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Aggressive Strength Tip Of The Week
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The Importance Of Restoration
Recently, I purchased top strength coach Louie Simmons? excellent DVD
entitled ?Special Strength.? I had a chance to watch it last week and I
was very impressed. At first I was going to kick back and watch the DVD
leisurely. However, after a few minutes, I soon realized that I was
watching an information packed DVD and I quickly started taking notes.
Ninety minutes and ten pages later I was ecstatic with all of the great
tips that I picked up and I cannot wait to apply the methods to my
kettlebell workouts. One of the sections of the DVD covers a variety of
restoration or recovery methods. I was reminded how important
restoration is and how many trainees miss the boat. Lets go over a couple methods that you should incorporate into your routine now.
Massage Therapy: This is one of the most overlooked and most effective
methods for exercise recovery and injury prevention. Ideally, you hire
a sports massage therapist that is familiar with the type of training
that you do. However, even a generic massage one to two times a month will provide some benefit. I look at a massage like a tune up. Just as you
would take your car in for a tune up to keep everything working, you
should take your body in for a tune up. A good massage therapist will
break up scar tissue and relieve congestion and tension in the muscles.
Moreover, a good massage has a re-charge effect for both your mind and
body. Translation: your muscles will work better, your CNS will work
better, and as a result your workouts will be much better. Forget about
spending two hundred dollars a month on supplements and do something
that actually works. In my opinion, regular massages are one of the most
important things that you can do for you health. If you are in the Los
Angeles area, make an appointment with Dianna Linden by calling her at:
310.394.1450. For more info on the benefits of massage for athletes,
contact Kettlebell instructor and massage therapist Dave Whitely at
http://www.irontamer.com
Ice Therapy: ice therapy is inexpensive and highly effective. However,
you have to take advantage of ice therapy immediately after training to get the full benefits. Ice therapy pulls blood into the worked muscle and
brings in healing nutrients with it. On Louie Simmons? ?Special
Strength? DVD, Louie goes over icing the shoulders and pecs while sitting in a jacuzzi. On the DVD, Louie is using ice. However, you could use a
cryocup or just a bag of ice. Rub the shoulders, chest, and arms for a few
minutes, and then submerse yourself in the jacuzzi for a few minutes.
Go back and forth for ten minutes. If you do not have a jacuzzi, try using
a hot bath or hot shower in conjunction with ice therapy.
Sauna treatment: There is nothing like a good sweat after a solid
workout to get the toxins out of the muscles. Moreover, the sauna is also a great place to do some light stretching. Your muscles will be warm and you will find that you are more flexible. Sitting in a sauna for ten to fifteen
minutes is also a great way to switch gears and relax after a tough
workout or a tough day. Sitting in a sauna for a few minutes before
training can also be a great way to warm up and is something that my
friend and Northern VA strength coach Dylan Thomas does.
Joint Mobility Exercises: many trainees believe in training super hard
and then doing as little as possible in between training sessions. A more
effective strategy is to do some light training sessions in between the
harder ones to get some blood moving into the worked muscles. Joint
mobility sessions are one effective and time efficient way to get the
job done. Joint mobility exercises are basically active stretching
exercises that keep the joints healthy. I like to end each of my workouts with five to ten minutes of joint mobility training and then do ten to fifteen
minutes of joint mobility work on my lighter training days. I recommend
highly that you get Steve Maxwell?s joint mobility DVD at
http://www.maxercise.com and Pavel?s ?SuperJoints? book and DVD at
http://www.dragondoor.com/b16.html?kbid=1245
Pick at least two of the above restoration methods and plug them into
your training regimen for eight weeks. You will be ecstatic with the
improvements that follow. Also make sure to pick up Louie Simmons?
?Special Strength? DVD at http://www.westside-barbell.com/videos.htm
