In light of today's rest day, I thought I'd blather on about the importance of recovery. I've talked about it a lot and it's so damn important, I'm gonna keep on going. I'm sure most of you are currently sleeping off a hangover, frequenting a farmer's market, or asking Fanny to stop yelling at you. Either way, please find the time to read this post at some point during your weekend.
If I haven't mentioned the 23/1 Rule, now is the time. You're in the gym for at least one hour a day - getting strong, improving your mobility, and just plain busting your ass. After that, you have 23 hours to fuck it all up...
Why Haven't You Gone To Whitney Yet?
Look, I know you're not all millionaires rolling around in piles of money and driving Ferraris down the Autobahn on the weekends. But I do know that you all probably make more money than I do, but that didn't stop me from dropping money on a massage on Thursday night. I'm convinced Whitney's hands are magic.
As you may or may not know, I'm training for the Blue Ridge Open in May. It will be my first Olympic weightlifting meet ever and I'll probably finish last in my weight class. Regardless, I'm taking my training seriously and since I knew the DB Bear would throw a major fucking wrench in my training, I was proactive in my recovery. I immediately took an ice bath afterwards and I scheduled a massage with Whitney - and it was 90 minutes of awesome. You need to appreciate that proper recovery is just as important as all the work you do in the gym.
Also, although a massage session is usually expensive, Whitney's rates are actually very reasonable compared to other practices. And as I've said before, Whitney is very professional, very skilled, and really enjoys what she does. She also complimented the size of my lats. Foam rolling and lacrosse ball work is very effective, but sometimes you need to splurge and get the real thing. I guarantee you won't regret it.
Why Aren't You Taking Magnesium?
As far as minerals go, it's probably the most important one you're lacking. In an interview on Eric Cressey's website, Dr. Rick Cohen of Bioletics says the following:
"Magnesium is not only the single most important mineral in sports nutrition, but it is also one of the most critical elements in our body. About 350 enzymatic functions depend on magnesium, including ATP, the key factor that creates energy for every cell. Optimal magnesium levels enhance athletic endurance and strength by increasing metabolic efficiency. Magnesium promotes muscular contractility, decreases oxygen consumption, and improves cardiovascular efficiency.
Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is very common. Inadequate dietary intake, sweat loss, physical and psychological stress and acidic beverages-such as energy drinks and sodas-cause the body to extract both magnesium and calcium from the bones and tissues in an effort to maintain proper blood pH. This combination of mineral loss and acidity in the body will decrease athletic performance and prolong recovery. It will also increase bone turnover and the resulting risk of stress fractures. This is exactly what we were seeing in younger female athletes with accelerated bone loss."
Why Are You Half-Assing Your Foam Roller Routine?
I'm kidding. For the most part, you guys have been very diligent with your pre-workout mobility stuff. I thank you for this and I hope it has made a difference in your day-to-day progress. Still, from time to time, I see some of you guys really flying through it. To get the most out of it, you really need to dedicate some time to each section you're working. This means going back and forth for many repetitions at a slow, controlled pace. Don't rush through the tight spots because they hurt; work on them until they feel better. This stuff works. Plain and simple. And the more you do it, the better you'll feel. Just doing it at the gym isn't always enough. You have to be proactive in your recovery.
Therefore, it would benefit some of you to buy your own foam rollers to have at home or in your office. I purchased mine from Power Systems.
Here is an article from Eric Cressey with some additional foam rolling exercises you should try. Below is a video of the routine he puts his athletes through before they begin every training session (obviously, the video demonstrates an abridged version).
"Everyone who foam rolls gets hooked on it, and everyone who doesn't thinks it's stupid. Do me a favor and spend seven dollars and buy a 12-inch foam roller. It'll change your whole life." -Mike Boyle
Don't fuck everything up in 23 hours.
Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts
3/30/10
Recovery: Supplementation
I've been slacking on the recovery posts, I admit it. I can say I've been busy (which I actually have been), but you'll all still be dicks about it. So today, I want to address supplementation to aid in performance and recovery.
Before I begin, however, one thing must be clear:
Unless your nutrition and sleep are dialed in, most supplementation is pointless.
1) Fish Oil: This is why "most" was in italics above. Everyone should be taking fish oil. Back in the caveman/neanderthal days, the ratio of Omega 3's to Omega 6's was about 1:1. Now, we're floating around 1:20 or 1:30. This is not good. Fish oil possesses anti-inflammatory properties (alleviates muscle soreness), helps brain and liver function, and is not some bullshit supplement - it's highly endorsed across the board of medicine, sports performance, and rehabilitation.
