+ 6 Natural Recovery
What's up my 40+ Brothers. I've noticed we've been talking about different recovery issues or items among different threads, so I've decided to make this one. I know we have different variations of what we do so itll be good to share it for the next person. Life isn't going to hold up and we're not always going to be on AAS, so In this thread I'm going to share what I do naturally to maximize my body’s repair. Below Is listed what I do and the supplements I take. I did it in order of what I feel is priority. Please share ur opinions or strategies of what works best for u also.
1. SLEEP
This is the most important part of ur recovery imo. And this is probably the hardest for me. Ur body has taken a daily dose of stress, both physical and psychological. Lil rundown.. During sleep ur body enters into a state of chemical and hormonal harmony. Ur body relaxes, blood pressure drops, growth hormones are released, protein synthesis starts repairing tissue, hormones get adjusted around, ur heart slows taking pressure off it, even ur mind relaxes. Ur brain has to take a break. It has been running non stop, processing info, making decisions, and troubleshooting problems. So during sleep it shuts down to minimum function and let's those powerful neurons take a break. U need to get 7-10hrs of good quality SLEEP each night. U want to enter a deep state of sleep, this is when ur body heals most efficiently. Black the windows out, turn off all the electronics, set ur quality of air, read a book to relax ur mind, or whatever it takes to get to a deep state of sleep. I find that when I sleep properly I recover faster both physically and mentally..
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/stages-of-sleep
2. STRETCH & MASSAGE
This is a favorite for me. I use to feel awkward as a beginner but now I notice it being more of a social icebreaker. Your there by urself warming up stretching out, next ur sharing rollers. No homo, it's just natural! I mix it up between traditional stretching, foam rollers, and some tension band techniques. Foam rollers seem to be the game changer for myself, and they're lots of no homo fun. U stretch, warmup, get a massage, and a happy finish all in one! Not only am I preparing my muscles and joints for a beat down, but at the same time I'm relaxing my metal and physical state. Needless to say.. A Better Quality of Life!
[Physical]
- Push out lactic acids in the muscle that keep the more flexible therefore decreasing chances of getting hurt while improving form, endurance, and recovery.
- Reduces arterial stiffness improving circulation of blood to muscles.
- Improves muscular outlook and performance.
- Warms and lubes up joints.
- Anytime u free contraction of ur vertebra u improve digestion, immune system, and organ function.
- Overall relaxation of the body allows u to sleep better and deeper.
- Improves energy levels
[Mental]
- Improves pain tolerance.
- The Increase in circulatory also brings new blood to the brain causing better mood and a state of being.
- Lowers the amount stress hormones ur body makes.
- A Clearer mind
http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_toc.html#SEC33
3. FOOD
This is a big one. I am assuming we're all reaching our calorie/macro goals each day. So for recovery I feed myself a light blend of protein whey and carbs. I try to use frozen fruits or carb powders also. Powdered carbs are fine but I like food! Fruits, honey, juice,.... I will have one pre and post workout. These are small drinks, only to help with energy and refeeding my muscles. Protein (20-30g)/carbs(30g). Intra drink of EAA's/BCAA's. Then I have my dinner a hour or two later.
4. HEAT & ICE
Muscles, joints, and tendons are going to get beat up. Sometimes worse than whats normal. Ice therapy or heat therapy can offer immediate pain relief while setting up ur muscle and joints for a speedy recovery. Whenever ur icing down, ur slowing down blood flow to the injured area to minimize inflammation (swelling), tissue damage, and numbing the pain. Whenever u heat up the area ur increasing blood flow promoting muscle relaxation. Cold and hot showers can only go so far, so that's why I keep an assortment of cold and hot presses. My cold presses are frozen gel packs with cloth bags. I like them because they are flexible, stay cold longer, and the bag keeps the ice off the skin. Also when icing down, try to elevate damaged area. Get the ones that already have a velcro strap, makes it an easy install while ur in pain. I also keep traditional reusable ice/hot water bags that can do both jobs. For heat therapy I will take a hot shower most of the time, but once u have taken too much punishment, u need to soak in a hot Epsom salt (magnesium sulfat ofcoarse) bath. Probably bring ur ice pack with u to multiuse w rubber duck.
5. SUPPLEMENTS
Creatine monohydrate - (Pre/post workout). This helps boost energy for workouts, faster muscle recovery, strength..
Fish oil - (morning time). Joint support, fights inflammation, helps bring down cholesterol, and control stress.
Turmeric Curcumin - (night time). Joint support. Fights inflammation of joints. It also helps w numerous other things like allergies, asthma, stomach problems, ect...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18398870/
Magnesium - (night time). Maximizes Testosterone levels, supports skeletal system, muscle recovery, muscle flexibility, sleep, relaxes, and improves mood.
