Fitness, Health and Wellness

If you are a first timer, ski season prep is essential; from having the correct gear at hand, to getting in proper shape is important so that your ski trip is fun, safe and injury-free. While skiing is an incredibly fun activity, most of us can only ski for a few months out of the year. This means that the first time you hit the slopes, your body is unaccustomed to this new activity.  This can be quite challenging on the body. With ski season being just around the corner, you should start your training now. Skiing can be very physically demanding. It involves the work of so many muscle groups. It also requires you to focus on endurance, balance and core strength. Your workout exercises to prepare for ski season should emphasize largely on these three aspects as well as strengthening the muscles that are used the most. If you are thinking about what exercises to do before skiing, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a general overview of how to get your body ready for skiing. 1. Strengthening Exercises The best exercises before skiing, involve exercises that target your quads, glutes, hamstrings and hips as these are the areas that get worked on the most. 2. Focus on Balance Exercises to prepare for skiing should also emphasize making your core stronger as this will help you improve your balance and provide enough stability for skiing. 3. Building Endurance Most of us plan on skiing all day, even if it's been months or years since we last skied. This requires a good deal of endurance. Cardio should be an essential part of your training plan in order to ensure that you don’t get exhausted earlier on.   Early exhaustion can put your body at  risk of heavy injury. Compliment your training with running and cycling to build endurance.  Importance of Muscle Recovery Skiing works parts of your body that you don’t use in everyday life. As a result, it’s likely that you will experience muscle soreness and fatigue. A proper recovery plan is essential before you go on your ski holiday.  This will ensure that you don’t call it quits on the first day itself and  that you are ready for continuous  days on the slopes. With skiing, quick recovery after workout should be the game plan. How to Recover After Exercising There are a few methods in which you can obtain muscle recovery after workout.  We will discuss recovery specific to skiing. What are the things you can do in the evenings after a day of skiing, in order to make you feel ready for the next day on the slopes? Stretching One of the most effective leg workout recovery methods is stretching.   It will help you avoid having sore muscles the next day. The key target areas for stretching are your leg muscles, glutes and lower back. Stay Hydrated At higher altitudes, you  tend to lose water from your body much faster than if you  were at sea level. It’s important to ensure that you are well hydrated as this will help with repairing your muscles faster. SPRYNG Active Compression Recovery Solution This compact and portable recovery device can easily be packed in your bag and be taken with you on your skiing trip. SPRYNG utilizes patent-pending compression profiles to improve performance and accelerate recovery.  SPRYNG is ideal for your leg workout recovery after a day of skiing. The device is clinically proven to improve blood circulation, promote lactic acid flush-out, and increase oxygen supply to muscle tissue.  To find out more about the science behind SPRYNG click here.  

Football is a very demanding sport. A sport that utilizes the mind and body to their full capacity. A simple practice session would leave any player exhausted. Hence the  following football recovery techniques is of high importance. Football recovery methods can largely be categorized into two segments; active recovery methods, and passive recovery methods. Both of these methods should be utilized to keep the players at their optimum. Active Recovery Methods These methods are important to avoid the muscles from getting stiff. No coach would want a player to take the field with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Therefore, every player must undergo active football recovery sessions. Correct Cool Down Sore legs after football practice sessions are an NFL or  NCAA player’s worst nightmare. This is why a proper cool-down session should be in place.Go on an easy jog around the ground, just to keep those muscles loose. After the jog, stretch out the important muscle groups. This gives instant relief to the areas that were strained during practice. Recovery Workouts While the cool-down should be done immediately after practice, recovery workouts are to be done at least a day later. A typical football recovery workout would include special exercises and light fitness sessions. In today’s world, there are specific football recovery drills that help in flushing out the excess lactic acid in the body. The workouts can comprise of a swim, an easy cycle, or an easy run, followed by stretching. They are never difficult, but just enough to work up a good sweat Passive Recovery Methods Additionally, recovery can be done through some external aids as well. However, do not think that these are alternatives to active recovery. To get the best results, active and passive recovery should be done together. Ice Baths If you are in a professional team, a football recovery ice bath is a staple for any player. Ice baths have been known to reduce the effects of strains and injuries, thereby making recovery quicker in the long run.A dip in a cool tub (around 50-59°F) for about 10-15 minutes is believed to restrict the blood flow to strained and damaged muscles. This results in lesser swelling in the area and better relaxation of the muscles. Massages Massages help remove excess lactic acid away from muscle groups that are difficult to stretch out by yourself. The soft-tissue mobilization helps relieve the stiffness of the strained area, allowing for better mobility and blood circulation in the area. Whether it is a physio using a massage gun, cupping, or traditional acupuncture needles, they all result in faster recovery. Recovery Tools With the development of sports science, the use of special recovery tools has become popular. Many in the market can help various sportsmen/sportswomen. However, only a selected few can serve footballers. SPRYNG is a perfect muscle recovery tool in this instance. Spryng consists of 2 sleeves,  which you can adjust  the intensity level and compression pattern. The patent-pending wavetec pattern helps mimic the skeletal muscle pump, thereby releasing the pooled blood in the legs towards the core. This improves blood circulation and flushes lactic acid, resulting in faster recovery. SPRYNG will help you become match ready faster. Playing a rough sport like football requires a lot of discipline, especially if you want to play at the top of your game.  Remember it is not only about building fitness, having team chemistry, and being skilled with the ball. Planning for recovery is equally important!

