We sat down with Tokyo 2020 Silver Olympic medal winning rower Jack Beaumont to talk about his best recovery tips which he is very well experienced in!
In 2015, he was involved in a serious accident at a training camp which left him with several fractured vertebrae in his back, a torn hip flexor and worrying he may never walk again. He spent many months out of the boat in rehab and recovered well only to narrowly miss out on selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics team, making the list as a non-travelling spare.
Four days before the start of the Rio 2016 Games, Jack was called up and flew out to Brazil to replace a team mate who had been taken ill. He made his Olympic debut in the Quad in Rio, finishing in fifth place. Five years later he realised his dream with Tokyo 2020 Team GB selection and was part of the Quad crew which picked up Great Britain’s first ever medal in that boat class.
Best recovery food
Cajun Chicken breast with sweet potato chips and a big salad. It tastes great and is packed with protein and good quality carbs to kick off the recovery process.
Top sleep tip
Try to have a night time routine that is the same each night. I try very hard to go to bed at the same time each night, which isn’t always easy!
Favourite stress busting technique
Get working out with your favourite music. I loved having heavy metal playing whilst I was on the rowing machine or lifting weights. I find the endorphin rush of training whilst listening to music I love amazing.
Active recovery or take a day off
Take a day off. I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of letting active recovery turn into a full blown session which needs recovering from itself. I think a day off makes a real difference both for your body and for your mind!
Best supplements
I would say the immune tablets from Science in Sport. They dissolve in water similarly to Berocca, and I have rarely got sick or overly fatigued whilst I was drinking them regularly.
Home remedy that actually works
Bathletic bath oil!! I’m not usually someone who uses a bath regularly, more of a shower kinda guy. But I have certainly found using Bathletic really comforting after long or hard running sessions.
Useful tech aids
My Garmin Fenix 6x. It is just awesome. Until I bought this I had never really been in to collecting my training data particularly well. This Garmin along with the Garmin Connect app provided me with so many extra insights into my sleeping, training and recovery that were invaluable.
Massage, breathing or meditation routines
For me it’s self massage. When I’m feeling a bit tight in an area, I will use my Theragun to target it. It usually helps pretty well. When it doesn’t, that is when I see the physio!
Injury/illness recovery advice
When injured, try and use the time to work on another element of your strength or fitness. When I broke my back in 2015 and couldn’t row for 4 months, I focused on my core stability and it became the best it’s ever been. It benefits you hugely as you focus on things you might otherwise overlook, and it also gives you a sense of direction. My advice for when you are ill is just to rest. Exercising whilst under the weather nearly always prolongs the illness.
Thanks Jack and good luck with your next adventure now you've retired from rowing!