Search

sleep

Recovery tools

There’s plenty of talk about the injury risks associated with CrossFit, and the fact is that you can get injured doing any sport…or walking down the street, for that matter.
Yesterday in class, a student thanked me for incorporating a thorough warm up and mobility work into every class at CFM. I like to think of it as “prehab”…the more we can do the prevent injury through good mobility, the more likely you are to have a long, sustainable, healthy CrossFit career!
Recently I had to rehab a frustrating back injury… one that I sustained the week after lifting at USAPL Nationals, when I should have been taking it easy letting my body recover instead of plunging back into CrossFit. Many of you are curious about my progress back to healthy training, so I’m FINALLY writing about everything I do for recovery.
I realize many of us live on a tight budget, so I’m also including a price range for various recovery options, so you can prioritize and decide which might be right for you.

Recovery Aid

How it works

Cost

Where to go

Sleep Quality sleep in a cool, dark room (especially between the hours of 10p-2a NIGHT OWLS!) is important for recovery & regeneration. FREE Your bed
Water Drinking plenty of water flushes toxins from your body & prevents dehydration. Consume a MINIMUM of ½ oz of water per 1 pound of bodyweight. FREE The water cooler
Mobility Most injuries are caused by a lack of mobility. Foam rolling and stretching regularly will speed recovery & increase range of motion of joints, to prevent injuries. FREE Anywhere! Do it when you wake up, on your own before/after CrossFit class or attend one of our free yoga classes (Free for CFM students Thurs 8:15p & Sun 6p)
Supplements
For ALL CrossFitters, I recommend SFH post-workout protein (after workouts), SFH fish oil (daily) & Advocare Nighttime Recovery (before bed)
These supplements will speed recovery and decrease inflammation in the form of aches, pains & muscle soreness.
SFH makes the cleanest, best quality protein & most highly concentrated fish oil I have found.
$25-65 Many are available in the CFM Pro Shop, online or at a local health food store.
Chiropractic & ART The nervous system controls every organ, tissue & cell in the body. By gently adjusting the spine, a good chiropractor can remove the nerve interference (subluxation) that can create disease in the body.
Active Release Techniques (ART) treats problems with muscles, nerves, ligaments, fascia & tendons. Headaches, back pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, joint pain & nagging athletic injuries are just a few conditions that can be resolved with ART.
$45 per wellness visit; $70 chiropractic adjustment & ART (monthly deals are available); insurance accepted Midtown Life Studio at Juniper & 8th
Cryotherapy During the three-minute session, you stand in the “cryosauna” (picture below) where cold nitrogen gas gets blown on your body, reducing your skin’s surface temperature.
The cold air helps with athletic recovery, injury/pain relief, as well as additional aesthetic, health & wellness benefits.
$45-70 per session Icebox Cryotherapy in Buckhead is offering a SPECIAL for CFM students – $75 for TWO sessions!
Sensory deprivation float chamber Soak for 60-90 minutes in a big bathtub full of water & LOTS of epsom salts. Flotation is great for stress relief, relaxation & recovery. Once you’re settled, it is virtually impossible to distinguish what parts of your body are in contact with the water and which aren’t, tricking your brain into a “floating” sensation.
Check out my video testimonial HERE.
$40-75 per 90-minute float FLO2S in Little Five Points is offering a SPECIAL membership for CFM students – $99 per month gets you THREE one-hour floats (no contract required).
Massage There are many different types of massage, but if you have an injury or lots of muscle soreness, a good sports massage can decrease muscle tension, provide pain relief, reduce inflammation and improve lymphatic movement to break up & release toxins. Usually around $60 for one hour or $90 for 90 minutes. I go to a massage therapist in Johns Creek, which is a HIKE!
There are many good sports masseuses in Midtown though. CFM student & yoga teacher Monica Miller is one of them.

Icebox
The “cryosauna” at Icebox Cryotherapy
Flo2s-first-foating-experince-7One of two float chambers at FLO2S

photo 5Matt & Wes on Wednesday’s AMRAP…if you’re participating in the CFMakeover and haven’t tested the workouts yet, do them in any of tomorrow’s classes or during Sunday Open Gym 1-2p.

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Dyer
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Dyer
8a: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy

Workout of the Day (WOD)

Buy in: 200m run
then: 40-30-20-10 reps of:
Lateral hops (over parallette)
Walking Lunges
Sit Ups
Double Unders
then: 20-15-10-5
Burpees
American KB Swing 53/35
Lateral box jumps 24/20
Cash out: 200m run

And coming tomorrow…

Make up the CFMakeover prelim workouts OR Team WOD outside
Work in teams of 2-4…the fewer teammates you have, the tougher the workout!
Buy in: partner carry 1 length of the parking lot (each partner must carry. scaled option: farmers carry with KBs)
100 atomic sit ups 45/25
100 russian kb swings 70/53
100 bench dips (use benches from inside)
100 overhead walking lunges 45/25
100 pull ups (Last part inside. Check the clock for your finishing time!)

