CrossFit Recovery Tips: 3 Secrets to CrossFit Recovery

CrossFit Recovery Tips: 3 Secrets to CrossFit Recovery

Everyone who practices CrossFit understands the grueling nature of high-intensity interval training. By pushing your body to its limit in quick bursts over and over, you are putting an immense amount of strain on your bones and muscles.

Therefore, one of the most important parts of being a CrossFit athlete is knowing how to recover properly. If you don’t, you are bound to experience injuries—some of which could impact you long-term—and you certainly won’t reach your full potential.

One key to recovering properly is to build a healthy meal plan. Using a sensible workout regimen is important, too, as is getting the proper amount of rest and using the right supplements.

That is all basic knowledge that a cursory Google search will tell you in about two minutes. If you want to make sure you are doing everything you can to recover properly, though, you need to dig a little deeper. To help, here are three secrets to CrossFit recovery.

1. Add Recovery into Your Schedule

   Obviously you need to make sure your body gets rest in-between workouts. But if you do not plan that rest in advance, you may inadvertently overtrain and, as a result, injure yourself, damage your joints’ range of motion, hinder muscle flexibility, and experience more stiffness.

   One of the most important CrossFit recovery tips is be proactive about your downtime. It is common knowledge that a meticulous, well-thought-out blueprint is essential to reach your fitness goals. Likewise, it is crucial to plan out your rest to make sure that your body is always receiving enough time to recover properly.

   

   To make sure you are building a recovery schedule that makes sense for you, talk to an experienced CrossFit trainer. At Paradiso, our expert coaches and staff can help you do that. When you sign up for a membership with us, you will receive a no-cost, one-on-one session with one of our trainers, who will formulate a unique program just for you.

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2. Take Care of Your Muscle Tissue

   Practicing CrossFit leads to chemical shifts in your muscle cells, and these changes can impact contractile functions. If your muscle fibers contract and do not relax, you may experience painful cramps. And even if you don’t get cramps, the quality of your muscle tissue can deteriorate over time if it does not relax properly. This can lead to tightness and debilitating pain.

   As a result, it is important for athletes to use various myofascial release techniques as part of their recovery from CrossFit workouts. One technique is to use a foam roller, which can easily get rid of knots in your muscles and relax the tissue. Massages are common and effective; stretching and mobility exercises are easy to do and can be greatly beneficial, too.

3. Practice Meditation

   If you are dealing with a frustrating injury, it can be difficult to maintain the right mindset. Mental strength is hugely important in CrossFit, and while it isn’t one of the more common CrossFit recovery tips, practicing meditation can keep you calm and level-headed as you face adversity.

   Meditating for 15 to 20 minutes every day can reduce stress and anxiety, sharpen your concentration, help you sleep better, lower blood pressure, and make it easier to control pain.

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   At Paradiso CrossFit, our members support one another both when it comes to pushing you to the next level –– and helping you recognize when you need to take a step back. If you need additional tips on safe and effective CrossFit training, including body recovery tips, consult the coaches at any of our locations: Venice Beach, Culver City, and Venice Barbell Club.