Especially here in Fort Collins, Colorado, athletes are drawn to the many unorthodox recovery modalities that are popping up. Whether it’s stopping by the local Hydration IV Bar or heading to Stretch Lab to be able to itch your back with your knee, these types of recovery interventions are becoming more and more common. In general, there are so many fancy and complicated ways that people are trying to “optimize” recovery nowadays. Between excessive foam rolling, massages, high-tech compression machines, cryotherapy … the list goes on.
“Fundamentals before foam rolling”
- Getting enough sleep
- Good nutrition
- Proper hydration
- Getting enough rest between training sessions
- Managing stress
These are the fundamentals to recovering well. They are the most effective factors that can make the difference between “recovering well” and combating soreness and fatigue.
Skipping the fundamentals of recovery and using some of these other modalities is like bailing water out of a sinking boat with a Dixie cup, instead of just patching the hull…
So here’s my advice… You can still do all those crazy things to try and enhance your recovery… they’re likely not hurting you in any way … except for maybe wasting our time (depending on the modality).
But if you’re choosing to stay up for another 30 minutes, instead of going to bed, just so you can get in your stretching and foam rolling… then you’ve got your recovery priorities all wrong.
Master the fundamentals first. They actually make a profound difference when it comes to recovery!
