Utilizing Active Recovery for Bodybuilders
Imagine this…You have just finished your final set of yet another brutal workout. Every worked muscle feels like it could give way at any moment. You slowly ease your numb body back into your car as you prepare to drive home. If you’re like most gym fanatics, this is a common feeling, and you probably will now forget about these worked muscles for between 4 to 7 days at which time you once again pound them into the ground. Like many dedicated trainers I am sure you will consume various supplements, perhaps even illegal supplements, in order to make your muscles recover faster and grow bigger. But what if there was another way to get muscle growth and recovery? Will it cost you a little time and even a little money? Certainly, but all those pills and potions cost money also, and for the most part, do they even do that much? Probably not – that would be my answer. Active recovery will only cost you some time out of your day, and yes, the meat-head in you may despise the idea of lifting light weights. I mean, what if some other meat-head sees you lifting the 10kg dumb bells… that would probably be a fate worse than death, right?! Wrong, is the correct answer because you will grow larger than him, and he will never believe the reason for this growth. In fact, he will probably accuse you of using the newest rat enlarging chemical. The second method to recover faster and grow larger will cost you some money unless you have a willing partner to perform massage for free for you. In my experience once you find a good massage therapist you frequent every week or every second week, you will start to be given special cheaper rates. Then if you suggest them to your friends your rates will decrease even more. Trust me, massage may be expensive, but if I had to choose between living on meat and vegetables with no supplements or pizza but get a massage every week, I would do the latter every time. Now let’s get into the actual information and research.
The first approach is active recovery and can be invaluable in terms of muscle recovery. Micklewright et al conducted a study that found low intensity activities, such as walking or cycling, can be beneficial after intense training. These activities help with blood circulation which aids in the removal of lactic acid and elevated blood lactate helping to expedite recovery.(1) A second study found that light training of the damaged muscle can decrease muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process. These exercises include light (very sub-maximal) weights that isolate the muscle.(2) Another study conducted by Sayers et al produced similar findings showing that light, sub-maximal muscular contractions leads to improvement in muscle soreness and recovery ability.(3)
Massage has been shown to significantly help with the recovery of damaged muscle fibers after intense exercise and is great addition to any recovery program. Obviously there are many types of massage that offer different benefits. For the more hardcore trainer, deep tissue massage can be a fantastic investment. Deep tissue massage breaks up the scar tissue that can form from training as well as release the fascia leading to the potential for greater growth through the lack of fascia restriction.
Research has also shown that something as simple as underwater warm jet massage can benefit people who train or partake in intense physical exercise. A study performed by Viitasalo et al found that 20 minutes of underwater jet massage 3 times per week improved the recovery ability of athletes as well as helping improve their muscle performance during strenuous training.(4) In a systematic review study conducted by Ernst, manual massage after exercise was found to decrease delayed onset muscle soreness through several different avenues. It helps eliminate metabolic waste, decreases the production of a pain substance known to cause muscular spasms and prolong muscle ischemia, and alleviates intramuscular edema.(5)
Another interesting study on massage and muscle recovery come from researchers at Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University. The study found that massage following exhaustive training reduces inflammation and encourages the growth of the energy production powerhouses of the cell. Simon Melov, a prominent researcher involved in the study, states, “Our research showed that massage dampened the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the muscle cells and promoted biogenesis of mitochondria, which are the energy-producing units in the cells.” The study also found that massage works in a similar way as anti-inflammatory drugs in the body. The massaged muscle showed activation of genes that blocked inflammation and a greater ability to capture and use oxygen improving muscle function.(6)
With all this great information on different approaches to recovery, there’s no excuse for not helping yourself out a bit and trying some new techniques. These might be just what the body needs to improve in terms of strength and muscular gains, and they are certainly going to be a lot less expensive than throwing your money at most of the overpriced, useless supplements in your local supplement stores. Any weight trainer can benefit from increased attention to the body after training since it makes since that improving recovery ability will only help you reach your strength and muscular goals.
References
(1)Blood Lactate Removal Using Combined Massage and Active Recovery. Micklewright, DP. 1; Beneke R FACSM 1; Gladwell, V1; Sellens, MH. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 35 (5) Supplement 1: S317, May 2003.
(2)Saxton JM, Donnelly AE. Light concentric exercise during recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. Int J Sports Med 1995; 16 (6): 347-351.
(3)Sayers SP, Clarkson PM, Lee J. Activity and immobilization after eccentric exercise: 1. Recovery of muscle function. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 32 (9): 1587-1592.
(4)Viitasalo JT, Niemela K, Kaappola R, Korjus T, Levola M, Menonen HV et al. Warm underwater water-jet massage improves recovery from intense physical exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1995; 71(5): 431-438.
(5)Ernst E. Does post-exercise massage treatment reduce delayed onset muscle soreness? A systematic review. Br J Sports Med 1998; 32 (3): 212-214.
