The Science of Recovery

No matter if you’re a pro athlete or just getting started with training for your first running event, dreams and goals are important building blocks for motivation. For pro runner Molly Huddle, dreams fuel long-term motivation whereas goals help her stay committed to putting in the work every day. A runner has to constantly push the limits in order to improve, but in the end, the best reward – race day – makes it all worth it. Listen and find out how Molly prepares for races and gets through the rough patches.

This episode brings us back to one of the key themes in training: recovery. This time we’re taking a more scientific approach – Polar’s very own recovery specialist, senior researcher Ph.D. Daniela Schäfer Olstad will explain to us what recovery means from the science perspective and takes us through some basic concepts. Training load, supercompensation, autonomic nervous system… Listen and find out how they’re connected.

Siri Lindley has been coaching triathletes ever since she wrapped up her own career as a professional athlete, and nowadays she’s also an esteemed speaker and author. For Siri, a successful coaching relationship isn’t just about training plans (which still play an important part, of course) – it’s about really getting to know her athletes and finding their ‘why’. Listen to what Siri has to say about failing and success, finding the greatest strengths within and building a good coach-athlete relationship.

Pro athlete Emma Pallant made the transfer from running to triathlon in 2016. Being quite new to the sport, she’s constantly testing new things in her training and looking for the best ways to maximize her performance. A big part of this is finding the optimal amount of training and the best ways to recover from intense sessions. In this episode, Emma shares her best tips for both physical and mental recovery and tells us how and why she tracks her recovery.

Sleep is nature’s own doping method, says Dr. Henri Tuomilehto, the sleep specialist whose mission is to help pro athletes and regular people alike to understand the value of a good night’s sleep. In this episode, we find out how sleep affects an athlete’s performance and what actually happens in the human body during sleep. Dr. Tuomilehto also shares some of his best tips on how to sleep better. Can you really improve your sleep if you’re light sleeper by nature? Listen to find out.

CrossFit is a relatively new sport, but it has been growing quickly from the very beginning. The fast growth has brought some drastic changes, and during her 10-year competitive career, professional CrossFit athlete Annie Thorisdottir has seen how the sport has evolved into one of the most intense competitive sports in the world. In this episode, Annie and her coach/partner Frederik talk to us about the CrossFit world, using technology to improve, and how a great community can help you become a better athlete. Join us and take a peek into the world of competitive CrossFit.

Pro triathlete Sebastian Kienle is no stranger to pain, and he knows that in order to win, an athlete has to learn to enjoy being outside the comfort zone. However, it’s equally important to listen to the signs of the body in order to find the optimal balance between training and recovery. In this episode, Sebastian shares his thoughts on finding the balance, using data in his training and mastering the mental game of racing.