Nothing to Lose by Chasing a Dream

Okay so Kelly Williamson has had an incredible year, we can all agree to that.  Her performance at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship this year in Vegas is no exception.  She earned 2nd place among the top women in the sport after a season filled with lots of racing and lots of podium finishes:

Panama 70.3 (Latin American Champs)		February 12	2nd (4:19) *Fastest Run 1:16.18*
San Juan 70.3		March 18	1st (4:14)
Texas 70.3 (US Champs)		April 1	1st (4:13) *US Pro 70.3 Champion*
St. Anthony’s 5150		April 29	5th (2:00) *Fastest Run 34:27*
Rev 3 Knoxville		May 6	1st (2:01) *Fastest Run 35:12*
Rev 3 Quassy		June 3	6th (4:39)
Muncie 70.3 (Shortened Course)		July 7	1st (2:10)
Hy Vee 5150 Championships		September 2	6th (2:04)  *Fastest Run 36:14*
70.3 World Championships		September 9	2nd (4:29) *Fastest Run 1:23*

We cannot wait to watch Kelly battle it out again in Kona this October and take on what will inevitably be the biggest race of her professional career.  Whether you’re training with aspirations of one day making it to an Ironman World Championship race or you’ve already raced one this year, we’d suggest a spoonful of healthy optimism to get you ready…just read Kelly’s Vegas 70.3 race report here or anything on her blog for that matter, and you’ll find the true roots of success come from hard training and the deep founded belief that you really do have “nothing to lose by chasing a dream” as Kelly points out.  We are thrilled to have Kelly as one of our sponsored athletes and could not agree more.  Train Hard. Recover Happy…and chase dreams!

Know This Before You Buy

Thinking about buying a pneumatic (air) compression boot system to help with your training and recovery? Confused about what the differences are between competing brands?
Let us demystify the process and give you a few key attributes to look for when comparing brands including: sequence, pressure, sleeve design, portability, price & warrantee, Rx requirements and durability . We hope that you will choose RecoveryPump, but more importantly we hope you’ll begin to understand the differences between competing products and be able to ask other companies the right questions when you go out to compare!

Recovery Pump has been in the compression therapy business for decades.  We have evaluated EVERY pump made in the world, have been dealers for many of those products we tested and currently are distributors in the medical field for several manufacturers, including the line that is private labeled as the Sport Pump.

We chose the RecoveryPump system for the following reasons:

Sequence

1. A quick cycle-time should be a key factor when comparing compression systems.  
2. Look for a system that uses sequential compression, where each chamber in the boot stays filled as subsequent chambers inflate up the leg.

The RecoveryPump has a very quick sequence, just 30 seconds to fill the entire Boot.  The point is that the more cycles we can deliver during time spent in the Boots, the more effect the system has on your recovery. (It’s all about flushing waste out and replenishing the muscle, which has everything to do with how many cycles of “flushes” you get in per session.)  Also, the RecoveryPump holds a long application of compression during the cycle which increases the effect of the therapy dramatically. Maximize the number of cycles and significantly increase the application of compression during the therapy session results in the very best outcome for recovering muscle in the shortest time frame.
Pressure

1. FALLACY- The more it hurts (high pressure/squeeze), the better it works. NOT TRUE!
2. Look for a system that does not go above a max pressure setting of 80-100mmHg

RecoveryPump was designed to limit the pressure applied to the extremity to never have an effect on the delivery of oxygen and nutrients during the pumping action. Higher pressure than our maximum may have a detrimental effect on circulation and recovery. The clinical data verifies that 60 to 80 mmHg of pressure applied in a sequential manner measurably and significantly moves a large volume of blood in the veins equivalent to that of light exercise during active recovery session.

Boot Design

1. Look for a three-chambered, foot compartment
2. Make sure it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” Boot, custom sizes should be available. A proper fit will reach up near your hip, ensuring increased circulation of the entire leg and hip flexor region. 

RecoveryBoots have a unique foot design that applies pressure on the top and the bottom of the foot rather than on the sides alone. (Picture a triangle with compression from all three sides.)  This action activates the “foot pump”, an important component of returning blood and recovering muscle in the lowest part of the leg. The point is comfort and pumping action that relieves swelling and soreness starting at the toes. The Boots have a zipper closure that makes getting the Boots on and off super easy, no assistance required. (We know you’re busy!)  The sleeves have been custom designed to be sleek and to give athletes optimal fit based on leg length.  Check out our sizing chart below.



Portability

1. If you plan on traveling with it, size and weight should be considered.

RecoveryPump is the smallest system of its type in the market.  Pump and Boots easily fit into a suitcase, backpack or carry-on.  The Boots fully deflate and fold into a small package.  All up, the system weighs less than 10 lbs. It is the most travel-friendly system on the market.

Price and Warrantee

1. Buy what’s tested and proven medically to get the best bang for your buck. Any medical grade device will be more costly due to testing and approval processes medical devices must incur per the FDA. 
2. Look for a company that warrantees the entire system (not just the pump) for at least 1 year.