*Surprise! Three times during the WOD your coach will yell “PLANK” and every team member has to drop and hold a plank for 20 seconds.
One team member working at a time.

FRI 10.4.13 Recovery Tools Read More »

Paleo Night is tonight at Urban Pl8

Tonight is Paleo Night. Please join us at Urban Pl8 for a delicious four-course paleo meal (just $25!).I’ve got the following peeps in to join us for dinner: Lis, Sam, John DeG +1, Kenley, Donice, Dan, Alison, Uran… anyone else? We can add more by 5pm, just let Lis know! Reservation is at 8:30. If you want to carpool, be at the gym at 8.

July 4th Holiday Schedule

CFM will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th. The 6 and 7 am classes will also be cancelled on Thursday, July 5th. All other classes next week will be held as regularly scheduled.
We’ll post a no-equipment-needed WOD on Tuesday in case you wish to get moving on your own on the 4th.

SLEEP!

It’s come to my attention that many of you live in high-rise condos/apartments near the gym. These places all feature great views and beautiful tall windows. BUT, that also means a lot of ambient light from street lights and daytime sunlight comes in to disturb your sleep.
We all need seven to nine hours of sleep each night in a COOL, DARK room. And I mean pitch-black dark room… no light from alarm clocks, television, night lights, cell phones, street lights, sunshine, etc. Try blacking out those windows (garbage bags and tapestries do the trick just as well as expensive curtains) and turning the thermostat down a few degrees at night and note how much better you sleep.
Supplements like magnesium citrate (Natural Calm), GABA, melatonin and zinc can also enhance your sleep. Let Lis know if you’re having issues getting a good night’s sleep and we can do some troubleshooting.

Scott recovers post-Fran

Workout of the Day – Fight Gone Bad

Three Rounds, for max reps:
1 minute wall balls 20/14
1 minute sumo deadlift high pull 75/55
1 minute box jump 20″
1 minute push press 75/55
1 minute row (for calories)
1 minute rest

Add up all reps/calories for total score.

TUES 06.26.12 FIGHT GONE BAD Read More »

Recovery

It’s been a tough week, and I’ve been talking with many of you about recovery and how to alleviate muscle soreness and other aches and pains.
Here are a few things to incorporate in your recovery program:

  • Foam & lacrosse ball rolling and mobility work – you can do this at home as well as at the gym.
  • HYDRATE – with plenty of water. As the summer heats up, use coconut water for added electrolytes. Avoid sports drinks high in sugar (and the diet versions with artificial sweeteners!). Limit caffeine to black coffee or tea, and don’t drink it after noon.
  • Sleep – Seven to nine hours in a PITCH BLACK dark, cool room.
  • Nutrition – how you eat throughout the day and ESPECIALLY what you take in immediately after your WOD is important. Get a good quality protein supplement into your system within 45 minutes of finishing a WOD, and then eat a full meal (protein, fat and carbs) 60-90 minutes later.
  • Supplements – fish oil and magnesium citrate will both aid in recovery. Fish oil is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation of all types, BUT these fatty acids are very fragile, so it’s important to invest in a quality fish oil supplement.
  • Epsom salts baths and contrast showers – take a warm bath in Epsom salts, or try a contrast shower (5 cycles of 1 minute hot, 1 minute cold water…this is also an excellent hangover cure… or so I’ve been told).
  • Rest days – listen to your body and take a day off when needed. A yoga class, a leisurely stroll through the park or an easy bike ride are all great activities to do on your days off from CrossFit.

*We sell Stronger, Faster, Healthier fish oil and protein in the Pro Shop. Check out some FAQ about their fish oil and protein here, or ask Lis for more details. Disclaimer: we’ll never sell anything in the Pro Shop that we don’t use ourselves. This is good stuff.

What are your top recovery tips/tactics? Share them in the comments!

Reminder for this weekend’s Free Piedmont Park WOD

Join us this Sunday at 10 for our FREE PARK WOD (open to the public and suitable for all skill levels). We’ll meet in the meadow near Park Tavern for a WOD, THEN we’ll head over to the sand volleyball courts to play HOOVER BALL. Don’t worry, if you don’t know what Hoover Ball is, we’ll teach you. Carlos is a pro and will be coaching the crew this Sunday!!

So meet in the meadow at 10 am AND/OR at the sand volleyball courts at 11 am. See you Sunday!

Zack and Melvin tackling the Bear Complex (check out Melvin’s mural progress behind him!)

Workout of the Day

Row or Run Repeats
3 1k row repeats OR 3 800m run repeats

Rest between row/run equal to the same amount of time the previous row/run took.
During rest: foam/lax ball roll/mobility work
Record splits.

If you did Murph on Monday, I recommend rowing. If you rowed on Tuesday, I recommend running.

Fri 06.01.12 Read More »

Scroll to Top