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Hanne Desmet (BEL) stretches during the ISU World Cup Short Track 2022 in Almaty (KAZ) @ISU

A winter sports athlete lays the foundation for success in the summer. However, any intense training preparation should go hand-in-hand with physical and mental recovery routines to ensure solid performances and a strong competitive spirit over the long-run.

“If there’s one thing that professional sports has taught me, it is that is super crucial that if you train hard, you also have to recover hard. Physically as well as mentally”, two-time Olympic Speed Skater and ISU 2021/22 World Cup medalist Viktor Hald Thorup (DEN) says.

And as Thorup emphasizes, the mental dimension should not be underestimated:

“The mental part is especially important, because even though we look forward to the skating season, once it starts it’s quite long, so we have to make sure to put enough mental energy into it”.

Each skater has its own techniques to create a safe and fulfilling recovery space. For Thorup, the best way to do so is to switch off the mind and disconnect from the skating world at least once weekly:

“I try and force myself to do something social, outside of skating”, Thorup explains. “At least once a week, for the entire year. I do anything social with friends, teammates, my wife or family. Just to remind myself that there is a life outside the skating rink, simply to have fun.”

As for his physical recuperation, the key point according to Thorup is a good balance between nutritious food and restorative activities:

“First, make sure to refuel after hard workouts and training weeks. The other strategies that I make use of to recover are breathing exercises, recover pants and then catch up on some sleep”.

Therefore to sum up, three recovery techniques are essential for Thorup:

“Eat well, sleep well and do something fun that has absolutely nothing to do with skating”.

The Olympian and 2022 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships silver medalist Courtney Sarault (CAN) shares her summer recovery routine that mixes a variety of fun outdoor activities: roller skating, cycling, swimming in the lakes, hiking as well as walking her dog.

German Speed Skater Michelle Uhrig opts for a more peaceful and meditative recovery approach by practicing yoga in the forest to release any sort of tension or stress. 

She complements it with some foam rolling exercises.

In the same vein, Speed Skating Olympic bronze medalist and three-time World Champion Joey Mantia likes to take time after his workouts to roll his back and different parts of his body on wheels. These help to effectively target stretches and allow for deep pressures on muscle knots to relieve back pain and improve spinal mobility.

In addition to the various recovery techniques mentioned above, skaters also often recourse to cryotherapy, the use of cold chambers where ice packs or hyper-cold air is released all around the body with only the head that sticks out. Cryotherapy treatments are well known to help reducing inflammation or easing pain after workouts, improve blood circulation or boost metabolism.