We offer a Best in Business 2 year warrantee on the complete RecoveryPump system for defects and normal use. The price is very competitive for a FDA cleared, medical grade device designed to be operated 1000’s of hours, having done so in the medical markets. We also offer a 30 day 100% refund if you return the device for any reason.

Non-prescribed Device

1. Avoid the hassle.  Look for a medical grade system that does not require a prescription from your Doctor.
2. Make sure you choose an FDA cleared and tested, medical device and not an off-brand. If you are unsure, contact the company directly and ask who the manufacturer is.

The RecoveryPump does NOT require a prescription from your doctor to use or to buy.  The FDA cleared the RecoveryPump in December, 2011 as an Over-the-Counter device.

Durability

1. Read customer reviews and make sure the system you choose can stand up to the demands of your travel/training/life style.

As a medical device used around the world, the durability of the RecoveryPump is unquestionably the best in class.  This device is designed to operate for many thousands of hours as most people depend on that level of quality and uninterrupted operation.  There are 10’s of thousands of these devices in operation worldwide with a minuscule number of failures.  The manufacturer stands behind their product like none other.

What About Heat/Cold Compress and Cryo Therapy? 

We chose to stay away from cold or cyro therapy as the data is very conflicted as to its efficacy for recovery.  Short duration exposure to cold, such as immersion in an ice bath, is good for stopping inflammation from accumulating. Cold applied on a prolonged basis will slow the recovery process because of constriction of the blood vessels and ultimately restricting blood flow.  Cold is good for injury as it will quickly slow the rate of fluid leaking into tissue but cold therapy does NOT help to evacuate the inflammation. After an injury, the application of heat is recommended to promote blood flow, open up the blood vessels and promote the healing process.  You would not use heat or cold as an every day treatment for muscle recovery as it is primarily used to treat injury rather than recover muscle. The RecoveryPump accelerates the natural process for recovery and reduces overall inflammation thus promoting healing while recovering the muscle via increased circulation.

We hope that this is helpful in your buying decision and that the RecoveryPump will be your choice for Rapid Muscle Recovery!

“Wow, what a recovery set I had today!”- Rebekah Keat

We were so surprised to receive Rebekah Keat’s blog review on our Recovery Pump system, we had to blog about her blog!

A lot of times we receive offers from athletes for product in exchange for a review, which somehow lessens the weight a reader may put behind the reviewer’s opinion. If someone received product for free, they’re more inclined to write a favorable review, right? A favor for a favor.  This is not the case with Rebekah Keat.  She purchased the Recovery Pump system from us about a month ago and was so excited about the product, she decided to tell people about it!

“To let you all know, this is not a paid commercial, nor am I sponsored by these guys. It’s just a great product, and I’m simply sharing this with everyone who is a friend and fellow athlete because I really do believe they work!” – Rebekah Keat

We loved the review because she’s made a couple really good points that are easy to forget when you’re grinding away in training: 

One is that recovery is often neglected, it’s not always incorporated into the overall plan. Often times it’s nutrition and “hitting the numbers”, as Rebekah points out, that are the athlete’s focus. You can train like that, but the body will eventually break down and force you to take the additional recovery time it needs.  By making muscle recovery as important as nutrition and hitting the numbers (that means using the Recovery Pump every day) the body is able to perform at high volume, week after week.

Gain fitness by using a tool that accelerates the body’s natural ability to recover muscle and fatigue.  Here’s how that works:  If the muscle is recovered, you can train hard because it’s less sore and fatigued, the body can take the demands you wish to place upon it. This means your output can be higher where it would normally (without muscle recovery) be fatigued and require less volume or intensity. Over time this can lead to increased fitness because the muscle is continually being replenished and prepped for another day of training.  We call it Rapid Muscle Recovery!

Two, the RecoveryBoots go beyond replenishing the muscle and offer massage which athletes spend thousands of dollars on a year. Supplement some of that massage time with the RecoveryBoots and use it when it’s convenient for you!

Thanks to Rebekah for such a fantastic review and we wish you all the best this race season and here’s to more people saying “Wow, what a recovery set I had today!” Recover Happy!

If you’re ready to take the challenge and incorporate muscle recovery into your every day plan, there nothing stopping you. We have a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee and the best warranty in the industry not to mention customer service that can’t be beat.

Order Now!

#lovethesqueeze

If you’re wondering what the pros are doing to gain an edge on the competition, you might be surprised to find that it’s not done on the bike, at the gym, in the pool or on the track. It’s done on the couch. Often while watching TV or surfing the net.  That extra edge comes from quality recovery time spent in the RecoveryBoots every day after hard training.

Recovery Pump has absolutely revolutionized the speed with which athletes can now recover muscle at home and they are wild about the effects it can have on training, including the ability to maintain high volume weeks with less risk of injury.

Instead of training on mega-fatigued legs, the Recovery Pump system forces the body to recover the muscle (much faster than passive rest) so the legs are ready to get out there for another day.  You’re able to push through workouts with less soreness and fatigue and over time you can see how this would effect overall fitness. The body is able to drive harder than it would on a fatigued and sore muscle that was not adequately recovered, therefore making gains in fitness due to adequate recovery of the muscle.