A soccer game can take a lot out of you! With players covering around seven miles per game, on average, this is no surprise.  Aside from all the running, it’s the short bursts of sprinting and constant changing  of direction  that keeps your heart rate high throughout the span of the 90-minute game. Not to mention, the technical aspects such a passing, tackling and shooting, requires you to be in good form, each time you play. It doesn’t matter if you are an amateur or a pro, getting tired after a game will affect your performance. Post soccer game recovery is important if you want to bounce back quickly from games and perform at your best. This article focusses on everything you need to know about optimizing your muscle recovery after a soccer game. Why Do You Get DOMS After Soccer? Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the body’s natural reaction to unaccustomed stress from intense activity. It generally sets in 1 to2 days after exercise and can take days to dissipate. DOMS after soccer isn’t an out of the ordinary occurrence. Soccer Regeneration & Recovery Session Part of being a fit soccer player is being prepared to perform at your best at each game. Making sure you recover well will ensure that all your training does not go to waste. For faster recovery between soccer games, you need to make sure you have a good recovery plan. It’s important to keep in mind that recovery means more than just rest. Recovery is the work you do after you play to prepare yourself for your next challenge. When done right, it allows you to train harder, helps you maintain peak performance longer and allows you to prevent injury. Here are some of the best leg recovery methods for soccer players to alleviate symptoms of DOMS. 1. Nutrition & Hydration A big part of a soccer recovery session involves proper nutrition and hydration. Nutrition can aid in recovery from fatigue by providing carbohydrates, fluid & protein. During a game, you sweat  As a result, you lose two important substances that your body needs: water and electrolytes.  Ensure that you are properly hydrated during practice sessions and games by drinking lots of water. To replace lost electrolytes, eat bananas, raisins, celery and bell peppers. 2. Warm Up During your warm us sessions, perform exercises that are relevant to the work that you will be doing that day. Some great warm up exercises for a soccer session include Front and lateral kicks, Hip openers, Lunges and High knees. 3. Foam Rolling Foam rolling is believed to alleviate muscle fatigue and soreness and improve muscular performance. Muscle recovery is one of the most important aspects of our body as soccer players, and we need to start addressing it as such. 4. Sleep Sleep is extremely important for your recovery and for your performance. Thereby sleep is essential in tackling leg pain after soccer. Sleeping for an average of 7-9 hours can increase muscle mass and get you ready for your next game. Sleep enhances muscle recovery through protein synthesis and human growth hormone release. 5. Portable recovery through SPRYNG Active Compression Every soccer player needs this in their gym bag! The innovative wavetec compression pattern that SPRYNG uses is effective in improving circulation. SPRYNG helps  with muscle recovery  and provides  relief for swelling and generalized leg pains. It does this through graduated compression of the calf muscle to accelerate healing and recovery. What’s even better is that all this can be achieved with just 15 minutes of use. SPRYNG is ideal for soccer players that need quick,  on-the –go recovery between soccer games. Find out about SPRYNG on our SCIENCE page  

Why CrossFit? CrossFit is defined as; constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity. What this essentially means is that a CrossFit program helps to build strength and conditioning through extremely varied and challenging workouts. Each WOD (Workout of the Day), tests a different part of your functional strength or conditioning, with the aim of building a body that is practically capable of anything and everything. Originally the principal strength and conditioning program for police academies and tactical operations teams, CrossFit has now gained widespread popularity in gyms all around the world. The main reason being that the CrossFit's program is designed for universal scalability This  means that any individual, regardless of their experience or ability, can participate in the sport. Post WOD Muscle Soreness This is not to be mistaken for the immediate soreness that might be experienced as a result of injury from a workout.   We experience post-workout soreness, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)  when we perform workouts at a higher intensity or perform a new or unaccustomed exercise. With CrossFit workouts being constantly varied, DOMS is inevitable.  If you read our article, ‘Easy & Effective Ways to Reduce Muscle Soreness After a Workout’, you will learn in more detail about what causes Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). If you are a CrossFit newbie, CrossFit beginner soreness can discourage you  from getting back into the box again. Knowing the most effective CrossFit post workout recovery techniques can help reduce pain, decrease recovery time, and get you back in the gym quicker. CrossFit Soreness Recovery The faster we recover, the more we can get out of our training and the more progress we make. In this article, we’ll discuss the best recovery for CrossFit and make sure your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness doesn’t keep you from reaching your fitness goals. 