Heather Fell: Picture this, you have the biggest race of your career in just a few days time,
however, you slightly overcook that final bike run session, and your legs are in a
state so much so that you're currently walking down the stairs sideways and you need a friend
to help you get out of the chair. You need to recover and fast, but what is the best way to
get your legs back functioning in time? Well, today I'm going to be looking at a
selection of wonderful recovery tools, all of which will help your legs to recover.
You can then decide what's going to work best for you to get you ready to race or ready for that
next tough training session. [music]
Recovery isn't just essential ahead of a race. You obviously want to be able to recover from a
tough training session so you're ready to go again the next day. These products are all going to help
with that. I'm going to be looking at the science behind them as well as the convenience of use.
I'm delighted to say, I've managed to get my hands on a Theragun, on some NormaTec boots, a vibrating
foam roller, PowerDot muscle stimulation, and I'm hoping to be able to try out a sports massage,
and obviously, we can't forget the dreaded ice bath. I must admit, after a fairly tough treadmill
session yesterday, I'm quite looking forward to giving these a go, ignoring the ice bath,
obviously. Hopefully, at least by the end of this video, my legs are going to be feeling great.
I'm going to start with this, the Theragun. It is basically a vibrating arm with some sort of ball
on the end of it. You can have different pieces to put on the end, depending on which muscles
you're targeting and you can also set it to different levels of vibration. It's obviously
handheld so you apply as much pressure as you want. It works pretty much like a sports
massage when it comes to relieving your muscles. The difference between this type of recovery and
many others is that it uses percussive therapy, so vibration and force in order to relieve
muscle tightness and soreness and improve range of motion. The gun does allow you to target specific
muscle groups with the vibrations improving blood flow in these muscles. The science is
fairly standard and in line with several of the other recovery methods we're testing.
Finally, it's convenient. I've already mentioned that it's handheld. You can direct it at whichever
muscles you want. It's easily rechargeable and it's pretty small and lightweight. You could maybe
even sneak it into your handbag if you wanted but for me, the biggest pro is the fact that you can
do it for as long as you want and any time because you don't need to take any clothes off,
you don't need any lotion, you can simply just do it wherever you are.
With similar principles to the Theragun, the foam roller has been a friend to triathletes
for decades. This foam roller is taking it a step further, it's a vibrating one. The
science is based on self-myofascial release, that is working muscles individually to improve
your range of motion, improving blood, oxygen, and lymphatic circulation. As for convenience
with the foam roller, you can take it pretty much anywhere and you can do it at any time.
You might just get some odd looks if you're in a public place, especially,
with this one, with its vibrations. You do need to remember that obviously,
this one will need charging but a traditional foam roller is even easier in that sense. It
does involve some self-effort, you've obviously got to be doing it yourself,
and a little bit of self-discipline because it's not always the most comfortable form of massage.
This next one is a little less usual. It's the PowerDot muscle stimulation. These attach to
your muscles and basically cause your muscles to do light contractions without you having to do the
physical work. It uses an electrical muscle stimulation and a transcutaneous electrical
nerve stimulation technology to stimulate your muscles and any problem or sore areas to help
relieve any discomfort and improve circulation. Now, in the past similar devices, often known
as a TENS machine, have been used for pain relief but that can obviously help relieve sore muscles.
You attach these pieces onto whichever muscles it is that you want to actually have activated.
It's a bit like an active recovery whilst being inactive if that makes sense. Your muscles will
be doing the same as if you're going for a walk or a swim and helping with that circulation by
doing the contracting and relaxing, whilst you can actually sit and relax. It does, however, involve
you having to expose that part of skin and making sure you attach these pads correctly and then sit
somewhere where you can let it run its thing. It's got different settings. You can change the
amount of vibrations. Obviously, you do need to remember to charge this up, but it's a pretty
small pack and easy to travel with. From a form of self-massage onto a sports massager. Many of
us will have experienced the joys and sometimes a discomfort of having a massage. One of the
great things of experiencing a massage with a top-class masseur or someone who really knows
what they're doing is they can find problem areas that maybe you didn't even know existed.
You might be quite shocked at how sore and in need of a massage your legs actually were.
Sadly, due to the lockdown, I'm just having to talk about a sports massage and I'm not actually
getting to enjoy one. They do come at a little bit of a cost and you could though see it as an
investment as hopefully if you have regular sports massages, then you're less likely to
need to visit the physiotherapist or the sports doctor. When I was an athlete, I did use to have
a sports massage at least once a fortnight. I find, by regularly going, it made quite a
difference to my training and my ability to recover and get ready for the next training
session and also just preventing niggles from appearing. If you haven't had a massage before,
it is worth being aware that you can actually feel quite sore the next day,
sometimes even two days after if it's been quite a deep massage. If you haven't had one,
I'd recommend not doing it just before a race. A favorite for many, not for me, it is the ice
bath. There's no getting away from the fact that it does feel like it's doing something
because it's quite a shock on your legs and your body when you get in, and it does feel quite nice
afterwards. Today, though, I've managed to escape that one because Mark has kindly volunteered.
It's hard to pin down the exact science on it but theory is that cold immersion constricts
the blood vessels so it flushes out the waste products of the affected tissues,
decreases metabolic activity, and reduces swelling and tissue breakdown.
When it comes to the re-warming, there's an increased blood flow which is believed to speed
up circulation and improve healing. You've also got the option of alternating between
hot and cold. Again, that'll just help increase that circulation. When it comes to convenience,
obviously, if you don't have a bath you're going to struggle, but if you have a bath
and a freezer then it's relatively easy to do. It's just not the most enjoyable experience.
Popular with triathletes across the globe, I have seen this become more and more commonly used.
You only need to log on to social media and follow a few of the pros and you'll see them
sat enjoying a cup of tea and getting their recovery in. I think I can see the appeal.
I'm having a massage whilst sat on the sofa chatting to you guys.
According to the Normatec website, they use dynamic compression along your legs so each
compartment compresses, in turn, to enhance the movement of fluid out of your legs.
When a new zone starts to pulse, the previous zone holds the compression static and prevents any
backflow of fluid along your veins and your lymphatic vessels. All of this is a clinically
proven method to increase circulation and reduce soreness. As per the science, it sounds pretty
good and it feels really nice actually. I'm not moving for the rest of the day. I just need my cup
of tea. The only downside being the cost of these. Obviously, if you are traveling they come in a
fairly large box, but for recovery at home, I would say perfect, I feel as good as new after
trying all of those. They've all got different advantages and it's up to you to work out what
fits into your budget and what your body needs. If you've already tried one of those or you've got
one at home, let us know how you get on. You can do that in the comments section below. There's one
final little tip I've got that is active recovery. I'm afraid you can't do it sat on your sofa
but going out for a walk or really light spin on your bike or even a bit of a float
in the swimming pool, it's all going to help just get your muscles moving and get you recovered,
ready for that race or that next tough training session. Well, hopefully, you've enjoyed it. Give
us a like, if you have. You can subscribe to us here on GTN by hitting the globe,
and you can also follow us on our social media, [00:08:37] [END OF AUDIO]