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ASK THE PERSONAL TRAINERby Jason McAlisterRecovery
by JulieQ: What is the best way to recover from a tough match so that after playing for a few days straight I can play at my top form? It seems like, after playing tough matches my legs are just dead. Thanks A: Hello Julie, great question and it's one I get often from athletes in a variety of different sports. In your situation and to deal with it properly it's all about "REST","REPLENISHMENT",and "STRETCHING". The next time your going to find yourself with a rather busy tennis schedule see to it your giving yourself plenty of time to rest and relax, give your body a chance to recovery a little longer than usual. If you can't go to bed than simply staying off your feet a little less and taking it a bit easy will be fine. Within 1 hour after playing tennis you need to immediately replenish your body with the proper foods and liquids in order to replenish muscle glycogen levels, repair damaged muscle tissue, and to boost the immune system. This is critical and will "refuel" your body in a sense and get you back to where you were before and ready for your next match. Protein Shakes, bagels, fruit, fruit juice, and acai juice are a few examples of what I'm talking about. Last there's the stretching. When you're finished with each match, it's a tremendous benefit to take 10 minutes and gently but slowly end with minor stretches. Doing this will minimize if not prevent cramping, muscle stiffening, injury, and will speed up your recovery and better prepare you for the next match. I definitely recommend slowly starting this now and making it a habit to not only feel and perform better for those continuous tennis days but also for your overall tennis schedule and tennis performance in general. As for the issue regarding the "dead legs", I'm afraid that's strictly a strength issue. When your legs feel like that it's simply because they are not strong enough to handle what their being put thru and therefore cannot produce and perform to the level that's expected. In order to increase leg strength one needs to incorporate a few leg strength exercises into their weekly routine. In your case I suggest once or twice a week either on days you don't play or after you've played. Lunges and squats and even a jump rope as childish as it sounds are some of the simplest yet the most effective. If you begin building increased strength in your legs than that "dead leg" feel will disappear in a very short period of time and your legs will be able to handle much longer and more frequent tennis! Good luck Julie, I hope this helps. If more specific questions arise or if you would like further assistance feel free to give me a call...See you on the courts! J 
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