By Mason Murphy
It doesn’t take much thought to do a couple of stretches after a workout.
Maybe you throw your arm across your chest to stretch out your shoulder, grab your ankle and lift it behind you to stretch your quad, and maybe add two minutes on a treadmill for a bit of variety. After all, those are the only techniques you need to recover right?
Not true.
So many people are unaware of the fact that they need to learn and apply certain techniques in their post workout, that is essential for their recovery.
Luckily, there are three main examples of techniques that can be applied to any person regardless of their athletic status and those are soft tissue manipulation, temperature, and activation.
Soft tissue manipulation is a technique that can be used to reduce muscle tension, spasms, reduce pain, and improve an athlete’s range of motion.
Check out our extensive list of videos for mobility here. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3fuV_SLp-GFOycvhJGMnnO0D5N4dndVg
Even though it seems that the muscle relaxation with soft tissue manipulation techniques is a short-term outcome, it can help create long-term benefits.
You can manage this by using a rumble roller (http://youtu.be/65DvdpEZXS8) or trigger point kit to relax those muscle aches and pain.
If you’re on a budget and you’re at home, a tennis ball or baseball can be used to roll out those muscle tensions.
Temperature is another technique that many people are not aware of that has a tremendous amount of recovery benefits.
Taking a hot shower and then switching to cold water is a very simple temperature technique that reduces muscle soreness and tension as well as speeding up recovery.
Ice bath, Ice packs, and thermal messages are other tools you can use at home or at a facility to relax your muscles and they are relatively inexpensive.
Lastly, Activation is not a common technique that most people are aware of, but has a tremendous amount of benefits when it comes to pre-workout preparation and post workout recovery. http://youtu.be/bfpsSBg8x3Y
Most people think that activation is another form of stretching or some form of yoga, but the reality is that activation is a specific technique to activate a certain muscle group, before or after a workout, to relax and release any muscle tension that may prevent an individual from getting the full range of motion they need to perform a specific exercise.
Activation technique such as glute activation, hip activation, and shoulder activation are the most common examples of activation.
They are best incorporated with the warm up or cool down to wake up those muscle groups and to relieve any muscle tension.
If you take these techniques seriously they can help prevent injury that might hinder the progress towards your fitness goals.
Innovative Results will be hosting Rumble Roller’s 2 Day Clinic on the 23+ Fundamental SMR Techniques!
This is a great chance for anyone looking to keep their body in top shape, and an excellent opportunity for coaches to improve their recovery and SMR techniques for their clients.
If you are not a coach, we recommend you check out the 1 Day Clinic Option.
November 8th and 9th at Innovative Results – SIGN UP HERE
Madison says
Love this article. Most people don’t realize how important recovery is.