At CrossFit Bartlett we schedule in two off days. They are usually Sunday and Thursday barring holidays or natural disasters. You have probably noticed that these days come almost exactly when you need them. At least for myself i know that if I have been working hard after Wednesday and Saturday I’m good and ready for a rest day.
The question then becomes are you getting the most out of your rest days? I know that for a long portion of my CrossFit career I just lay around and did nothing on my rest days. Then I began to read and hear more and more about recovery methods. I came to the realization that I need to do more than just rest to recover well. Better recovery ?= Better results. So what are the different ways you can help yourself recover well? There are several and they are all individual to each person. One easy step to help fight inflammation (the soreness you feel in your joints and muscles after a hard workout) is to take fish oil. Fish oil helps fight inflammation naturally and is an easy way to cut-down on muscle soreness.
Another slightly more time-consuming way to help you recover is the dreaded foam roller. If you have a tight spot somewhere that wont release no matter how much you stretch try hopping on a foam roller. Think a rolling pin on cookie dough and try to flatten out that knot in your leg as much as you can. Another more targeted way to get rid of those knots you feel when you move around is the Lacrosse ball. These work on the same principles as the foam roller but allow you to be a little more targeted with your flattening. We also have a double lacrosse ball taped together affectionately called the peanut. This particular device is suppose to be used to get both sides of your spine at the same time. for more advice on the use of LAX balls and foam rollers go to mobilitywod.blogspot.com and the host k-star will give you tips on how to become a supple leopard.
The last recovery method I’m going to bring up is only a suggestion and in no way mandatory. It is the dreaded ice bath. That’s right, a good way to recover from a particularly hard week is to fill up your tub or a giant tuperware bin with 20# of ice give or take a few lbs and cold water. Once that is finished hop on in for 5-10 minutes. I’m not going to lie it will be cold and you will shiver but when you get out you will feel refreshed and warm comparatively speaking. I’m not necessarily suggesting you do this, just exposing it to you as a kind of nuclear option. What do you guys do to recover? are you actively recovering or passively resting?
Kerry Windmilling away! Click here to check out more pics on Flickr!