Tips:
A. Keep in refrigerator or freezer. This will increase it's shelf life.
B. Eat immediately before or during a meal. Not after. It's okay if you do... you'll just get fish oil burps. They're not very appetizing.
C. Fish Oil Calculator. An excellent guide to find out how much fish oil you should be consuming daily. Dallas and Melissa from Whole9Life are top notch.
Options:
A. Kirkland Brand Fish Oil from Costco is a very cost-effective choice. Good quality at a great price.
B. Nature's Answer. For a high quality liquid form, you can't beat the price on this particular brand. Apparently, it tastes pretty good as well.
C. Nordic Naturals. Allegedly, one of the highest concentrated brands out there, but very expensive.
2) Vitamin D3: Quickly becoming, quite possibly, the best supplement on the planet. A whole lot of studies have been done on this beautiful bitch and all the results/effects have been positive. Don't believe me? Here are three solid sources: EatMoveImprove, Charles Poliquin, and Huffington Post.
Tips:
A. Personally, I take 5000 IU before going to bed every night (or morning because of my stupid schedule). I started, however, by taking roughly 10,000 IU per day for roughly 3 months. This was to "get my levels up" so to speak and I now take 5000/day for maintenance.
Options:
A. While it can be bought at almost any grocery store or pharmacy, I prefer Healthy Origins brand off iHerb. Great price, good quality, and high concentration.
3) Protein: A diet loaded with steak, chicken, pork, bacon, and beef will certainly do wonders, but some of you will require a little extra (mainly former vegetarians and Too-Skinny Jimmies). Protein is essential, especially post-workout, to optimize recovery as well as repair/build muscle. This is basic, well-known shit so I'm not going any further into it than this.
Tips:
A. The optimal window post-workout to take protein is anywhere with 45 minutes of completion. Ideally, consuming some kind of protein shake within 15
Options:
A. The EAS brand from Costco is decent quality at a good price. Flavor ain't so bad either.
B. Anil swears by Optimum Nutrition brand off Vitacost.
C. OPT also has a wide variety of great products in his online store. Ranging from protein powders to REFUEL, a recovery supplement designed by the man himself.
4) Magnesium (and Zinc): Most, if not all, people are deficient in magnesium and zinc, two essential natural minerals. If you recall that Dan John article, he highly recommends magnesium. It
Tips:
A. Take roughly 40 minutes to an hour before going to bed. This isn't required, but it's the best time frame for consumption.
B. You may experience some trippy dreams, but it's perfectly normal and sometimes very fun. I'm sure you all miss college anyways.
Options:
A. Natural Calm. Robb Wolf and many others have spoken very highly about this brand. I'm currently taking it and sleeping like a baby. Naturally, as you've all noticed, I'm not exactly "calm" but that's because I'm an asshole. Note: This supplement only contains magnesium so you may want to take zinc tablets along with it. They can be bought all over.
B. ZMA. The Twin Labs brand from iHerb is a good product for a good price, but there are other options out there as well.
There are certainly other options out there, ranging from glutamine to beta alanine and so on. But again, this goes back to my initial statement: Without solid sleep and a good diet, taking all the craziest supplements in the world won't matter. The ones listed above, however, are essential, important, and effective, which is why I've included them here.
Information Is Beautiful provided an excellent interactive graphic regarding supplements, vitamins, and minerals here.
If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Before I begin, however, one thing must be clear:
Unless your nutrition and sleep are dialed in, most supplementation is pointless.
1) Fish Oil: This is why "most" was in italics above. Everyone should be taking fish oil. Back in the caveman/neanderthal days, the ratio of Omega 3's to Omega 6's was about 1:1. Now, we're floating around 1:20 or 1:30. This is not good. Fish oil possesses anti-inflammatory properties (alleviates muscle soreness), helps brain and liver function, and is not some bullshit supplement - it's highly endorsed across the board of medicine, sports performance, and rehabilitation.
Tips:
A. Keep in refrigerator or freezer. This will increase it's shelf life.
B. Eat immediately before or during a meal. Not after. It's okay if you do... you'll just get fish oil burps. They're not very appetizing.
C. Fish Oil Calculator. An excellent guide to find out how much fish oil you should be consuming daily. Dallas and Melissa from Whole9Life are top notch.
Options:
A. Kirkland Brand Fish Oil from Costco is a very cost-effective choice. Good quality at a great price.
B. Nature's Answer. For a high quality liquid form, you can't beat the price on this particular brand. Apparently, it tastes pretty good as well.
