Recovery Gear

So last weekend I trashed my legs running three miles of stairs to help celebrate my boy’s birthday. It’s an annual thing he’s been doing the past few years to ring in his birthday. Super fun - if you’re into masochism, and challenging yourself. My Strava stats said it was the equivalent of two thousand feet of climbing, which if you’re an ultra marathoner might be an easy weekend. But for this street runner that has been taking it light on the mileage since Boston, it was an ass kicker. Jeff and I got to chatting and catching up on things and he asked me what I do for recovery efforts on hard days like this weekend. I figured it’s worth shedding some light on for you too.

Foam roller or Hypervolt – First of all, shout out to all my massage and body workers out there! I think nothing beats a great massage to help with the muscle soreness, tightness and improving mobility. However, with COVID, your local massage studio might not be open due to restrictions. And to be real, a quality massage can be expensive. So that’s where the self-myofascial release comes in. For about the price of one good massage, I can invest in various rollers, balls, peanuts, sticks and other self torture devices to use for years on end. Within the past three years or so, there’s also been an explosion of therapy massage guns available as another alternative to catching those massage hands or rolling out. My personal fave is Hypervolt due to its quietness, long battery life and mid-range price point for a quality device. So which is better aside from a qualified masseuse? Rollers and guns both serve the same purpose in relieving soreness and helping with mobility, but it’s like looking for directions to your favorite restaurant on Google Maps, you’ll get there whether you take the freeway or the streets. If you have time to wrestle with the roller on the ground for 20-30 minutes, go for it. But if you’re short on time or are too tired for the rolling sesh, a massage gun is where it’s at.

Compression pants or compression boots – For years, putting your legs up against the wall or keeping them elevated above your head was the way to go to help get the blood circulated more evenly to the rest of your body after a hard leg day, rid them of lymph fluids and recovery faster. But perhaps you want a different way to get your legs back into game. Two other tekkie options at your disposal would be a pair of high quality compression pants or for a more intense effect, a pair of compression boots. A pair of good compression pants can cost upwards of $170 but are highly effective in providing compression on the right areas of your legs muscles that typically get trashed from a super tough workout. My favorite brand is from a company called CW-X. They feel great, work even better and since they’re pants, you can get around during your day and not be tied down to the couch or the wall waiting to finish your time with having legs up or being situated in a compression boot. So what are compression boots? They look part astronaut suit and part fly fishing wading pants. With compression boots, you’ll slide into them like a pair of waders, sit down on the couch, turn on the air inflator machine they’re attached to and watch the pants fill with air and feel your legs being squeezed like you’re an extra in the movie Anaconda. As with the compression pants and throwing your legs up on the wall, it aids in quickly removing the lymph fluids and increasing the blood flow from your legs to the rest of you body to help with that recovery effort. You can adjust the level of compression the boots provide as well. The feeling is like having your arm in a blood pressure cuff, just imagine that on every inch of your feet, legs and hips. Definitely on the higher end in terms of price too. Prices are typically from $500 to $1000. Compression boots or pants are great items to have in your tool kit when it comes to recovering right.

There’s not one specific way, nor best way to recover just like there’s not one specific way to work out your legs. As with anything, you can go with shelling out bank to have the latest and greatest toy out there, or you can go low budget and stick with more traditional, analog solutions. Regardless of what you choose, your recovery game has to be just as on point as the workout if you’re looking to make progress on speed or muscle growth. LeBron James spends $1.5 million a year to take care of his body and it shows through his performance on the court. Winning another championship will definitely help him earn more money for his next contract negotiations with the Lakers and his sponsorship deals. I’d say that’s a pretty good return on investment! Likewise, invest in yourself and your recovery efforts so that you’re feeling great and able to do more and earn more. You might not have $1.5 milli to spend, but I’m more than positive you can find ways to be more effective in your recovery efforts. Hopefully these comparisons help you figure out what is best for you­­­

I got home later that Saturday morning throughout the day took advantage of a lot of this stuff listed. In the end, if you worked your legs to death, you’re still going to be sore the next day regardless of what you try. It’s just how your body reacts when you break down the muscle fibers. But doing all the above will help mitigate some of the pain and help you recover better and faster mos def! Sunday left me hobbling around a bit like a new born deer. Can’t wait til we do it again for his fortieth next year!