The Olympic gold medallist in the K2 event is training at the Galician spa with his sights set on London 2012.
During the presentation of the Hesperia Isla de la Toja’s sports recovery programme, held on 29 December, the Olympic gold medallist in the K2 event, Carlos Perucho Perez Rial, stressed the importance of making the most of rest times between training sessions so as to recovery properly from the exertion, even more so with the London Olympic Games only seven months away. Perucho has chosen the spa as a recovery centre both for its facilities and for the fact that he is from Galicia.
The Olympic gold medallist Carlos Perez Rial at the presentation
The Hesperia Isla de la Toja’s 4,000sqm of facilities make for an ideal setting for this type of programme, its optimum atmosphere also contributing to the mental balance of the athletes taking part. The programme is supervised by Dr Marta Arribas, who adjusts treatments – physiotherapy, bath and contrast bath therapy, sauna or cardio-fitness sessions – to the needs of each athlete, while taking into account his or her competition schedule (pre-season, training or competition), since both his or her physical and mental state varies depending on the time of year.
During the presentation, Dr Arribas explained that the pre-season programme centres on stimulation so as to prepare the locomotor system with bath and contrast bath therapy at more extreme temperatures. After a training session, the aim is to compensate the physical exertion so as to recuperate muscle tone with sauna and steam bath sessions, together with stress reduction massages. During the season, the programme puts the accent on competition, improving balance and coordination by means of hydrokinesitherapy, bath therapy or Scottish showers. Lastly, during recovery times, at the end of the season or after completing training programmes, it is necessary to favour the elimination of toxins and substances generated by overexertion with techniques such as sauna, steam bath or contrast bath therapy sessions, all of which help to stimulate the circulatory system and thus eliminate of the said toxins.
The programme has been designed with the help of Carlos Perez Rial, whose suggestions have been essential for understanding the needs of athletes that, such as in his case, have to train very hard to compete in such a physically demanding sport as kayaking.
