This might be the most crucial part of the recover like a champ series. NOT because it is the most effective, but because you do not need much more than yourself , some water, and maybe some inexpensive exercise tools. The self therapy regimes can be done when ever you want, you do not have to pay someone, or keep buying things. There are 4 different systems that I include in my self therapy section and they all have different advantages. You have the athlete hated ice baths, self massages, stretching, and foam rolling.
Ice Bath - The ice bath is simple, cold water in a tub big enough to fit yourself in. Throw as much ice in the tub as you can handle. This is my “go to” treatment after any tough workouts, especially early in the week when I KNOW the rest of the week is not gonna get any easier. Personally I stay in for about 7 minutes and when I get out and my legs eventually warm up again I feel refreshed.
It has physical advantages, and mental advantages. The Science - Basically when your body is submerged in cold water, your blood vessels become constricted, and your metabolic activity slows down. This decreases swelling and tissue break down greatly which is what athletes want. When you get out of the ice bath, your body begins to warm up and blood rushes to the part of the body that was cold because the blood vessels open up again. This helps flush your body of unwanted by products produced during working out like lactic acid. Next time you have a tough workout suck it up, and get in the ice bath, it will pay off later.
Self Massage - Self massage is pretty self explanatory, buy some type of cream or gel (I buy baby oil) and rub it on aching parts of your body. This works well when massaging quads, hips and calves, but does not work well on hamstrings and your back. It may not be easy to get a massage from someone but the way I see it you can massage yourself almost as good. You may not be a professional but you’re touching your own body so you should know what you need.
Foam Rolling - I use the foam roll as a way of warming up before I stretch and getting my muscles ready to stretch. Foam rolling is just another form of self massage, I find it gets general areas better, rather than a massage that can get specific tight spots. A foam roller is a foam cylinder it cost like $5 and will not break your bank account. Foam rolling is good for getting deep spots in your muscle because the force being put into your muscle is your own body weight.
Stretching Before Bed - This one is all from personal experience. I find when I stretch before bed, not only does it put me to sleep easier, but I go to bed much more relaxed. The gains made from flexibility (especially males) can be huge gains. Everyone has there area that is constantly tight and for me it is my hips. So I make sure to at least stretch them before I go to bed. Stretching can help with soreness, and aid in recovery for the next practice. When it comes to how long to hold the stretches it all depends on what you can handle. I do not have the patience to hold a stretch for 60 seconds but I try for like 30 second holds.
Do these things often and you will find that the next day you will be able to train that much harder.
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