Tips of week #1

TAKE A CONTRAST BATH AFTER TRAINING

This is an old technique that originated in Eastern Bloc countries many years ago to speed up the recovery of their elite athletes. It entails submerging yourself in a tub of hot water for one minute, and then immediately jumping into a tub of ice-cold water for another minute—you then repeat this process for up to 10 minutes. Of course, I don’t expect you to have two bathtubs to do this, so a more practical method would be simply switching the water temperature back and forth in your shower. Just be sure to use extreme temperatures that you really have to grit and bear your way through.


TAKE NAPS 

Naps are a great way to speed up your recovery. During sleep, your body releases growth hormone and repairs the damage that has been done to your muscles during intense workouts. Taking a 20–60-minute nap once or twice a day is a great way to make faster progress.

STRETCH ON YOUR OFF DAYS 

This is a great way to increase blood flow to the muscles and helps shuttle in the nutrients necessary for optimal recovery. This should be done after you work up a sweat form jumping rope or even walking for 10-30 minutes. Basic old school static stretching is a good choice here. Stretch the muscle to a point where you feel it in the belly of the muscle but not the joint. This shouldn’t be anywhere as near intense as the extreme stretching you do post workout. Instead, just lightly stretch the muscles that are sore and hold the positions for 30 seconds each. You could even do this while watching TV at night.