{"id":6292,"date":"2023-08-05T01:07:51","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T18:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6292"},"modified":"2023-08-05T01:07:51","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T18:07:51","slug":"why-you-dont-actually-want-to-speed-up-muscle-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6292","title":{"rendered":"Why You Don&#8217;t Actually Want To Speed Up Muscle Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">W<\/span>hen you\u2019re hurting after a hard workout and eager to get to your next one\u2014or, at least, to be able to get out of bed without groaning\u2014anything that promises to make you feel better, faster has some appeal.<\/p>\n<p>And these days, there\u2019s no shortage of products and experiences making that very promise, or at least something like it, from compression boots to massage tools to cryotherapy to infrared saunas.<\/p>\n<p>While those \u201crecovery\u201d tools may feel good, the truth is that they probably aren\u2019t actually helping to speed up muscle recovery. And according to physical therapist and run coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainsmartrunstrong.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.trainsmartrunstrong.com\/\">Victoria Sekely, DPT, CSCS,<\/a> that isn\u2019t even necessarily an outcome worth pursuing. \u201cWhy do we need to speed that up?\u201d she says. \u201cOur body needs to go through the process of recovering, and you want that to be done properly, and that\u2019s going to take time.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/drsharongam.com\/about-me\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/drsharongam.com\/about-me\/\">Sharon Gam, PhD, CSCS<\/a>, Orlando-based certified personal trainer and health coach <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamholland.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.teamholland.com\/\">Tom Holland, MS, CSCS, CISSN<\/a>, exercise physiologist, author of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMicro-Workout-Plan-Body-without-Minutes-ebook%2Fdp%2FB07XDJ675Z%3Ftag%3D%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fspeed-up-muscle-recovery%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fspeed-up-muscle-recovery%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Micro-Workout-Plan-Body-without-Minutes-ebook\/dp\/B07XDJ675Z\">The Micro Workout Plan<\/a> <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainsmartrunstrong.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.trainsmartrunstrong.com\/\">Victoria Sekely, DPT, CSCS<\/a>, physical therapist, run coach, and certified strength and conditioning specialist <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p>It isn\u2019t hard to draw the connection between our desire to recover faster\u2014and therefore get to our next hard workout faster\u2014and the hustle culture mentality that tells us that resting is for the weak. \u201cIt\u2019s very linked to that idea that we should be working all the time and constantly doing hard efforts, and that\u2019s how we\u2019re going to improve,\u201d Dr. Sekely says. \u201cBut in reality, you should very much be taking your recovery days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And by recovery days, she means the ones that come naturally to your body. \u201cOur bodies are ridiculously good at doing what they do,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamholland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.teamholland.com\/\">Tom Holland, MS, CSCS, CISSN,<\/a> an exercise physiologist and trainer. \u201cThey often just need to be fed well and rested when appropriate, and we get a lot out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/speed-up-muscle-recovery\/\" current-title=\"These Experts Are Begging You To Stop Trying To \u2018Speed Up\u2019 Your Workout Recovery\" current-image=\"GettyImages-speed-up-workout-recovery-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-02-04\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/speed-up-muscle-recovery\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/speed-up-muscle-recovery\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/speed-up-muscle-recovery\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Is it even <em>possible <\/em>to speed up your recovery?<\/h2>\n<p>The actual, physiological process that your body goes through after a difficult workout\u2014your cells rebuild the microscopic tears in your muscles, eventually making them stronger\u2014can\u2019t be sped up by a massage gun or an ice bath. \u201cIt has to happen in the way it\u2019s going to happen,\u201d says Dr. Sekely. \u201cYour muscle doesn\u2019t respond to a massage gun hammering at it\u2014your muscle responds to blood flow, the nutrients you\u2019re giving it, how you\u2019re sleeping. There\u2019s no amount of massage gun that\u2019s going to help the fibers physically get back together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, it\u2019s worth considering what the word \u201crecovery\u201d has come to signify in fitness and wellness spaces\u2014and if it has become overly conflated with \u201cself-care.\u201d Can recovery tools like massage guns, infrared saunas, and compression boots provide a reduction in pain or soreness (not to mention a relaxing experience)? Sure. But they won\u2019t change the fact that your body needs time to literally rebuild after a hard workout. \u201cThe effects that you\u2019re getting are short-term,\u201d says Dr. Sekely. \u201cSo they\u2019re not harmful, but they\u2019re also not doing much.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The actual keys to recovery<\/h2>\n<p>While there&#8217;s nothing wrong with using recovery tools if they feel good after a hard workout, both Holland and Dr. Sekely say their concern is that they distract from what we <em>really<\/em> need to recover: rest, sleep, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-to-eat-after-a-workout\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-to-eat-after-a-workout\/\">refueling<\/a>, and rehydrating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil you get those things happening consistently, I don\u2019t care how many ice baths you take\u2014it\u2019s not going to make a difference,\u201d says Holland. \u201cIf you are training correctly and you are fueling, sure, let\u2019s talk about the boots\u2014going out for a 20-mile run and then putting those on does feel good. But if you come right home and jump in the ice bath or put on the boots and you don\u2019t refuel and you don\u2019t rehydrate, then it\u2019s diminishing returns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Sekely says we need to remember there\u2019s no true <em>need<\/em> to drop $500 for a fancy piece of equipment to recover\u2014our bodies will do that all on their own if we just give them time.<\/p>\n<h2>Should you use recovery tools at all?<\/h2>\n<p>As long as your recovery product of choice isn\u2019t breaking your bank, go ahead and use it if it makes you feel good\u2014just be sure you\u2019re also paying attention to your sleep, fuel, and hydration, and taking ample rest before your next hard effort.<\/p>\n<p>Your favorite recovery tools may even be helping in the rest and sleep departments. A study (funded by Theragun, admittedly) found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/theragun-sleep\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/theragun-sleep\/\">using a massage gun before bed<\/a> helped people fall asleep faster and wake up fewer times at night. And compression boots might help our muscles more fully relax, according to exercise physiologist <a href=\"https:\/\/drsharongam.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/drsharongam.com\/\">Sharon Gam, PhD, CSCS<\/a>. \u201cThe boots are&#8230;giving you a little bit of structure and support to allow even those tiny, tiny little muscles&#8230;to let go,\u201d she previously told Well+Good about why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/normatec-3-review\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/normatec-3-review\/\">compression boots<\/a> can give you an even greater sense of release than you can get from just lying on the couch.<\/p>\n<p>Another potential benefit: Knowing you have a reward at the end of your workout may inspire you to get movin\u2019 more often. Plus, says Holland, \u201cThe placebo effect is the most powerful tool in sports psychology,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I\u2019m all for that\u2014I\u2019m just not okay with people wasting their time and money.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you\u2019re hurting after a hard workout and eager to get to your next one\u2014or, at least, to be able to get out of bed without groaning\u2014anything that promises to make you feel better, faster has some appeal. And these days, there\u2019s no shortage of products and experiences making that very promise, or at least &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}