WHAT IS A RECOVERY “WORKOUT” AND… WHY YOU MUST HAVE ONE

Drink chocolate milk.

Yep, when I looked up, “Recovery Workouts” on good old Google, that’s what came up as a suggested way to recover after a hard workout.   That’s great advice:  on your recovery day, drink CRAP, it will help you build muscle.

Oh, I know what they say.   It’s got protein in it.  Well, so does road kill.  And road kill has less sugar than that garbage.  Does this sound like a rant?  Sorry.  I just get so p*ssed off at the entire line of B.S. that is circulating around out there when it comes to helping people look and feel better.

My idea of a recovery workout is different than what others espouse because what I am talking about is NOT on the Internet.  At least I couldn’t find it… maybe it’s that new.

RECOVERY WORKOUT – WHAT IT’S NOT

It’s not a recovery day, as in the one where you lay on the couch and drink chocolate milk.   In fact, although I do recommend sleep and meditation, I do not think moving less after a hard work out accomplishes anything.  It’s a workout:  you’re going to move.

RECOVERY WORKOUT – WHAT IT IS

There are 3 strategies that I feel you must use to truly get a great “recovery workout”.  I’ll briefly mention them here and then go into more detail on what each one will do for you.

1. The first, is movement.  Moving is the lifeblood of the body, so we need to move the whole body, even when we are trying to repair it.
2. Second, is mobility (this is a combination of soft tissue work + flexibility) and it’s essential to keeping the muscles soft and joints moving freely and optimally.
3. And finally, resistance training.   Resistance training assists in allowing one muscle group to relax, while the opposing muscle group works.  It’s the secret to fast and optimal recovery.

Okay, let’s go a little deeper into these strategies, and at the end, I’ve given you a video of a recovery workout that you can use on your own.

MOVEMENT

Movement is life.  When we stop moving, we start dying.  Sad, but true.  Sitting will start claiming more and more lives from all the related health problems that build up from our lack of movement.  In fact, please stand up RIGHT NOW – I’d like to be able to say that I’ve helped extend your life.  Think of your muscles (and the cells) of your body as either a pond or a small moving steam.   Which one seems healthier to you? A stream has life flowing in and through it.  It’s constantly moving.  It’s usually clear and fresh:  only in the areas where it becomes stagnate, where it stops moving, do problems arise.  Like a pond that has no fresh water flowing in and out of it, it gets nasty, sludgy and starts drying up and dying.    Movement is a way to help you circulate the bodies’ blood, flush out the toxins, expand and contract the muscles and help with the healing process.  Some examples:

• Walking
• Low impact exercise
• Light weight training
• Moving more all day (squatting, lunging, bending, twisting, reaching, etc.)

MOBILITY

Mobility (the combination of soft tissue work + flexibility) is essential to keeping the muscles soft and joints moving freely and optimally.    Spend 15-20 minutes just opening up the bodies joints.  Utilize foam rollers and softballs to roll, stretch and release tension.  This will flush out toxins and provide excellent blood flow to the muscles.  Plus, when the body is sore, it tends to tighten up or shrink.  Mobility provides ways to open up the body, decrease pain (by flushing lactic acid) and allows optimal healing to happen.  Here are some examples:

• Foam rolling
• Mobility work with a softball or baseball
• True Stretch Stretching Cage
• Restorative Yoga

RESISTENCE

Light resistance training works wonders to help heal the body.   Anyone who’s ever had knee or hip surgery knows that the sooner you can get up and walk around, the better.  Some are even doing it the day of surgery.  And guess what happens when you stand up?   You just helped fire up your glutes muscles (they shortened) while relaxing (lengthening out) your hip and quad muscles.  This type of workout provides full body movement, in all planes of motion, thus increasing flexibility, strength, ROM (range of motion) as well as improving circulation and minimizing inflammation.

Here is a sample of a 20 minute RECOVERY WORKOUT:

CIRCUIT 1

• START WITH LIGHT CARDIO
  • 5 minute walking or elliptical (break a little sweat)
• STRENGTH CIRCUIT 1 (2 sets, 15-20 reps)
  • Single Arm Lunge and Row / cable or band
  • Single arm Squat and Press / band or cable
  • Stability Ball Bridge
  • Quad / Hamstring Stretch
    • Rest and repeat 2 x

CIRCUIT 2

• START WITH LIGHT CARDIO
  • 5 minute walking or elliptical (break a little sweat)
• STRENGTH CIRCUIT 2 (2 sets, 15-20 reps)
  • Dead Lift to Cobra / DB
  • Goblet Squat an Press w/ Rotation / DB
  • Stability Ball Side Bend and Reach
  • Glute / Adductor Stretch
    • Rest and repeat 2 x

I have included a video to show you how it’s done!