RECOVERYto passive recovery, but what
was interesting was that the
subjective ratings of the athletes’
perception of how recovered
they felt was much higher after
the cold water immersion.
In fact, the most recent
published studies show that
cold water immersion is actually
counterproductive to building
muscle, so if you do use this
protocol make sure you are using
it to help recovery for another
hard session. But if you are trying
to maximise muscular gains in
the gym, then leave out the post
gym ice bath.Pros: Easy to do if you live near
the Southern Ocean.
Cons: Cold water from the tap
is not cold enough, so practical
applications of this may be
difficult for most. Fully immersing
in water that is 11 to 15 degrees
also tends to be unpleasant!Foam Rolling
Using a foam roller to target
specific muscles that have just
been trained such as quads,
glutes and hamstrings is a good
way to stimulate the blood
flow to help the body clear
inflammation.
A recent meta study of seven
studies (ii) investigating post
exercise foam rolling found that it
was effective at reducing DOMS
and 66% of the participants
experienced accelerated
recovery using a foam roller.
However, do bear in mind that
when you exercise you create
small micro traumas in the
muscles and connective tissues.
The DOMS is a response to these
small micro traumas.
Now imagine your muscles
are covered in tiny wounds and
someone offers to pummel them
with a vigorous massage, the
resounding answer would be ‘no
thanks’. So keep this in mind with
post exercise foam rolling (or
massage for that matter),
be gentle and keep within your
pain threshold.
If you decide foam rolling is for
you, then there are a few things
to consider when purchasing a
foam roller.Main: So many options but how do you know which one is best for you?
Above: A classic foam roller technique.
Opposite: An oldie but a goodie: the quad stretch.