Review of Recovery Protocols for CrossFitters: Staying Durable in a Sport of Chaos

Coach’s Brief
CrossFit asks for everything; recovery returns the favour. Without a plan you’ll ping between niggles, plateaus and caffeine. This review prioritises the boring wins: sleep, food, deloads, breath, and soft-tissue basics that keep you training.

The Big Rocks

Sleep: 7.5–9 hours for most training adults. Keep a consistent window; cool, dark room; phones out. Naps (20–30 minutes) if nights are short.

Nutrition: Protein ~1.6–2.2 g/kg/day; carbs scale with volume (heavier on high-output days); fats moderate. Salt your food, especially if you’re a salty sweater.

Hydration: Baseline clear-pale urine. During longer sessions, sip; after, include electrolytes if sweat heavy.

Load Management: Only 1–2 “send-it” days per week; plan deload weeks (reduce volume/intensity by ~30–40%) every 4–6 weeks.

Between-Session Hygiene

Cooldowns: 5–8 minutes gentle cyclical + breathing, then 5 minutes of mobility on the areas you just roasted.

Breathing: Two minutes of extended-exhale (in 4, out 6–8) flips you from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.

Mobility snacks: 5–10 minutes in the evening—calves, hips, t-spine—at 3–4/10 intensity.

Soft-tissue tools: Foam roller, lacrosse ball, massage gun used lightly to reduce tone, not obliterate tissues.

Weekly Structure (Example)

Mon: Strength + short metcon.

Tue: Aerobic engine (Zone 2 or threshold).

Wed: Skill/gymnastics + EMOM density (submax).

Thu: Rest or easy aerobic + mobility.

Fri: Heavy day or fast intervals.

Sat: Long mixed piece.

Sun: Off.

Red Flags that Demand Adjustment

Resting heart rate up >5–7 bpm for several mornings; HRV consistently down.

Mood flat, sleep broken, appetite off, grip worse.

Technique falling apart at loads you normally own. That’s not grit territory; that’s deload territory.

Hot/Cold/Compression: The Sensible View

Cold plunges can reduce soreness and help sleep in competition blocks, but may blunt adaptations if used right after heavy strength. Save for peak/taper weeks.

Heat/sauna post-session can encourage relaxation; drink and salt accordingly.

Compression and elevation help legs feel fresher; great as adjuncts, not replacements.

Injury Triage

Acute tweak? Stop, assess, unload. Keep moving with pain-free patterns. Early, gentle isometrics often calm tissues (e.g., calf holds for Achilles grumbles).

Persistent pain? Get it seen. Don’t self-medicate with more smashing and stretching.

Verdict
Recovery isn’t a spa day; it’s a system. Sleep, food, load, breath and simple mobility deliver 90% of the results. Protect those, schedule deloads, and the rest (gadgets, baths, potions) are garnish.

-Luke