C. Nordic Naturals. Allegedly, one of the highest concentrated brands out there, but very expensive.
2) Vitamin D3: Quickly becoming, quite possibly, the best supplement on the planet. A whole lot of studies have been done on this beautiful bitch and all the results/effects have been positive. Don't believe me? Here are three solid sources: EatMoveImprove, Charles Poliquin, and Huffington Post.
Tips:
A. Personally, I take 5000 IU before going to bed every night (or morning because of my stupid schedule). I started, however, by taking roughly 10,000 IU per day for roughly 3 months. This was to "get my levels up" so to speak and I now take 5000/day for maintenance.
Options:
A. While it can be bought at almost any grocery store or pharmacy, I prefer Healthy Origins brand off iHerb. Great price, good quality, and high concentration.
3) Protein: A diet loaded with steak, chicken, pork, bacon, and beef will certainly do wonders, but some of you will require a little extra (mainly former vegetarians and Too-Skinny Jimmies). Protein is essential, especially post-workout, to optimize recovery as well as repair/build muscle. This is basic, well-known shit so I'm not going any further into it than this.
Tips:
A. The optimal window post-workout to take protein is anywhere with 45 minutes of completion. Ideally, consuming some kind of protein shake within 15
Options:
A. The EAS brand from Costco is decent quality at a good price. Flavor ain't so bad either.
B. Anil swears by Optimum Nutrition brand off Vitacost.
C. OPT also has a wide variety of great products in his online store. Ranging from protein powders to REFUEL, a recovery supplement designed by the man himself.
4) Magnesium (and Zinc): Most, if not all, people are deficient in magnesium and zinc, two essential natural minerals. If you recall that Dan John article, he highly recommends magnesium. It
Tips:
A. Take roughly 40 minutes to an hour before going to bed. This isn't required, but it's the best time frame for consumption.
B. You may experience some trippy dreams, but it's perfectly normal and sometimes very fun. I'm sure you all miss college anyways.
Options:
A. Natural Calm. Robb Wolf and many others have spoken very highly about this brand. I'm currently taking it and sleeping like a baby. Naturally, as you've all noticed, I'm not exactly "calm" but that's because I'm an asshole. Note: This supplement only contains magnesium so you may want to take zinc tablets along with it. They can be bought all over.
B. ZMA. The Twin Labs brand from iHerb is a good product for a good price, but there are other options out there as well.
There are certainly other options out there, ranging from glutamine to beta alanine and so on. But again, this goes back to my initial statement: Without solid sleep and a good diet, taking all the craziest supplements in the world won't matter. The ones listed above, however, are essential, important, and effective, which is why I've included them here.
Information Is Beautiful provided an excellent interactive graphic regarding supplements, vitamins, and minerals here.
If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
3/13/10
Recovery: Sleep
You don't get enough. Sure, a couple of you might here and there, but across the board, I'm going to assume most of you are not getting enough sleep. Furthermore, even if you're sleeping hours on end, if it's not quality sleep, then you're not getting the full benefit.
In case you haven't read Dan John's article from yesterday, I'll repost this quote: "[Sleep] is the single best weight loss tool, muscle gain tool, training tool, life tool, I have ever encountered."
Sleep is awesome. It's ability to reduce stress, improve recovery, and make life fucking great is unmatched. An excellent book that really delves into the subject is Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival. I have a copy if anyone is interested enough to read it. But really, I absolutely recommend you purchase a copy. Robb Wolf tells people to buy two copies: one for yourself and one for a family memeber. And after you read it, give it someone else. And so on.
An excellent quote from the book (paraphrased since I never get it right) is "Get as much sleep as you can without getting fired or divorced." Robb Wolf adds, "And if your job or spouse are shitty, you're better off focusing on the sleep."
So here are some basic tips to sleep more and optimize the quality of your sleep:
1) Your room should be completely pitch black. Turn off the TV, shield your windows from the streetlights outside, and cover all LED's. Basically, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face.
2) Keep your room at a cool temperature. If you have a ceiling fan, use it. Don't give yourself hypothermia obviously, but keep it cool. Like Obama.
3) Think: Cave. This should hopefully simplify the above steps.
4) Sleep AT LEAST 8 hours a night, preferably 9. That's right: 9 hours a night. You'll feel glorious.
5) This one is tough for most, but the closer you can go to sleep at sunset, the better. Similarly, you should be waking up around sunrise. Again, it's hard for people to do this with modern life's demands and people's absurd adherence to television programs, but try it out.
