Often times the word recovery is thrown around and athletes are told to spend time on recovery and recovering. But what does that mean?
The Basics First
- Sleep - 6-8 hours per night and a short nap in the middle of the day is ideal
- Nutrition - You can't expect your body to recover properly if you don't give it the proper fuel it needs. Pay particular attention to make sure you are getting enough protein.
- Stress - Manage your life's stresses so they do not reach a point that effects your body's ability to recover
- Technique- if your technique in weightlifting and strength movements are not perfect then your body will need additional recovery due to inappropriate movement patterns, compensation, and asymmetries.
- Training Volume- Make sure your overall training volume is appropriate for your age both biological and training. It takes time to increase your body's work capacity. Volume is a double edged sword, too little and you make less progress (technique and strength), too much and you get injured or overtrained.
More Advanced Recovery Tools/Modalities (in no particular order)
- Yoga, breathing practice, ROMWOD, ect
- Sauna (Hot or Infrared)
- Hot Tub, Cold Bath, and Contrast Baths
- Salt Water Float Tanks
- Cryotherapy
- Compression Suits (Normatec)
- Electric Stimulation Devices
- Traditional Deep Tissue Massage
- Instrument Assisted Massage Techniques (Gua Sha, Grastons, etc)
- Patented and Trademarked Massage/Stretching techniques likes ART
- Cupping
- Accupuncture
- Dry Needling
The more experience I get with various different advanced recovery methods, the more I see there is no silver bullet. There are certain methods that work best for certain people, certain body parts, and certain situations. One key takeaway I see is that over time each method becomes less effective as your body adapts. In future articles, I will detail my thoughts on some of these advanced tools/modalities. Let me know if there are any particular ones you want to hear more about!
