By Dr. Maria Kirby and Dr. Zac Lynch

Are you ready for the 2022 CrossFit Games?! The CrossFit Open begins on Thursday,  February 24th, and we want to ensure you are feeling strong, healthy and prepared throughout each and every WOD. Having a recovery plan set in place is key for maximizing your performance and reducing your risk of injury. Check out our 5 recovery tips to help you stay performing at your highest level throughout the 2022 CrossFit Games!

1. Tip #1: Breathwork

Taking 5-10 minutes per day to focus on your breathing can help to reduce your heart rate and blood pressure and transition your body into a state of recovery. Whether it is yoga, meditation, or diaphragmatic breathing, any style of breathing practice will suffice! 

…and no, hyperventilation after a WOD does not count!

2. Tip #2: Active Movement and Mobility

Sore from a tough workout? One of the best ways to recover is to keep moving as much as you can.

Movement not only keeps your muscles loosened up, but it also helps you improve circulation and brings nutrients to your stressed tissues. 

Take a walk, hop on the air bike for a SLOW 15 minutes, move through a yoga flow, go for a swim, move around on your foam roller or lacrosse ball, or just work on some mobility. 

Regardless of the activity, movement is key. Your body will thank you and you’ll go into your next workout fresh.

3. Tip #3: NormaTec Compression

Yes, the big compression pants and relaxing chair! Let’s be honest, nothing sounds better than this after a draining WOD.

The NormaTec Recovery system provides pulsed compression to your lower body to promote blood flow and to circulate nutrients throughout the body. The compression also helps relax sore muscles to speed up your recovery. 

Note: This is one of the RARE times you will ever hear us advocate for sitting still! 

4. Tip #4: Soft Tissue Work

You’re undoubtedly going to feel sore, tired, and achy at some point over the next few weeks. One way to prevent this fatigue from building up and resulting in tightness or injury is to focus extra time on your muscular and tendinous health. Soft tissue work is a great way to achieve this. Whether it is cupping, Graston scraping, or dry needling, keeping your body tuned up and mobile feels great and improves recovery.

5. Tip #5: Sleep

The Open is a stressful time in our minds and bodies. The mental stress of competing is added to the physical stress of max effort workouts. Conveniently, our bodies are equipped to respond to stress by adapting and producing resilience against future similar stressors. Sleep is crucial for this process to happen.

We suggest aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep per night! You should be doing this anyways, but it is of utmost importance during the Open!

Want to learn more tips like this? Our physical therapists take the time to discuss recovery strategies such as these during each 1-on-1 treatment session. Let us help you take control over health! Interested in learning more or getting scheduled? Send us a DM or give us a call today!

P.S. Use this LINK TO BOOK today if you are dealing with any issues that are keeping you from reaching your goals or that require further attention.