You just took your first Tone House class or you’re a vet and you notice muscle tightness post workout. The good news is this can be avoided with a focus on recovery! Dan Giordano, Co-Founder of Bespoke Treatments Physical Therapy (Tone House’s new PT partner), has a unique approach to recovery and injury prevention through a mix of muscle energy techniques, massage, muscle activation and more. Dan is here to guide us in the right direction…
How do high intensity workouts impact our connective tissue and joints?
Your body adapts to loads placed upon it. High intensity workouts can provide stimulation in order to make bones stronger. It can also stabilize a join by strengthening the muscles surrounding the joint.
What’s the biggest mistake athletes make post workout in terms of recovery?
They don’t work on their tissue mobility. When you train, tissue tears apart then rebuilds stronger (hence the training effect). If you’re tissue is not mobile it will continue to shorten as its repairs itself – leading to overuse injuries.
Is there a recovery technique you suggest post workout to address this mistake?
Foam roll you the muscles that you trained. Research shows that foam rolling a body part for just 30 seconds can improve circulation (increase blood flow and oxygen) and increase flexibility which will ultimately speed up your recovery.
Click HERE to schedule a post-workout OVERTIME: RECOVERY session at the House.
What about pre-workout?
New research has shown that myo-fascial release with a foam roller can improve range of motion without having a negative effect on strength. As a warm up tool, the foam roller can cause a vasodilation response in your arterial system/an increase in blood flow in the area warming up the muscle. Stretching can have an opposite effect on the muscle and strength prior to activity. Research shows that prolonged static stretching pre-workout can have a negative effect on your strength, ultimately decreasing performance.
Click HERE to schedule a pre-workout OVERTIME: RECOVERY session at the House.
What’s one thing you suggest athletes do outside of the House to keep recovery on the right track?
Keep up with your tissue mobility – foam roll, eat well and most importantly sleep.
If you could put up a billboard that every Tone House athlete could see, what would it say?
Prioritize your recovery!
Want to sign up for an Athletic Training & Physical Therapy session at the House? Click HERE to purchase and schedule a session. 30-minute sessions are offered every Saturday from 9am – 1pm.