ActiveWorkouts3 little known recovery tips from a Chief Clinical Officer to make the most of your workoutsNic Bartolotta shares his top recovery tips to help you work out more oftenWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveWorkouts3 little known recovery tips from a Chief Clinical Officer to make the most of your workoutsNic Bartolotta shares his top recovery tips to help you work out more oftenWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Nic Bartolotta shares his top recovery tips to help you work out more often
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The person handing out free recovery advice is Nic Bartolotta, MPT, HHP, Chief Clinical Officer for ROM Products and maker of theRolflex, arecovery toolthat combinesfoam rollerswith massage balls into a practical handheld device. And no, this article is not a shameless plug for Rolflex; Nic’s advice is sound and can be used even if you haven’t got a Rolflex.
Interested in recovery and massage techniques? T3 hasloadsof recovery content for you to peruse.Does massage help circulation?You have to read the article to find out! Here are 5 surprisingbenefits of massage guns(we’ll cover these devices below) and the best way togive yourself a trigger point massage. How about this article on the 10 surprisingbenefits of foot massage? Number seven might surprise you (JK, all of them will).
1. Use a massage gun DURING workout can ramp your recovery
“The vibration frommassage gunscalms down the nervous system and helps calcium move out of your muscles, making the contracting of your muscle proteins stop almost immediately”, Nic says, “So don’t forget to put your Hyperice or Theragun into yourgym bag.” He recommends hitting your quads while they are still toasty and you’ll be ready for your next set almost immediately.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
2. Finish any lift with a solid eccentric rep (with a spotter)
“Eccentric reps can make you recover so quickly that you see up to a thirty per cent increase in strength on your next set!”, Nic suggests. Eccentric reps lengthen the muscles; think the lowering phase of thebench pressor thepull-up.
According to him, when the eccentric phase of an exercise is done with almost twice the weight after muscle fatigue has been achieved, it breaks apart adhesions that limit the muscles' ability to contract more fully. This process has an intense but immediate effect of boosting the connection of your brain to those previously restricted fibres making you able to lift close to 30% more weight on the next set.
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Needless to say, you’ll need a spotter for these kinds of workouts; it’s too dangerous to do this alone. A spotter is a person who can help you lift the weight off you if it gets heavy, which it will in this case.
As Nic explains, mega-heavy eccentric reps were a closely held secret of powerlifters during the era of Casey Viator andArnold Schwarzenegger. This benefit of eccentrics is what led to the development of groundbreaking training equipment like the Nautilus and Keizer systems.
3. Use active stretching post-workout to limit DOMS
“Using passive stretching techniques before exercise is a common mistake”, Nic suggests, “Passively lengthening a muscle to its end range and then going beyond that range of motion without the muscle being contracted is the best way to weaken or even injure the muscle.”
The best time to release tension is after it has been pulled into the body. “It has been demonstrated that contracting a muscle while it’s being stretched is the best way to keep the muscle at an appropriate length and use the muscle’s own force to rid itself of any lingering chronic tension that remains in (a.k.a.DOMS)”, he adds.
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