I am very interested in any active recovery techniques. What does everybody do? Massage? Stretch? Ice/heat? And how about nutrition? I know Lonnie Lowery had some really good thoughts from the excerpt from the Boot Camp Breakdown Chris Shugart wrote. So lets hear what everyone’s pre, during, post workout nutrition is like
harbinjc:
I have tried cold showers and swimming on occasion, they were refreshing but I don’t think they helped muscle revovery. (could they have helped CNS revovery, not sure)
I have only found one thing that has seemed to work for me: Massage. I have a good friend who is a message therapist (doesn’t charge me regular rates) and she works me over once per week. What a difference that seems to make! She mainly works on the sore areas, (usually back and traps for me).
What have you tried so far?
I have tried just about everything. As far as the cold showers go…Try contrast showers, Start with ice cold water for about 30 sec. then go immediately to hot for 2-3 min. Do this for about 5 sets and make sure you finish with cold though or you will just spark more inflamation by leaving the muscle hot. I feel like this is safer/more effective than ice, at least in my experience. I really like just good ole static stretching.I want to get into massage… I have had one professionally done, but it sucked, it wasn’t hard enougj at all, plus it cost 80 freakin bucks for an hour. Does anyone know any good self massage ideas/techniques?
First off, $80 for an hour massage is ludicrous unless that person is a very elite massage therapist, or you just live in a very pricey part of the world. I have an excellent one here in Ft. Wayne and she’s only $55/hour.
As far as modalities go, I use stretching, massage, chiro, ART, contrast showers, balneotherapy (baths), and I do my best to eat and supplement extremely well. Don’t forget the nutrition/supplement side of recovery!
I’m actually looking into writing a whole series of articles on recovery, but I have about 20 other things lined up before it. We’ll see when it gets done…
Stay strong
MR
I’ve tried contrast showers for several months, and didn’t find them to be very helpful. I compared rather equal workloads during workouts, and contrast showers didn’t reduce soreness, although they do feel somewhat refreshing and revitalizing.
Helping blood flow is another effect of contrast showers, but if that actually helps nutrients flow throughout the body is tough to prove without some pretty serious needlework:)
I have found light cardio such as swimming rather helpful. Eating right and getting enough sleep is obviously extremely important as well.
Lastly, I’ve found that 5-10 minutes in a hot sauna (I say hot because these days a lot of saunas are really not that hot 'cause they probably don’t want people with bad hearts dying in there) to be extremely helpful in reducing soreness. Steam saunas usually feel hotter, and if you’ve got some of that minty stuff to put in the heater (some saunas have it mixed in there already), you shouldn’t feel sore the next day.
Try it sometime, it really makes a difference.
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
First off, $80 for an hour massage is ludicrous unless that person is a very elite massage therapist, or you just live in a very pricey part of the world. I have an excellent one here in Ft. Wayne and she’s only $55/hour.
As far as modalities go, I use stretching, massage, chiro, ART, contrast showers, balneotherapy (baths), and I do my best to eat and supplement extremely well. Don’t forget the nutrition/supplement side of recovery!
I’m actually looking into writing a whole series of articles on recovery, but I have about 20 other things lined up before it. We’ll see when it gets done…
Stay strong
MR[/quote]
You said that the massage therapist didn’t really help you. The next time you look for a massage therapist make sure you ask if she does “deep tissue” massage. That’s the type that you need in order for a better recovery to take place. Again, just telling you what’s worked for me.
I agree with Mike Robertson $80 is quite pricey! I am thinking that somewhere between $50 and 60$ per hour is far closer to reasonable. In fact, you might try to cut a deal with her. Tell her that you are going to be a long term customer and would like a rate based upon that premise. You might get a $10 per hour discount.
Also, you might try taking just 1/2 hour and have her work only the areas that are most important to you.
(Just trying to protect your budget man)
Mike and ZEB thanks for the info. I have done some looking around and found a woman who does 50 and hour so I am gonna try it and since I’m not made of money I’m going to have her just do the “day after” areas and just go for a 1/2 hour. Mike what is ART? I have heard that term used as far as recovery goes but never really knew what it meant. Also When is the best time to get a massage? A.S.A.P or wait until some lactic acid settles in?
