LOLZLetter Edition 25| Recovery
Welcome Back or Welcome.
Happy August!
When I asked what people were interested in reading about this week, several people wanted information on recovery tools. From nutrition to sleep to recovery, you have to treat your body right to achieve top performance and avoid injury.
Several newsletters ago, I wrote about the importance of rest. Rest and recovery are different. Rest from the sport is needed to fully recover (full rest, not just walking 10 miles and saying it was a rest day).
Most long-term readers know that I am injury-prone. I cannot get away with skipping out on proper recovery. I don’t even try to.
Here are Several Recovery Tools and Gadgets:
Foam Rollers:
I could probably write an entire blog post comparing different foam rollers and gear, but for now, I’ll stick to the ones I think are most useful. On Instagram alone, I'm sent anywhere between 5-10 DMs per month promoting a new foam roller product claiming to "be the best." There are more foam rollers out there than shoes.
The Stick: The classic and the first “foam roller.” The Stick is the original. It’s inexpensive and easy to travel with.
Add a Day Junior +: The Junior+ is one of the most portable and one of the best rollers for the feet, especially the plantar. It doesn't move around like a lacrosse ball. It can be held with one hand or placed on the ground to roll out the plantar.
Expensive? Yes, but have I actually used it.
Because it clamps onto your body, it goes as deep as possible. It takes the guesswork out of: "am I going deep enough?" You can’t half-ass it because it does the work for you.
It’s best for IT-bands, quads, hamstrings, calves, shins, glutes, and arms. The drawback is it’s not great for back, hips, and other places where the foam roller can’t clamp on.
Trigger Point MB5® Massage Ball:
The MB5 mimics the pressure of a massage therapist's elbow to relieve tightness in hard to reach muscles like the glutes, hips, and shoulders. Personally, I’ve found it works best to alleviate tension and roll my glutes and hips.
Trigger Point Core Foam Roller:
The Core Foam Roller is your standard foam roller. It's not the easiest to travel with, but it uses your weight to relieve knots and tension. While a typical foam roller is advertised to "do anything," it's best for the back and legs. The standard foam roller is much more difficult to use for hard to reach areas such as hips and glutes.
Active Release Technique:
I’m a big fan of active release. Active Release is a hands-on approach to injuries of the muscles, tendons, fascia, nerves, and surrounding tissues. This manipulation softens and stretches the scar tissue which can result in an increased range of motion and improved circulation. I’ve always recovered faster when I opted to get a deep tissue massage or ART.
If you are local, I highly recommend Dr. Kemenosh and his staff (they aren’t sponsoring me to tell you that, and I pay the same price as everyone else).
Compression:
There are so many different brands of compression out there, but many are just glorified tube socks. I use CEP and have for most of my running journey. CEP uses medical-grade compression.
What is medical grade compression?
Typically compression levels have a range of numbers like “20-30 mmHg”. This means the amount of compression will not fall below 20 mmHg but also not go above 30 mmHg.
What is mmHG? mmHG is the “millimeters of mercury” which is a measurement of pressure.
CEP also uses “graduated compression” means that the compression is strongest at the ankle but gets lighter as you go toward the knee. This allows circulation to improve up and out of the feet and legs.
There are several devices and systems similar to NormaTec.
What are recovery boots? NormaTec uses compressed air to massage your limbs and speed up recovery. It's similar to getting a massage but at home. NormaTec compresses in a pulsing manner and then releases. This will repeat as it works its way up your limbs. I've tried it, and while I did feel better after a workout, I don't think it comes close to getting specialized treatment from a professional.
Sleep:
Nothing replaces sleep. No gadget and no amount of money can compensate for getting enough sleep. There is no badge of honor in training on three hours of sleep.
Things Keeping Me Entertained:
I'm sure most people have heard about Allyson Felix speaking out against Nike and its maternity policy. In short, Allyson and many other athletes lost about 70% of their pay while pregnant! I'm excited to see what the future holds for her.
Allyson Felix Wants to Save Black Mothers
As a runner, Allyson Felix didn’t want to speak out. As a mom, she felt she had to
Allyson Felix Signs Athleta Sponsorship After Nike Dispute for Maternity Policy Change
91-Year-Old Boston Woman Breaks World Record For 400 Meter Dash
Caster Semenya Is Barred from the World Championships
Giveaway:
Finally, maybe my favorite part of the newsletter because I like giving back to the readers and those who share!
There is just about one month to reach my goal of 1000 subscribers (I’m at 905 and sharing is the best way to get the newsletter out there!).
On the topic of recovery, I'll be giving away two different items to two different people.
All you have to do is share the newsletter (and tag or email me so I know) and you’ll be entered to win either:
A pair of CEP compression socks or a Trigger Point MB5® Massage Ball.
Here is the internet link if that makes it easier. Good luck!
Finally, I appreciate every single email and try to respond to each message.
Any feedback good or bad is always helpful. Is there a specific topic you want to see more about? Don’t be a stranger and let me know! This newsletter came about because people wanted to know more about specific recovery tools.
You can email me at FueledbyLOLZ@gmail.com. All feedback is helpful, good or bad.
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