We all know that talent and hard work are the keys to success, and for a long time, these were the two factors that coaches focused on when selecting and developing athletes. However, in the last few decades, it has become clear that recovery is just as important when it comes to enhancing our bodies’ abilities. Many athletes and coaches now spend as much time optimising recovery as they do creating training programmes.
The tennis player Roger Federer, for instance, allegedly slept 12 hours every day during his career to maximise his recovery. And from ice baths to supplements, athletes have adopted all kinds of aids to help them recover faster and stronger. One that has recently been gaining popularity is IV therapy. This guide contains everything you need to know about IV therapy for athletic purposes.
What is IV Therapy?
IV therapy treatment is the process of administering fluids directly into people’s veins, just like they do in hospitals. Fluids which can be delivered this way include blood, medicine, water, and nutrients. It is the latter two that concern athletes, who primarily use IV therapy as a way to rehydrate and nourish their bodies.
The Athletic Benefits of IV Therapy
Humans have evolved to drink fluids and eat food in order to rehydrate and absorb nutrients after exercise. Why should we think that sending them straight into our bloodstream is any better? What follows are the benefits of IV therapy over these traditional recovery methods.
1. Faster Rehydration
The intensity of their workouts can cause athletes to sweat out up to two liters of fluid per hour. This is enough to cause moderate dehydration, which in turn impedes recovery. The longer it takes for an athlete’s body to recover, the more time it takes them to return to training.
However, administering fluids directly into the bloodstream without having to wait for them to pass through the digestive system means that athletes can rehydrate and start recovering much more quickly.
2. Efficiency
Not only does it take time for fluids and nutrients to be absorbed by our digestive system and start circulating in our bloodstream, but not every valuable substance in the things we eat or drink will be absorbed.
IV therapy avoids these wasted nutrients by delivering 100% of the good stuff right into the blood. Typically, IV therapy fluids for athletes contain magnesium along with vitamins C and B12, all of which promote muscular recovery and reduce fatigue.
3. Improved Performance
There are a number of different fluid and nutrient combinations that IV therapy can be used to administer. Some are able to temporarily boost performance, which athletes can use to train harder and push themselves further. The wide availability of IV therapy nowadays means that many fitness enthusiasts and amateur athletes also use these to get closer to the superior health and fitness levels of athletes.
However, professional athletes need to take care with IV therapy if they wish to avoid adoping violation. In Australia, for example, receiving 100ml of any fluid through an IV drip in a 12 hour period can result in a ban unless it is administered for legitimate medical reasons.
This is not because IV fluids are especially powerful performance enhancers, but because they can mess up the results of blood and doping tests.
4. Better Immune Function
Intense exercise actually suppresses the immune system, and this means athletes are more exposed to illness than other people. However, the right nutrient combination delivered through IV therapy can help bolster their defenses.
Conclusion
By helping them train harder and recover faster, IV therapy can be a powerful tool for athletes or other people looking to improve their athletic performance. If it is something that interests you, be sure to use a reputable provider, as it does involve injecting things into the body.