Zinc - (morning). Support (workhorse) mineral. Testosterone, immune system, nutrient management, protein production, cell division.
Vitamin Super B complex - (morning time). Aids in the conversion of food into energy.
Echinacea Complex - (morning time). Blend of echinacea, elderberry, burdock, cayenne pepper. Immune system support
6. PREP FOR BATTLE
Warm up muscles and stretch prior to workout. Gear up, and I'm not talking AAS! Bandage up those hot spots. Use compression wraps for those wore out joints. Tape those fingers and knees. Lift light on those muscles and joints that affect troubled areas. Live to battle another day.
Pls share what's working for u.
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You nailed it, this is a great write up! The bit on stretching really speaks to me, I neglected stretching for along time and really wish I hadnt. Yoga has done wonders for me in both health and performance.
Very helpful post, thanks for sharing!
All good points. Unfortunately I only can manage 4-5 hrs of sleep due to my sleep disorder and it is not deep most of the time. It takes it's toll on the body. I really like my hot tub. Nice and relaxing for the muscles. Don't do much cold therapy though. If going to lift though, you defo do not want to do static stretching, makes the tendons/ligaments sloppy and sets you up for injury. Dynamic stretching and just doing light sets of the excercise you intend to perform is best.
Have you ever tried melatonin? Usually helps me and no groggy feeling the next day.
I think I have tried just about every natural remedy there is. Only thing that works are drugs my doc has me on.
Thanks brother. Hot tubs are awesome. Wish I had one. Now days ur lucky if ur local gym even has one! That sucks about the sleep disorder. I'm guessing uve tried a PAP machine?
That is not the issue. Alpha-wave intrusion.
RustyhookerOnly thing i disagree with is stretching pre workout. I warm thoroughly, stretch after. Keep the ligaments full of oxygen and joints in place.
Good thorough list!!
Thanks brother. Ur absolutely rite. There have been studies that have shown stretching to decrease strength and increase risk of damage immediately before workout. That's why it is important to know ur body and what kind of warmup stretch u need to do to maximize ur workout.
Our muscles get tight from being active or passive. Active muscles shorten due to contraction or spasms. Passive muscles shorten due to injury or just inactivity. This is why u need to know ur body and what stretch technique to minimize risk of injury and maximize ur well being.
So myself, if I'm lifting weights, I'll do warmup on bike or eliptical and do some dynamic light stretching. Just enough to get blood moving freely and to maximize muscle contractions. But when I'm training jui jitsu I'll start with some static, then roller, and finish with some controlled ballistic stretching.
After my workouts, full static and my torture roller device. It's all about the lactic acids and blood flow at this point.
jayiskthis is an easy and great way to improve mobility.
https://www.t-nation.com/training/defranco-agile-8
"The Agile 8"... This is good stuff. The back roll seems to be a favorite of mine. I get real stiff from between the shoulder blades all the way to upper neck. The back rolls for myself feel great stretching out that area. " CAUTION ".. BACK ROLLS can have a higher risk for injury, so warmup prior and use good controlled form.
I laughed when I read the tennis ball part. Reminded me how u told me about using balls against the wall to dig into the pecks and delts. Very creative! Thanks for sharing
jayiskthe ELDOA method is not new but 1st time i've seen it. Here is one video that explains a couple of basic exercises. There are a lot on youtube. Depends on what area you may want to hit.
Here is how they define it:
"Performing ELDOA Fitness movements will help increase your flexibility, improve muscle performance and tone, reduce stress, reduce joint inflammation, delay disc degeneration, improve posture, relieve chronic and acute back pain, relieve neck and shoulder tension, and improve the longevity of the spine and your overall "
https://youtu.be/YVuFvl17LVo
Thank you. I did not know this. I always stretch before my workouts. See always learn something new.
RustyhookerAnd that is why you will have great longevity as an athlete bro!! Its good to read posts like this.
I agree with all the above, I would have put food second instead of third but I don’t think you meant them in any particular order.
Only thing I would add is that while natural I need to schedule more rest days and ease up slightly on my overall intensity in the gym. I know for the general population (non bodybuilders) more intensity is probably what is needed but for the OCD athlete who can never push himself enough, a conscious lowering of the training intensity coupled with additional rest days are what I need PERSONALLY. Find what works for you.
Thanks brother. In my recovery they go hand and hand. I based my opinion off of food being personal pre/intra/post food, not a complete diet all together. My muscles and tendons are scarred pretty good, so stretching is vital in my recovery.. lol
Excellent post! Sleep; sleep ; sleep! It all gets better with sleep it enhances all the other factors you list as they get better utilized! +
Thanks bro.. Sleep is where it's at. People always talk about they need more sleep, but most of them dont even realize what sleep is doing for them. They under prioritize sleep.
My man here knows what he’s talking about. The most anabolic time of the day. On that note... Zzzzzz