A Word on Recovery

Training harder demands training smarter.

We all know people who think they can continue to grow and continue to make gains indefinitely by simply pushing harder and harder in their training day in and day out.  But what always happens to them?  Injury, burn out, sickness, stagnation.  Then what?  Well, once they get back on their feet they start the same cycle all over again.  Why? Because maybe, just maybe they weren’t pushing hard enough or using enough brute force last time to succeed and this time will be different.  Riiigghhht…

How about this instead?

Train Smarter AND Harder.

Bring the intensity every workout, yes.  Push the limits, hell yes.  Keep moving forward, always.  But not always in a straight line.  What do I mean?  Training smarter involves the usage of planned back-off workouts and deload weeks which, in effect, allow the body to take a step back in order to spring forward again with greater energy and intensity.

Additionally, it is of paramount importance to have a properly structured strategy in place for recovery and restoration.  Continued progression and development demands it.  Without a recovery strategy, the gains in fitness slow, plateaus are hit and NOT overcome, injuries occur, and as we said earlier, progress sputters to a screechinghalt.

And, no, a proper recovery strategy does not mean simply doing a few half-hearted static stretches at the end of your workout!

So then what does a proper recovery strategy entail?

Here are the 9 essentials I think are necessary to ensure rapid recovery and continued progress:

1. Daily Joint Mobility – this is requirement number one as it acts as a tune-up for your entire body opening range of motion (ROM), increasing flow of synovial fluid to lubricate the joints and keep them healthy while washing away toxins.
2. Supplemental Joint Mobility to target specific problem areas
3. Breathing Exercises – go HERE for powerful practices for enhancing your training and recovery.
4. Yoga Asana as compensatory movement – the goal here is not to “do” yoga (although there’s nothing wrong with it and I do highly recommend yoga as a practice), but to use a few big bang for your buck postures to bring your body back into balance and help remove residual muscle tension.
5. Vibration Exercises – see my post on What’s Hindering Your Performance
6. Contrast Showers – at the end of your shower, make the water as hot as you can stand it for 30 seconds, then turn it as cold as you can stand it for 30 seconds.  Repeat 3-4 times making sure to end on cold.
7. Foam Rollers for soft tissue work
8. Nutrition –  it’s long been said, you are what you eat.  If you eat like crap, well, nuff said.
9. Sleep – this is one of the most important aspects of recovery that often gets overlooked.  Most experts recommend getting 8 hours of sleep a night.  Yes, I know it’s hard, but turn off the latest episode of NCIS and get some sleep!

Check out Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts for a more in-depth look at mobility, breathing exercises, and a complete workout program!

What recovery strategies do you use in your training?  Drop me comment below or on Facebook, let me know!

Jon

Jon Haas, "The Warrior Coach" has been training in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu for more than 25 years and is currently ranked as a Kudan (9th degree black belt) under Jack Hoban Shihan. He has also trained in Okinawan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Russian Systema, BJJ, Krav Maga, as well as Internal Martial Arts of Yiquan and Aiki.He is a certified Underground Strength Coach-Level 2, a certified Personal Trainer as well as founder of Warrior Fitness Training Systems. In 2008, Jon wrote the book, Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts, and since then has created numerous other online training and coaching programs helping people around the world become the strongest, most capable versions of themselves!

More Posts - Website