(6)JD Crane, DI Ogborn, C Cupido, S Melov, A Hubbard, JM Bourgeois, MA Tarnopolsky. Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Science Translational Medicine, 2012; 4 (119): 119ra13
Imagine this…You have just finished your final set of yet another brutal workout. Every worked muscle feels like it could give way at any moment. You slowly ease your numb body back into your car as you prepare to drive home. If you’re like most gym fanatics, this is a common feeling, and you probably will now forget about these worked muscles for between 4 to 7 days at which time you once again pound them into the ground. Like many dedicated trainers I am sure you will consume various supplements, perhaps even illegal supplements, in order to make your muscles recover faster and grow bigger. But what if there was another way to get muscle growth and recovery? Will it cost you a little time and even a little money? Certainly, but all those pills and potions cost money also, and for the most part, do they even do that much? Probably not – that would be my answer. Active recovery will only cost you some time out of your day, and yes, the meat-head in you may despise the idea of lifting light weights. I mean, what if some other meat-head sees you lifting the 10kg dumb bells… that would probably be a fate worse than death, right?! Wrong, is the correct answer because you will grow larger than him, and he will never believe the reason for this growth. In fact, he will probably accuse you of using the newest rat enlarging chemical. The second method to recover faster and grow larger will cost you some money unless you have a willing partner to perform massage for free for you. In my experience once you find a good massage therapist you frequent every week or every second week, you will start to be given special cheaper rates. Then if you suggest them to your friends your rates will decrease even more. Trust me, massage may be expensive, but if I had to choose between living on meat and vegetables with no supplements or pizza but get a massage every week, I would do the latter every time. Now let’s get into the actual information and research.
The first approach is active recovery and can be invaluable in terms of muscle recovery. Micklewright et al conducted a study that found low intensity activities, such as walking or cycling, can be beneficial after intense training. These activities help with blood circulation which aids in the removal of lactic acid and elevated blood lactate helping to expedite recovery.(1) A second study found that light training of the damaged muscle can decrease muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process. These exercises include light (very sub-maximal) weights that isolate the muscle.(2) Another study conducted by Sayers et al produced similar findings showing that light, sub-maximal muscular contractions leads to improvement in muscle soreness and recovery ability.(3)
Massage has been shown to significantly help with the recovery of damaged muscle fibers after intense exercise and is great addition to any recovery program. Obviously there are many types of massage that offer different benefits. For the more hardcore trainer, deep tissue massage can be a fantastic investment. Deep tissue massage breaks up the scar tissue that can form from training as well as release the fascia leading to the potential for greater growth through the lack of fascia restriction.
Research has also shown that something as simple as underwater warm jet massage can benefit people who train or partake in intense physical exercise. A study performed by Viitasalo et al found that 20 minutes of underwater jet massage 3 times per week improved the recovery ability of athletes as well as helping improve their muscle performance during strenuous training.(4) In a systematic review study conducted by Ernst, manual massage after exercise was found to decrease delayed onset muscle soreness through several different avenues. It helps eliminate metabolic waste, decreases the production of a pain substance known to cause muscular spasms and prolong muscle ischemia, and alleviates intramuscular edema.(5)
Another interesting study on massage and muscle recovery come from researchers at Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University. The study found that massage following exhaustive training reduces inflammation and encourages the growth of the energy production powerhouses of the cell. Simon Melov, a prominent researcher involved in the study, states, “Our research showed that massage dampened the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the muscle cells and promoted biogenesis of mitochondria, which are the energy-producing units in the cells.” The study also found that massage works in a similar way as anti-inflammatory drugs in the body. The massaged muscle showed activation of genes that blocked inflammation and a greater ability to capture and use oxygen improving muscle function.(6)
With all this great information on different approaches to recovery, there’s no excuse for not helping yourself out a bit and trying some new techniques. These might be just what the body needs to improve in terms of strength and muscular gains, and they are certainly going to be a lot less expensive than throwing your money at most of the overpriced, useless supplements in your local supplement stores. Any weight trainer can benefit from increased attention to the body after training since it makes since that improving recovery ability will only help you reach your strength and muscular goals.
References
(1)Blood Lactate Removal Using Combined Massage and Active Recovery. Micklewright, DP. 1; Beneke R FACSM 1; Gladwell, V1; Sellens, MH. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 35 (5) Supplement 1: S317, May 2003.
(2)Saxton JM, Donnelly AE. Light concentric exercise during recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. Int J Sports Med 1995; 16 (6): 347-351.
(3)Sayers SP, Clarkson PM, Lee J. Activity and immobilization after eccentric exercise: 1. Recovery of muscle function. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 32 (9): 1587-1592.
(4)Viitasalo JT, Niemela K, Kaappola R, Korjus T, Levola M, Menonen HV et al. Warm underwater water-jet massage improves recovery from intense physical exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1995; 71(5): 431-438.
(5)Ernst E. Does post-exercise massage treatment reduce delayed onset muscle soreness? A systematic review. Br J Sports Med 1998; 32 (3): 212-214.
(6)JD Crane, DI Ogborn, C Cupido, S Melov, A Hubbard, JM Bourgeois, MA Tarnopolsky. Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Science Translational Medicine, 2012; 4 (119): 119ra13
