Tips for Overtraining Recovery

Muscular micro-tears and pain are always part of an active exercise lifestyle, but becoming accustomed to those pains often tempts us to push even harder and strive for better and better results. Unfortunately, there comes a time when we have pushed ourselves too far, and that means more drastic injuries with more drastic recovery time. Shorting yourself on your recovery time could mean making your injury take even longer to heal, and several athletes have found themselves in a vicious cycle of injury, trying to push through, and further injury.

Getting back in the game more quickly means slowing down for a time and letting your recovery find its footing. Three common ways of encouraging your own recovery are:

• Get plenty of rest
• Keep well fed with a protein-rich diet
• When you do start training again, start slow

The often repeated trinity of exercise recovery is repeated for a reason: no overtraining recovery will be successful without them. However, there are methods available for speeding the process along without risking further damage to your body.

Muscle compression systems use sequential pneumatic pressure to increase blood circulation, which helps to clear metabolic waste and increases the delivery of oxygen and plasma to muscle tissues. Some brands, like RecoveryPump, use medical grade technology to get rid of muscle soreness, inflammation and fatigue. What was once a prescription only device, reserved for a Doctor’s use, is now available over-the-counter, in the comfort of your own home.

Athletes who are in the habit of using the RecoveryPump after every training session find that their muscles recover quickly, helping them to achieve a superior level of fitness. They find that spending just an hour or two with the active compression system is more convenient and effective than conventional recovery methods. Serious athletes rely on RecoveryPump to reduce the amount of post-competition recovery time required for them perform at their peak levels. The faster you recover from your workout, the more effectively you are able to train. Rather than letting that fact tempt you towards dangerous shortcuts, rely on tested medical technology and use active compression therapy to enhance your body’s natural recovery process.

Your Muscular System's Recovery Cycle

The muscles of the human body form a powerful system, but that system still needs to recover after strenuous activities, including high levels of exercise. The body is naturally equipped to automatically begin the process of correcting damage that is caused by intense muscle usage, but the recovery cycle can be time consuming.

After an intense workout, inflammation and microscopic tears in the muscle tissue may lead to soreness. The damage might seem small, but this temporary trauma can lead to an accumulation of waste materials, including lactic acid and creatine.

The lymphatic and circulatory systems work together to clear accumulated waste materials from the muscular system. The circulatory system is fairly efficient, but the lymphatic system's waste removal process is relatively slow.

The muscles in the human body are capable of enduring incredibly intense physical workouts, but that extreme activity does come with a price. The human body's amazing recovery process can repair small tears in the muscle tissue, reduce inflammation, and remove waste. While the natural muscle recovery cycle is perfectly efficient for those living a sedentary lifestyle, the process might seem inefficient to athletes and other highly active individuals.

Rather than seeking an alternative, however, athletes and trainers can help speed the already efficient process through the use of sequential compression therapy. Part of the reason that the circulatory system works more quickly than the lymphatic system is that the former has a powerful pump: the heart. Pneumatic compression devices give the lymphatic system a pump of its own and leverage the body’s existing recovery system and transform it from passive recovery to active recovery.

Positives from Setbacks

Professional Triathlete Kelly Williamson is our guest blogger this week.  
Learn how years of experience have changed her perspective on coming back from injury.  Something many athletes can relate to.  Gather a fresh perspective yourself and read on.

It is funny how experience (12 years) can change your perspective. I hear people talk about being stressed out from an ‘off day’ in training, or a small tweak to the body, and I just don’t see it quite like I used to. A few years back it always felt like the curse of doom, career-ending…and while I will still admit that it sucks to deal with setbacks, I now approach it more pragmatically. What is wrong, how can it be dealt with, and what can I do in the meantime. I’ve learned that every obstacle can (and often is) a motivator, and can make you a much better athlete; but it often depends upon your attitude.

The so called ‘injury’ I am referring to is something I dealt with last season. I had surgery in September, just two weeks after 70.3 World Champs, to fix an artery in my hip which had become ‘diseased’ so to speak. Honestly, I’d not even call this an injury but moreso ‘faulty wiring’. This was something that symptomatically came on gradually and was a bit of a puzzle to diagnose; I had no idea it was happening as it happened. Thankfully, I had the help of an incredible doctor at Memorial Hermann who diagnosed this very quickly; just one month after I first saw him. Given that it can take years to diagnose, I consider myself very lucky in this sense. I physically struggled through the year knowing things were not quite right, and while we were fairly certain this was it (endofibrosis of the external iliac artery), we got the ‘official’ diagnosis in September. I had thought long and hard about surgery, spent hours researching, talked to fellow athletes, done my homework; I knew I wanted to do this.  Once the surgery (and four days in the hospital) was over, it was back to Austin and onto the recovery process.

I have had a few other setbacks during my career; notably, a double compound fracture of my left arm in 2005. This was actually more of an interruption, as it entailed 3 surgeries in a 9 month time span. This current issue was unique in that they literally went in and replaced a small piece of my artery; the recovery was something I took extremely seriously, following the doc’s orders. Seeing that I am now 6 months post-op and about to start my 2014 season, I just wanted to highlight, in retrospect, a few important things I took away from my recovery process.

1)      Focus on what you CAN do. I was told ‘only walking’ for 5-6 weeks. And, walk I did. It started gradually, the week after surgery it was 2×15 min walks, very slowly. I built upon those to where about 3-4 weeks post, I was doing 2×3-4 mile walks a day, sometimes up to 6 miles at a time. I have always taken this approach to setbacks. There is almost always something you CAN DO… it’s best to focus on this, because if you dwell on what you cannot do, you’ll drive yourself crazy. Needless to say, I loved the walking; it was a perfect way to feel I had done something yet never feel over-exerted; a pretty refreshing feeling for someone used to training 20-30 hours a week.