1. Proper Nutrition When you exercise, this results in microscopic tears that occur in your muscle fibers. Your muscles then repair themselves thicker than before, resulting in muscle growth and strength. Proper nutrition is an essential step in the process of CrossFit muscle recovery. It helps repair  those damaged muscle fibers, allowing you to heal faster and become stronger than before. An intense exercise regimen such as CrossFit burns up a lot of carbohydrates. Therefore, efficient recovery requires reloading protein & carbohydrates, as well as some other micronutrients such as electrolytes and of course water. Protein: Getting adequate protein is essential for the repair of cells that have been damaged during intense training Carbohydrates: Training at a high intensity also depletes your glycogen stores at a rapid rate Vitamins & Minerals: These are essential for the proper functioning of our cells & muscles. Ensuring that you eat a balanced and healthy diet that ensures the greater needs of repairing your cells are met Hydration: During exercise, you tend to lose a lot of water. Since water is the main constituent of blood, this means that poor hydration results in reduced blood volume. Good hydration will contribute to the repair and regrowth of your cells. If you are serious about your training, nutrition is something that should be given utmost importance. If you feel your diet is not giving you enough nutrients for your body to recover, it might be worth considering a CrossFit recovery shake and CrossFit recovery supplements that have these nutritional elements covered. 2. Active Recovery A CrossFit active recovery session is performing low-intensity workouts and less volume than usual, typically between 30-50 percent less. The workout should increase blood flow to the muscles and help to restore proper movement patterns and muscle function which is hindered due to muscle soreness. Here’s a CrossFit endurance recovery WOD for you to try: Warm Up Foam Roll for 5 minutes Perform light, dynamic stretches for 5 minutes Workout: Row for 20 minutes at a comfortable pace (50-70% heart rate max) 3. SPRYNG Active Compression solution With the growth of popularity of CrossFit, there are many CrossFit leg recovery systems appearing in the market but reserved for only elite & top-level athletes. SPRYNG’s Active Compression calf sleeves are ideal for the everyday CrossFit athlete, being more affordable and convenient than other CrossFit muscle recovery machines available out there. The idea behind compression therapy is that by increasing blood flow to specific parts of the body. This  encourages your body to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to those areas and speed up recovery, thereby relieving pain and improving athletic performance.  

 Importance of Strength Training The goal of any competitive swimmer is to become the fastest you can possibility be. It is also no secret that strength training for swimmers is crucial aspect to helping you achieve that goal and be ahead of your competitors. Here are three reasons why swimmers should consider hitting the weight room: Improve Swimming Performance While swimming is done in the pool, a well-designed strength program will help you fill the potential gaps in your performance. Strength training helps with laying a foundation in strength and power that gets you pushing through the water faster. Improve Body Awareness Strength training requires focus, coordination, balance and stability.  This is likely to translate to an increase in your swimming performance. It will also help you be more in-tune with your body and move more effectively and efficiently. Reduce Injury Strength training can target underdeveloped muscles. It will help relieve the demand on those muscles that are over worked and stressed in the water. Having stronger muscles can also put less stress on the joints, tendons, and ligament areas, thereby reducing the rate of injury. Which Muscles to Work On The best strength training for swimmers involves strengthening your core, pectoral muscles, quadricep muscles and the latissimus dorsi. These are the main propulsive muscles used during swimming. When it comes to competitive swimming workouts, we want to ensure to target these muscles when deciding on a program to stick to. Core Muscles Building a strong core is essential to any swimmer. Without a strong core, you will be unable to hold yourself on top of the water, creating unwanted drag. The best swimming workouts will prioritize strengthening your core, which will help transfer strength and power from the gym floor into the pool. A strong core, you will will enable a better transfer of energy from the core to the pull, and kick, components of your stroke. Pectoral Muscles This is just another term for your chest muscles, more commonly known as your “pecs”. The muscle plays an important part in both freestyle stroke and the breaststroke. It not only helps to stabilize your strokes, but also contributes a large amount of strength to your propulsion. Latissimus Dorsi This muscle group is commonly referred to as “lats” and are your middle back muscles. They play a large role in your ability to pull, which is essential to swimmers. You