Olympic style recovery

Will Satch, Olympic Gold medallist, explains how he uses Nirvana Spa for rest and recovery

In five seasons with the GB Rowing Team senior squad, Will Satch has won Olympic gold and bronze medals either side of three successive World Championship titles.

His training is intense but not non-stop. When we caught up with Will on one of his regular Nirvana visits, we asked him if he could tell us about how he maintains his extreme training regime.

Will describes himself as someone who works himself to the bone. He’s highly competitive and is honest about his intentions. It’s to win. To annihilate his competition and come first. For Will Satch, it’s not about the journey – it’s definitely about the end result. For people with such high expectations of themselves, getting them to slow down can be a challenge. But Will discovered that winding down was essential to maintain his fitness and he loves to spend time chilling out at Nirvana.

Healing with hydro

When Will visits Nirvana his focus is on rest and recovery. Rowing is an endurance sport and injuries are from the sheer repetitive exertion. He first discovered Nirvana’s hydrotherapy surf pool during his training for his first Olympics in 2012. He won a bronze medal, but it wasn’t without a cost. He had an injury to his hip. Three cortisone injections got him through the competition but eventually he required surgery. He had time off after 2012 and used Nirvana’s surf pool extensively. He says that the jets are brilliant for targeting precise spots of pain, improving blood flow and helping injuries to recover faster. It also brought almost immediate relief and helped him recover in the quickest possible time.

Will loves the surf pool so much that it now forms a regular part of his rest and recovery. When he’s just chilling, he admits to sometimes spending longer in the surf pool than is recommended. He now uses it every 3 days or so and says that it makes him feel extremely relaxed, almost sleepy after his hydro sessions. For recovery he alternates with the cold plunge pool – 2 minutes in the cold and 2 minutes in the warm surf pool. This hot and cold contrast helps to get rid of lactic acid and improves the body’s blood flow.

Breathe easy

Like most rowers Will also suffers from “racer’s lung”. “It’s not a real thing!” he says, but just a rower’s term for a tendency towards chest infections, sometimes sounding asthmatic. When we met up with him he was just returned from his recent wins at Henley and Lucerne in the Men’s Eight. He admitted to having worked himself too hard and was feeling under the weather. To help clear his chest Will likes to use the eucalyptus aromatherapy steam room on a regular basis.

Rowing is extremely tough on the back. For sore muscles Will likes to spend time in the Tepidarium, where he finds the radiating warmth brings comfort and relief.

Whilst Will’s training regime is tougher than most, the problems he experiences are no different from anyone else. Strains, pains and injuries affect everyone, whether from extreme training or from normal every day activities. To take maximum advantage of the healing properties of the spa’s facilities, why not make an appointment with one of our Wellness Coaches? It costs nothing and could help your own recovery.

Personalised Support

We’d love to see you join up for your own personal challenge and our Wellness Team are on hand to help you.  So why not book your free one-to-one session? Your membership gives you six a year! We’ll get you started and keep you heading in the right direction.

Book a ‘one to one’ with our wellness team