Furthermore lets try and keep this thread going because I don’t think you can ever know enough about recovery…so what does everyone like as far as post workout goes. I know personally I like to get about 50g’s maltodextrin powder and 20-30 g’s worth of protein from low carb grow. After about an hour I like to go with a lot more protein and still about 50g carbs, maybe a chicken breast and pasta or something like that.
I always mix a Grow! Protein shake and throw everything in it (depending on how my weight and body fat percentage is looking) : Yogurt, berries of all kinds, almond powder, a good joint formula mix and some other things.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
I always mix a Grow! Protein shake and throw everything in it (depending on how my weight and body fat percentage is looking) : Yogurt, berries of all kinds, almond powder, a good joint formula mix and some other things. [/quote]
almond powder?
StrongMan:
Yea…been using it for a while now. It serves a few different purposes. 1. Is loaded with the “good Fats” which reduce the “bad” LDL cholesterol. 2. Good source of protein. 3 rich with other vitamins and minerals like Vitamin E and Magnesium.
I just have 60g of dextrose (can’t find any maltodextrin here in Toronto) and 30g of whey protein, along with about 3g of BCAA’s, vitamin C and E.
An hour later I eat a huge meal, consisting of about 50-100g of carbs and 40-50g of protein. But then again, I am on a bulking cycle.
Oh, and I also like to keep fat in both of these meals low to speed up digestion. I have absolutely no fat (other than what’s in the whey) during my PWO shake, and as little as possible in the meal 1 hour after the PWO. Although I think there’s a place for fat (after all, I do eat mostly F+P meals except for breakfast and PWO+1 hour PWO), I’d rather fill up on carbs after the workout.
[quote]ILOVEGWBUSH5 wrote:
I just have 60g of dextrose (can’t find any maltodextrin here in Toronto) and 30g of whey protein, along with about 3g of BCAA’s, vitamin C and E.
An hour later I eat a huge meal, consisting of about 50-100g of carbs and 40-50g of protein. But then again, I am on a bulking cycle.[/quote]
I can’t believe you can’t find any maltodextrin powder…first off, Most of the Carbs in Surge are MD, so there is one source, plus any supp company (ignoring the fact that all other companys are pretty much junk compared to Biotest) that sells a carb powder is usually just maltodextrin…so try that if possible because you will notice a big difference with absorption time.
Speaking of the P+F meals…what do you guys think about what Lonnie mentioned in the Boot Camp Breakdown about eating most of your fats for the day after your lift? My guess is that your hormonal levels overall are gonna be fairly depleted PWO so you need the fats to rebuild those stores…but i think this whole idea of keeping as much fat as possible PWO pretty interesting…waiting to hear some info…
[quote]harbinjc wrote:
I can’t believe you can’t find any maltodextrin powder…first off, Most of the Carbs in Surge are MD, so there is one source, plus any supp company (ignoring the fact that all other companys are pretty much junk compared to Biotest) that sells a carb powder is usually just maltodextrin…so try that if possible because you will notice a big difference with absorption time.
[/quote]
I don’t use Surge. The maltodextrin that is sold online is usually pretty expensive. I haven’t found any being sold in stores in Toronto, and I’ve checked quite a few. With dextrose being sold at 86 Canadian cents a pound, I think I’ve found myself a pretty good deal.
No shit 86 cents a pound? I might have to make a trip up north, thats a hard deal to pass up, I can’t blame you there. Besides the fact that if you really look at absorption rates between maltodextrin and some of the other simple sugars, its like comparing gold and silver, both are pretty good, ya know 
[quote]harbinjc wrote:
No shit 86 cents a pound? I might have to make a trip up north, thats a hard deal to pass up, I can’t blame you there. Besides the fact that if you really look at absorption rates between maltodextrin and some of the other simple sugars, its like comparing gold and silver, both are pretty good, ya know :-)[/quote]
I knew I had something here:) I’ve called some beer/wine stores to see if they have maltodextrin, and after 10 minutes of asking their boss what the heck maltodextrin is, they usually replied with a price of $3 a pound. May as well stick with the dextrose until I find some cheaper maltodextrin.