2)      Patience & A Plan. While 6 weeks sounded like an eternity at first, I embraced the downtime and accepted that to be able to do what I loved, I chose to get this surgery; to make it effective, I had to be patient and respect the recovery. Additionally I created a ‘plan’ as to how to add other activities. This gave me something to look forward to each week; maybe I added light 5lb weights, or aqua jogging with a belt. It kept my attitude positive to know if I took small steps, I could see where I would be in 1, 2, 3, 5+ weeks.

3)      Embrace the rest. My husband may say otherwise, but I truly did enjoy the down time I was forced to take. I was so worn out physically, mentally and emotionally from the season and the toll this had taken. My body needed this rest, and the 6 weeks of only walking was likely the biggest ‘forced off season’ I have had in years. I’d like to think that will work in my favor as the season approaches, knowing I’ll demand a lot of my body for the next 8-9 months.

4)      Perspective. Funny how this can change so drastically given the circumstances. I did a 5k on my birthday, exactly 10 weeks post-surgery. It was a good minute slower than my best time. Did I care? Not at all. It felt amazing, and I was so incredibly grateful to get to do what I loved again, without feeling any pain. I’ve gained perspective in numerous ways over my career, but given that this was a fairly major surgery, I was just so thankful to be running again, reminded yet again to just be appreciative of the basic things.


We may not always why things happen when they do, or why they happen at all; but if we let ourselves accept them, step back, and see the larger picture, we often figure it out. This one just gave me one more good story (and scar) to tell people about; personally, I find that pretty cool. Life would be pretty boring without any scars to show.
Kelly H. Williamson
http://kellyhwilliamson.com
http://twitter.com/khwilliamson

"Handling More Load" A Must-read for Competitive Ironman Athletes

We have to give a shout out to Michelle Simmons for her unsolicited and honest review on the RecoveryPump system.  She covered our sentiments exactly in her latest blog titled “Handling More Load”, a must read if you’re curious about exactly how the RecoveryPump can help you, really.

There are a lot of products you need to compete in a triathlon: wetsuit, swimsuit, goggles, run shoes, nutrition, bike.  We all know that list is longer but you get the idea. So do you need the RecoveryPump system to compete? No. Will it improve your recovery time faster than any other at-home modality? Yes.


If you’re a competitive athlete, training demands combined with obligations in daily life will wear you down. It’s a cyclical effect and over time your body passes the point of no return. Without proper recovery, the work you’ve put in to your body can’t fully be absorbed. With proper rest and nutrition you’re on the right track but the reality is we can’t always get enough rest or always eat the right things, it’s just a fact of life.  The RecoveryPump jumps in here and offers a medically-proven, convenient way to recover the muscles and fatigue at home. No trips to the massage therapist, no scheduled appointments to plan around, no pit stops to the convenient store for bags of ice, just really serious muscle recovery where and when you need it.

RecoveryPump is revolutionizing the way serious athletes can recover at home, every day. With adequate recovery time you’ll reduce the risk of injury and be able to perform hard each and every day. This change in recovery can lead to better race times and peak performance because as Michelle puts it, you can “handle more load”.

Thanks again to Michelle for the great review and perspective many competitive athletes can relate to!

Train Hard. Recover Harder.

Featured Athlete- Tony Spineto Defies the Odds

Tony Spineto came to us in 2012 with pain. After numerous surgeries as a child to correct his condition know as “clubfoot”, Tony’s already overcome some of his biggest hurdles and has since accomplished things as an Ironman athlete the Doctors thought impossible. Due to his condition, Tony suffers from pain greater than your typical athlete.  His intense training sessions cause chronic pain in his feet, calves, thighs and hips- pain that’s had Tony rely on medication on a daily basis.  When Tony approached us about using the RecoveryPump to help reduce soreness, swelling and muscle fatigue we knew we’d be able to help.

If you’re looking for inspiration, read Tony’s story below. We’re thrilled to hear he’s had such success with the RecoveryPump and can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for him!

Tony & his son, who is also undergoing surgeries to correct his Clubfoot

 “I am a disabled athlete born with a rare foot deformity called  congenital talipes equinovarus, clubfoot. At birth both my feet where twisted backwards up into my torso. I had multiple surgeries that  did little to correct the deformity. The surgery made my feet look more cosmetically appealing if anything. My parents where told that I would be limited in any kind of movement let alone play sports. As a disabled Ironman athlete I am challenged with chronic pain in my feet, calves, thighs and hips. After each training session and racing Ironman events I need something more than convention medication to help me recover quickly. I started using RecoveryPump this year. I have noticed significant  changes in my pain and swelling after training and especially racing. I finished Ironman Arizona  this year and was impressed with how quickly I recovered using the RecoveryPump. In just a few short days I was up doing easy runs and cycling and it has been vital to my recovery and pain management.”

“I use the system twice a day before and after each training session. My favorite use of the RecoveryPump is to do a 45 minute session before my long runs so my legs and feet feel fresh and ready to go. Without RecoveryPump I would rely on pain medications to get me through the day so I’m thrilled to have something aid in my muscle recovery the natural way. Recovery Pump has provided the care I need for a quick recovery and solid race performance despite my physical limitations.” 

Follow Tony as he defies the odds:
www.clubfootathlete.com
www.twitter.com/tonyspineto
www.facebook.com/clubfootathlete