Kelly Williamson has been using the Recovery Pump system for over a year now and has made some serious gains in the time she’s been using the device. Take a few minutes to read her story and find out how she was able to incorporate the RecoveryBoots into her season and come out with some really incredible finishing results:

“After 10 years in the sport of triathlon racing as a professional, I have just completed the most successful season of my career. This season included 2 wins at the 70.3 distance and 2x 2^nd place finishes including a PR of 4:12, a 2^nd place at Ironman Texas in May (in a time of 9:07, which was a 29 minute PR), and PR’s in two open running races, a 5k in 16:48 and a half marathon in 1:16.59. Additionally, I completed 3 full Ironman events in only my 2^nd year of doing Ironman. I started the season in January, completed it in November, and I got through the entire 10 months with zero training injuries.

The season kicked off in January with the USA Half Marathon National Championships, which coincided with my initial regular usage of the Recovery Pump.  I hit my run workouts very hard in January, including demanding sessions such as 10k of track intervals, 8 miles of tempo work and long runs up to 16 miles. I would sit in my recovery boots after each one of my key sessions, regularly, for anywhere from 60-90 minutes. Throughout this month, I not only hit the workouts, but I regularly exceeded the pace goals for each run workout (my goal paces ranged from 5:30-6 min/mile pace for speed and tempo work). I found that while I may come back the day after a hard workout with ‘heavy’ legs, every single time that I needed them to run fast, they were always there for me.

This routine continued for me into February through November, but of course I added into the equation very large bike workouts. A typical big training day looked like a morning swim session, followed by a 2.5-3 hour indoor bike session with 1.5-2 hrs of interval work, or a 3-4 hour outdoor ride in the morning, and finished off with either a speed run workout (such as 800s or 1 mile intervals at 5:20-5:30 pace) or a longer tempo run (6-10 miles at 5:55-6:10 pace). Despite some of the largest training loads I have ever done, I was always able to hit my goal power numbers on the bike and paces on the run; often times exceeding them. My regular Recovery Pump usage included sitting in the boots between my sessions, while also sitting in them for 1-2 hrs after my long bike rides (5-6 hours) and long runs (18-23 miles) on the weekends. It goes without saying, it feels great as well…icing on the cake…literally like a constant, steady pressure massage to the entire legs, from the feet up to the hips.

Being able to handle a higher training load, stay healthy and recover from these workouts allowed me to carry this new level of fitness into my competitions. I was fortunate to achieve the results mentioned above, to race frequently (I raced 6×70.3 events, 3x Ironmans, 1x Olympic distance, 1x Half Marathon and 2x5k’s, all in the span of 10 months), and most importantly remain healthy.

One of the times that the Recovery Pump played the most vital role in my training and recovery was when we spent 6 weeks in Colorado, training at altitude. Since I was without my regular massage therapist (who I see on average once every 1-2 weeks, just to work out tightness’ and potential tweaks, often in my back and shoulders as I deal with scoliosis), I relied on the boots to do the work that the massage had done for me… simply increasing my usage slightly to be sure that they were flushed out as needed. While training in Colorado, I raced Boulder 70.3 and was 2^nd, in the middle of my Ironman Hawaii training, while posting the fastest run time by 4 minutes in a 1:21.10.

I give you times, places, etc because in short, I surpassed even what I had expected in the start of the season. I was able to lower my marathon run time in the full Ironman distance from 3:11 down to 3:03. I was able to post a 5:03 bike split at Ironman Arizona, the discipline with which is a constant struggle for me. Sure, hard work reaps success; but to get faster, you must train faster. To train faster, you must remain healthy and recover from each session adequately. I credit my regular, daily usage of the Recovery Pump as a huge reason that I was able to string together a long, successful, and ‘fast’ 2011 racing season. I truly cannot think of a better ‘recovery tool’ out there for anyone who is also training for marathons, triathlons, and more importantly Ironman… injury seems to be the biggest battle that we fight in this sport of repetitive movements and a lot of pounding from running. Additionally, you can use it in the comfort of your own home and it takes all of 2 minutes to set up and start using. I believe that routine usage of the Recovery Pump is a huge reason that I was able to toe the line for 3 Ironmans this year, and to top it off, post a 9:29, 9:12 and 9:07 in each one. I have to say, being in the off-season, I am kind of missing using it regularly! I may need to go and bang out a hard workout just to validate sitting in my boots. I owe a huge thanks to Recovery Pump for helping me put together the best season of my career to date, and I look forward to 2012. ” – Kelly Williamson

Recovery Pump is so confident you will love your Recovery Pump system, we’re offering a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee!

Take the Recovery Challenge-  add the Recovery Pump system to your daily routine and if within 30 days you don’t notice a difference or you’re unhappy in any way, we’ll fully refund you on the system. Contact Hillary Hanson for any questions or Order Now!

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