For the legendary Kiwi athletics coach Arthur Lydiard, the truism ‘No pain, no gain’ was a dead end: no amount of suffering during training would make a champion out of you without a smart strategy underpinning it all. So he adapted the phrase into the pithy exhortation, ‘Train, don’t strain.’ But is progress really possible without the next day discomfort?
Though it might not be possible – nor practical – to eliminate muscle soreness entirely, scientists in North Carolina may have discovered a way to dial it down – and their findings show that a truly smart training strategy begins in the kitchen. According to a study published in the journal Frontiers In Nutrition, test subjects who consumed 57g of almonds a day for a month before a heavy bout of exercise experienced a notable boost in levels of the ‘recovery’ molecule 12,13-DiHOME, which is linked to energy regulation, mitochondrial function and metabolic health. Following an intense 90-minute resistance-training session, participants reported lower levels of fatigue than members of the nut-free control group, as well as boosts in mood and strength retention.
In other words, regularly refuelling on almonds could help you bounce back from training more quickly. If the idea of munching your way through a bag of almonds feels like a chore, try lathering nut butter on to a few slices of toast instead, or even adding a spoonful to your post-gym smoothie. It’s a more palatable prescription than a couple of ibuprofen.
Smooth Operators
Making nut butter at home is easier than you think, bake 170g raw nuts at 180 degrees centigrade for 10 mins until they’re toasted, then blitz in a food processor to form a paste. Too thick? Add 1 to 2 tsp of oil. Or, if you want to pump it up further, try one of the flavour enhancers:
- Almonds + 2tsp orange zest
- Peanuts + 2tsp chilli oil
- Cashews + 1/2 tsp ground cardamom + scraped seeds of 1 vanilla pod
- Pistachios + 50g unsweetened shredded coconut
