Fitness, Health and Wellness

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.  

What Causes Muscle Soreness After a Workout? We all have heard the saying “no pain, no gain”!  Anyone who has  started  out a new or more intense training program can attest that the days following the  workout can certainly be painful. This is called muscles soreness, also known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). For those of you who have ever wondered, ‘why do my legs hurt when I exercise?’; it’s most likely your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is creeping in on you. Strength training exercises have two phases: the concentric, and the eccentric. The concentric phase occurs when you contract your muscles, whereas the eccentric phase is characterized by the lengthening of your muscles, when you return the weight back to its resting position. The eccentric phase of your workout plays a significant role in muscle soreness.  This phase is where your muscles are working the hardest and this process creates small microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Yes, this sounds daunting! However, there is light at the end of the tunnel when it coms toall this talk about muscle pain after workout. Following the muscle tears that occurs after a high intensity or unaccustomed exercise, your muscles begin the process of repairing themselves. The new muscle cells are more resistant than the ones that were there previously. As a result, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is responsible for making your muscles bigger and stronger than before. How Long is Muscle Soreness Supposed to Last? Muscle soreness experienced after a workout usually starts within 24 hours of the activity performed. The pain you experience can last for as long as three days to a week, depending on the degree of muscle damage and how accustomed you might be to the exercise performed. Someone experiencing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness for the first time versus someone who has been working out regularly will react very differently.  How to Ease the Dreaded DOMS Whether you're an occasional runner, a cyclist or a CrossFit addict, you should consider recovery an essential part of your routine.  There is no proven formula to prevent Delayed Onset Muscle soreness from occurring. Fortunately there are a few tried and tested treatments to help alleviate the pain and speed up the recovery process. Here’s a list on how to reduce soreness after workout:  Foam Rolling During the muscle repair process, your muscles and fascia, the connective tissue that runs throughout the body, becomes knotted, adding to the discomfort of your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Foam rolling helps remove those knots and prevent muscle imbalances from forming. Foam rolling after your workout will also help to increase the blood flow to your tissues, speeding up your recovery time. Take a Rest Day During a bout of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, your exercise potential will not be at its peak. While sore, don't expect to set any personal records;  give your body time to recover and rebuild itself. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness usually affects only the body parts that were worked; so, you can  workout the other muscle groups while letting the fatigued ones recover. Active Recovery Active recovery means low-intensity and low-impact exercise that stimulates blood flow and tissue repair without further stressing the body. A low-intensity cardiovascular activity such as a swim or even a gentle yoga practice to stretch out your tired muscles are good examples of Active Recovery. SPRYNG Active Compression Solution SPRYNG™ Active Compression is a device that that uses pneumatic compression to aid blood circulation and is bound to help with Delayed Onset Muscle soreness. SPRYNG can also help aid faster recovery after strenuous exercise by promoting a heightened rate of lactic acid flush out, so you can feel brand new and energized for your next work out. 

Have you ever done a strenuous workout and felt muscle pains the following morning? Chances are that you are suffering from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Don’t worry though, it is an indication that you have done the workout right! Unfortunately, this pain can get a bit unbearable and may impede your daily activity. The good news is that there are several ways you can suppress this pain, and maybe even avoid it altogether! What is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? Simply put, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is the muscle pain you experience after doing a tiring workout. This normally settles in 24-48 hours after your high-intensity workout. Previously, it was thought that the pain is a result of lactic build-up. However, studies have found that DOMS occurs due to small muscle tears repairing itself after the workout. What Causes Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? High-intensity workouts, especially workouts that consist of eccentric workouts, cause DOMS. This is because eccentric workouts require you to tense the muscle while lengthening it at the same time. To make it easy to understand, think of yourself on a downhill run. Because of the slope, your quads will be lengthened and tense up with every stride. Therefore, it is the most worked muscle group in this particular workout. This is typically how delayed onset muscle soreness while running occurs. Just like a downhill run, different workouts would affect other muscle groups differently. Symptoms of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Detecting the symptoms of DOMS is relatively easy. The most obvious ones are; Muscle fatigue Stiffness and reduced motion because of pain Swelling Tender muscles Temporary loss of strength As mentioned earlier, these symptoms can often be noticed 12-24 hours after the workout. These symptoms can last for up to three days, depending on how intense the workout was, or how you treat it and focus on recovery. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Treatment What helps reduce Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? The good thing is that DOMS is easily treatable. Of course, the pain can sometimes be a bit too much to bear, but there are several home remedies for that. Massage This is one of the easiest remedies out there. A massage after an intense workout, especially in the muscle group that was most stressed, helps ease DOMS. According to several studies conducted on athletes[i], it was identified that athletes who received a massage between 24-72 hours after a workout experienced less soreness. However, receiving a massage soon after a workout can be quite difficult, time consuming and at times costly. This is where a muscle recovery tool like SPRYNG really comes to use; specially after a heavy leg day or a long run. SPRYNG provides active compression that can be used in varying levels of intensity. It also has the option of two compression patterns that are  designed to help eliminate any soreness on your legs. Your calves will thank you for this afterward! Cold Baths This is a remedy used by elite athletes. Getting into cold baths can be very difficult, but is an effective way of reducing soreness. It has been found that a 10-15-minute dip in cold water (around 50-59°F) reduces the inflammation of the muscles[ii], thereby, reducing DOMS as well. Anti-inflammatory Ointments and Gels These topical applications are a good way to relieve the pain in the area that is sore. Just make sure you follow the instructions of the packaging. Better yet, get a second opinion from a physician before application, just to make sure.  How to Avoid Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Avoiding DOMS completely is an impossible task. However, there are ways to reduce the intensity of the soreness. Here are some simple ways; Correct warmup – Always make sure you do a thorough warm-up with dynamic stretching. This helps prepare the muscles for an intense workout. One step at a time – Don’t rush your workouts. Do workouts at an intensity that suits you. It is alright if others are doing particular exercises faster. Even elites started from scratch. Cool down – Just like your warm-up, your muscles need a bit of stretching to flush out the excess lactic acid. Moreover, this also helps the muscles to stay loose. Hydrate – Drink water and consume electrolytes, so your muscles have fuel to function even after the workout. Vulnerable Individuals Athletes of many disciplines experience DOMS, regardless of them being an elite or an amateur. The most common are; Track and field athletes Cyclists CrossFit athletes Swimmers Football players Soccer players Winter sports athletes (skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters, figure skaters, etc.)   [i] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00747/full [ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802003/      

 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.