Today’s guest post comes from Geoff Pritchard, a certified personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. Geoff had already written a great guest post for me last year, and when he offered a follow-up, I said yes. For some people, recovery isn’t the flashiest topic, but it’s something most of us could benefit from. It’s also the area that’s easy to skip in day-to-day life. So please read on.
A year ago I wrote on Tony’s blog about ideas and people shaping the fitness world in recovery and regeneration. I hoped to inspire you to spend more time working on tight muscle tissue. In my massage practice, I still see athletes coming in with problems from not giving recovery the focus it deserves. So what should you do? Let’s revisit what I said before and add practical steps to protect your soft tissue from harm.
My goals then were threefold: to review the basics for better performance, to evaluate research and evidence-based practices in fitness and bodywork, and to incorporate simple changes into your schedule. These pillars are what I tell my clients to achieve the best results.
Foundation first: nutrition and sleep. The body recovers from daily stress through proper nutrition and adequate rest. If this base isn’t solid, all other recovery efforts will be limited or fail.
Research and evidence-based strategies
Last year I mentioned Nick Grantham and Sue Hitzmann for their recovery approaches. Nick continues mentoring athletes and professionals in England; Sue has published The MELT Method and appeared on Dr. Oz to discuss fascia, mobility, and movement. Sue even helped NBC air Gil Hedley’s dissection videos. If you want a true look inside our muscles and fascia, Gil Hedley’s YouTube videos are free and worth checking out.
My 2013 recommendations
Which experts are making a real impact on soft-tissue dysfunction and helping prevent long-term problems like chronic pain and muscle damage? My list comes from two sources: Kelly Starrett and the broader recovery community. Starrett’s two-day CreativeLive seminar on mobility was one of the best comprehensive workshops I’ve attended. He teamed up with friends like Carl Paoli, Brian Mackenzie, Jim Kean, and Jill Miller. This material pairs well with key resources such as Assess and Correct, Muscle Imbalances Revealed (Upper and Lower Body), and Training = Rehab, Rehab = Training. While CreativeLive access costs about $99, a lot of content is also available through MobilityWOD, which hosts hundreds of posts—just search and explore.
A note from Baltimore
Fifteen months ago I left Boston, a major fitness hub, to be closer to family in Baltimore. The move meant rebuilding my network of great trainers and bodyworkers. I’m fortunate to have access to a strong local community, including people like Joe Sansalone, Alli McKee, Neghar Fonooni, Karen Dubs, and Emily Socolinsky. And yes, we’ve even got a new Under Armour storefront to enjoy locally.
How this relates to recovery and what to change
The key message is simple: do whatever you haven’t been doing. We easily fall into routine and forget to challenge our soft tissue where it needs it most. An outside opinion can help. Reach out to a local expert who isn’t your usual gym buddy and have them assess your movement and identify weak links. Fixing areas of dysfunction and stagnant tissue helps restore normal resting muscle length, reduce fascial restrictions, and improve your chances for peak performance.
Online coaching is another option. With internet access and a webcam, you can connect with movement specialists around the world. If you can, invest in a couple of sessions to get moving in the right direction.
What to do next
Once you know what to do—whether it’s trigger-point work, soft-tissue work, or active stretching (AIS or PNF)—incorporate it into your daily routine for 15 minutes a day, every day, until the changes become permanent and integrated. You may work on two to five trouble areas. And don’t forget to keep moving. If you don’t combine the new patterns with actual movement, you won’t fully reset your neuromuscular control.
Commit to those 15 minutes daily, stay focused, and keep the agonist/antagonist balance in mind. If you can go deeper, do so—just keep your breathing steady.
If you’d like help, leave a comment describing what’s holding back your performance or recovery, and I’ll offer a couple of practical ideas to get you started. Also share information about local experts in your city who are pushing recovery and regeneration forward. As a bonus, I’m offering a free Skype consultation to one person who posts a comment in the next two weeks.
I’m off to practice my own recovery and mobility routine: trunk rotation and extension with active isolated stretching, plus a few hip-rotation exercises from Evan Osar.
Author’s bio
Geoff Pritchard is an NSCA-certified personal trainer and a licensed massage therapist with eight years of experience in gyms, health clubs, and corporate wellness centers. He recently moved to Maryland and opened Charm City Massage – Therapeutic Bodywork for Optimum Performance – in Lutherville-Timonium. If you’d like to connect, find Geoff on Facebook.