6) Another difficult one, but quality sleep means you should be waking up without an alarm clock. This is an indicator that you're well rested and getting quality sleep. Nevertheless, I'd recommend setting one since I don't want to blamed for any of you being fired.
7) If you can't get to bed when the sun goes down, do your best to at least dim the lights around your house/apartment. It's not perfect, but it's a way to "trick" your body into thinking the sun is still going down. This is Circadian rhythm shit, people!
8) This is from Eric Cressey, a brilliant trainer full of good information: "If you sleep on your side, put a small pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, put the pillow underneath your knees. If you sleep on your stomach, stop!" This tip is mainly to help keep your spine in a favorable position as you sleep.
8) Best tip to get the most out of your sleep? Don't work the nightshift. Fuck. My. Life.
In case you haven't read Dan John's article from yesterday, I'll repost this quote: "[Sleep] is the single best weight loss tool, muscle gain tool, training tool, life tool, I have ever encountered."
Sleep is awesome. It's ability to reduce stress, improve recovery, and make life fucking great is unmatched. An excellent book that really delves into the subject is Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival. I have a copy if anyone is interested enough to read it. But really, I absolutely recommend you purchase a copy. Robb Wolf tells people to buy two copies: one for yourself and one for a family memeber. And after you read it, give it someone else. And so on.
An excellent quote from the book (paraphrased since I never get it right) is "Get as much sleep as you can without getting fired or divorced." Robb Wolf adds, "And if your job or spouse are shitty, you're better off focusing on the sleep."
So here are some basic tips to sleep more and optimize the quality of your sleep:
1) Your room should be completely pitch black. Turn off the TV, shield your windows from the streetlights outside, and cover all LED's. Basically, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face.
2) Keep your room at a cool temperature. If you have a ceiling fan, use it. Don't give yourself hypothermia obviously, but keep it cool. Like Obama.
3) Think: Cave. This should hopefully simplify the above steps.
4) Sleep AT LEAST 8 hours a night, preferably 9. That's right: 9 hours a night. You'll feel glorious.
5) This one is tough for most, but the closer you can go to sleep at sunset, the better. Similarly, you should be waking up around sunrise. Again, it's hard for people to do this with modern life's demands and people's absurd adherence to television programs, but try it out.
6) Another difficult one, but quality sleep means you should be waking up without an alarm clock. This is an indicator that you're well rested and getting quality sleep. Nevertheless, I'd recommend setting one since I don't want to blamed for any of you being fired.
7) If you can't get to bed when the sun goes down, do your best to at least dim the lights around your house/apartment. It's not perfect, but it's a way to "trick" your body into thinking the sun is still going down. This is Circadian rhythm shit, people!
8) This is from Eric Cressey, a brilliant trainer full of good information: "If you sleep on your side, put a small pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, put the pillow underneath your knees. If you sleep on your stomach, stop!" This tip is mainly to help keep your spine in a favorable position as you sleep.8) Best tip to get the most out of your sleep? Don't work the nightshift. Fuck. My. Life.
3/12/10
Recovery
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, we're shifting towards more metcons - much to Nils's delight. We obviously are not abandoning strength work, as it is the most essential tool in developing overall badassery. Still, we need to begin building our tolerance for multiple, long-duration metcons. Unfortunately, these kinds of workouts beat us down and tire us out. As I've preached from the beginning, proper recovery will be essential to give it your best day in and day out.
Over the next few days, I will be covering three vital aspects of recovery:
1) Sleep
2) Supplementation
3) Mobility i.e. Foam Rolling, Myofascial Release, Stretching, etc
Naturally, there are other things to consider as well, but I'll be focusing on these three for the time being, as I suspect many of you are seriously lacking in one - if not all - of them.
This is merely a precursor at the moment (Translation: I'm at the office, have work to do, and haven't had any coffee yet tonight), so I will leave you with the following article by Dan John, a renowned strength coach from Utah, the birthplace of yours truly...
Dan John's Ten Commandments of Recovery.
Over the next few days, I will be covering three vital aspects of recovery:
1) Sleep
2) Supplementation
3) Mobility i.e. Foam Rolling, Myofascial Release, Stretching, etc
Naturally, there are other things to consider as well, but I'll be focusing on these three for the time being, as I suspect many of you are seriously lacking in one - if not all - of them.
This is merely a precursor at the moment (Translation: I'm at the office, have work to do, and haven't had any coffee yet tonight), so I will leave you with the following article by Dan John, a renowned strength coach from Utah, the birthplace of yours truly...
Dan John's Ten Commandments of Recovery.
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