will use these muscles from point of entry into the water all the way until your hand is just past your chest, at which point your pull becomes dominated by your triceps. Quadriceps Muscles Quadriceps are commonly known as your “quads” and are the group of muscles in the front upper part of your legs. Their main purpose is to jump and kick. Though kicking only plays a small role in freestyle, in other strokes such as the backstroke and butterfly kicking plays an important role. Hence, quads help you improve on the kick component. Importance of Recovery Recovery after weight training should be given an equal amount of importance; that is if you want to improve and become a better swimmer. The faster and more efficiently you recover, the stronger your body will be. During recovery, your body repairs the “damage” you’ve done during your strength workout or swim training. The recovery period is when you finally reap the benefits of all your training.  For swimmers, active recovery is especially important and is a way of keeping your blood moving to transport nutrients into muscles and waste products out of muscles. SPRYNGs active compression solution is a great investment to take your recovery routine to the next level. If you have ever wondered how to recover sore muscles, SPRYNG does the job.  The device helps to reduce lactic acid build up and increases oxygenation to your tissues. This means the recovery period needed by your body between your training sessions is shorter. To find out more about the science behind SPRYNG click here.

The global lockdown may have compelled you to stay at home. However, that does not mean you can just neglect your general health and wellbeing. Keeping fit and healthy by working out at home is imperative at a time like this, and it will benefit your immune system.   From building cardiovascular fitness to strengthening your muscles, here are four simple and practical CrossFit workouts you can try out at home. Core and Leg Burners With this workout, you are guaranteed to maintain your legs and core for any physical activity, even after the lockdown has ended. Set a mat down, fill a water bottle, and do the following set 10 times: 20 lunges 20 air squats 20 mountain climbers 20 sit-ups or crunches Experiencing CrossFit beginner soreness, where your body muscles hurt, is one great indicator to show that you have done the workout properly. If you want to take it up a notch, time the entire session and see if you can do it faster the next time. Complete Upper Body Equal importance should be given to improving your upper body strength as well. The following upper body workout is a timed workout, which totals up to 16 gruelling minutes: 8 burpees 8 push-ups 16 pull-ups 16 hanging knee tucks or sit-ups Completion of all the exercises in order amounts to one round. The objective is to complete as many rounds as possible within the 16-minute time limit. This is alternatively called an AMRAP workout (As Many Rounds As Possible). You might find it difficult to keep count of the rounds you do after a little while. A simple solution is to have a partner count it for you, or use a whiteboard to jot down each round completed. Quick Full Body The following 20-minute AMRAP workout is just the routine you need to follow for a good full-body workout. Just make sure you have plenty of water and maybe even an energy bar. 21 jumping air squats 15 push-ups 9 Burpee pull-ups (Grab the pullup bar at the top of the burpee jump and finish the pullup) Make sure you pace yourself and count the number of rounds you complete, so you can challenge yourself the next time you do it. An Aerobic Mix Perform eight rounds of the following routine as fast as you can, with a maximum rest of 10-15 seconds to hit your aerobic threshold. 10 push-ups 10 air squats 10 burpees 10 air squats You could challenge yourself by timing the routine. Once you get the hang of it, you can increase the intensity and try to finish the routine faster than the previous attempt. Recovery Recovery is an important element that has to be incorporated into any workout. If you are a beginner or have done your first major virtual CrossFit competition, chances are that you have experienced body soreness. You must have started asking questions like “why do my legs hurt so much after working out?”, “how to recover from CrossFit soreness?”, or even “what to do for recovery after CrossFit competition?”. Do not worry, many a home remedy for leg pain and body soreness can be found. The primary element for CrossFit soreness recovery at home is warm down and stretching. This is important since it helps the muscles flush out excess lactic acid, preventing any stiffness and future injury. Combine massaging techniques as well to reduce swelling in legs. Home remedies that include the use of CrossFit recovery tools can help keep the muscles loose too. SPRYNG is one such recovery tool that aids in flushing out lactic acid stored in the muscles. Its active compression helps prevent the pooling of blood in the legs, aiding in smoother blood flow and faster recovery. Remember though, the best effect of SPRYNG is used in conjunction with a good warm down stretch. All in all, you can still maintain an active and healthy lifestyle at home by following these simple CrossFit workouts. Couple that with simple warm down stretches and home remedies for recovery, and you do not have to worry about injuries either.