleep, but it's not always easy to get an extra hour. So start small, even a small increase in sleep duration can significantly improve muscle recovery and reduce injury risk (Milewski et al., 2014).

What to do:

Aim for 7.5 to 9 hours per night.

Adequate sleep promotes growth hormone release and tissue repair (Dattilo et al., 2011).

If that’s not doable, start with going to bed 15 minutes earlier. Gradual change improves adherence and long-term gains in sleep hygiene.
Avoid screens 30 minutes before bed, and keep your room cool and dark. This helps improve melatonin production and sleep latency.

Many smart watches, heart rate monitors, and apps offer tracking, which can help you to stay consistent and keep on top of your progress; what gets measured gets managed.

Recovery doesn’t need to be time-consuming to work

Your body doesn't need 90 minutes of recovery to function well, it needs consistent, smart, targeted effort. If all you have is 5, 10, or 15 minutes a day, use it well.

Recovery is cumulative. Stack these micro habits together and you’re likely to feel the difference in your training, your energy, and your mindset.

What do we do at Five?

Harrison

“The knee injuries have led to a non-negotiable 10 minute stretch post session. Tightness in my quads and hamstrings is considerably worsened if I don't fit stretching in. That being said, especially when short on time, foam rolling is a quick alternative.”.

Rose

“Sleep is at the top of my priorities. I struggle with getting insufficient time or quality of sleep so staying consistent and strict with my sleep schedule is non negotiable. Plus, I’ll always listen to the body if it needs more and sacrifice other things.‘’

References

Cheatham, S. W., Kolber, M. J., Cain, M., & Lee, M. (2015). The effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roll or roller massager on joint range of motion, muscle recovery, and performance: A systematic review. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 10(6), 827–838.
Higgins, T. R., Greene, D. A., & Baker, M. K. (2017). Effects of cold water immersion and contrast water therapy for recovery from team sport: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(5), 1443–1460.
Vaile, J., Gill, N., & Blazevich, A. (2008). The effect of contrast water therapy on symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(2), 489–496.
MacDonald, G. Z., Penney, M. D. H., Mullaley, M. E., Cuconato, A. L., Drake, C. D. J., Behm, D. G., & Button, D. C. (2013). An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(3), 812–821.
Hotfiel, T., Swoboda, B., Krinner, S., Grim, C., Engelhardt, M., Uder, M., & Heiss, R. (2017). Effects of whole-body cryotherapy and compression boots on recovery after running. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(3), 771–777.
Imtiyaz, S., Veqar, Z., & Shareef, M. Y. (2014). To compare the effects of vibration therapy and massage in prevention of DOMS. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 8(1), 133–136.
Lehrer, P. M., Vaschillo, E., & Vaschillo, B. (2020). Resonance frequency biofeedback training to increase cardiac variability: Rationale and manual for training. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 35(3), 201–212.
van der Zwan, J. E., et al. (2015). Physical activity, mindfulness meditation, or heart rate variability biofeedback for stress reduction: A randomized controlled trial. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 40(4), 257–268.
Milewski, M. D., et al. (2014). Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 34(2), 129–133.
Dattilo, M., Antunes, H. K. M., Medeiros, A., et al. (2011). Sleep and muscle recovery: Endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 77(2), 220–222.
Soligard, T., Schwellnus, M., Alonso, J. M., Bahr, R., Clarsen, B., Dijkstra, H. P., ... & Engebretsen, L. (2016). How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(17), 1030–1041. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096581