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Recovery Guides

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Steam Room Benefits: A BarBend tester sitting inside a steam room.

4 Steam Room Benefits to Get You Ready to Sweat (Even More)

After a workout and cool down, a lot of athletes grab their water bottle and heat back up in the steam room or sauna. Steam rooms have high humidity and will have you sweating quicker than the dry heat of ... Continue Reading

Massage Gun

Do Massage Guns Work? Here’s the Research and Insights from a PT

Of all the gadgets designed to alleviate muscle soreness and accelerate muscle recovery, massage guns have rapidly risen to occupy a vanguard position. (1) In the hands of many physical therapists, massage ... Continue Reading

Two fit individuals doing a cold water immersion.

Cold Plunge Vs. Sauna — Which is Better for Post-Workout Recovery?

Lifting heavy, eating well, and recovery strategies are all part of the big picture of making gains. When it comes to recovery, there are many options to explore. In addition to getting adequate sleep, you ... Continue Reading

A barefoot person resting in the sauna.

10 Benefits of a Sauna After a Workout That Will Revolutionize Your Recovery Strategy

The sauna in your gym locker room is much more than just a quiet place to chill out. It’s not just about the silence (though that will undoubtedly be attractive to many athletes juggling a loud gym with a ... Continue Reading

A fit person massaging their neck using a massage gun.

How to Use a Massage Gun, According to a PT

While plenty of gadgets may come in and out of your gym bag to promote muscle recovery, massage guns are among the devices most often recommended by physical therapists. With the simple placement of the ... Continue Reading

A person relaxing in a sauna.

How Long Should You Stay in a Sauna?

Saunas are no modern concept. Their origins can be traced back at least 4,000 years. However, thousands of years later, the science behind them remains a mystery to many people. Why do so many athletes ... Continue Reading

A person sitting in a room in front of an infrared sauna lamp.

6 Infrared Sauna Benefits to Give Your Recovery a Boost

You just finished a tough workout, did a few cool-down stretches, and are on the way to showering. As you enter the locker room, you notice your gym has an infrared sauna. Before you grab your post-workout ... Continue Reading

A person pouring water onto hot stone in the sauna.

Steam Room vs. Sauna: The Key Differences You Need to Know

Contrast therapy is so hot right now. Whether you’re a full-time cold water immersion fanatic who takes the plunge on a daily basis or you make the sauna the cornerstone of your active recovery protocols, ... Continue Reading

A person taking an ice bath in a frozen area during winter

Should You Cold Plunge Before or After a Workout?

All types of physical activity share one common trait — hard workouts require equally vigorous periods of recovery. How you spend the hours between your training sessions plays a tremendous role in not ... Continue Reading

massage gun and foam roller

Massage Gun Vs. Foam Roller — Which Is Better for Strength Athletes?

Of all the instruments designed to help soothe your body, muscle group by muscle group, after a training session, two have risen to the forefront. In the workout recovery world, the battle of massage guns ... Continue Reading

Ice Bath Vs. Cold Shower — Which Is Better for Strength Athletes?

If you already enjoy a hot shower after an arduous workout, a post-workout aquatic session in frigid water might bring you well outside of your comfort zone. The last thing you want after a tough session ... Continue Reading

How to Make Yourself a DIY Cold Plunge

If you’ve ever taken an uninhibited dive into a pool full of cold water, you’re aware that your brain registers the rapid dip of your skin’s temperature as an unwelcome shock to its system. While your body ... Continue Reading

Credit: jack hanrahan fitness / Youtube

How to Do the 90/90 Stretch to Squat Heavier and Move Better

Squatting to depth is the envy of many a strength athlete. If you’re a competitive powerlifter, it’s a must to avoid any red lights and missed lifts during your competition. And for weekend warriors ... Continue Reading

A person stretching before a CrossFit workout.

The 9 Best Stretches for CrossFit Athletes to Maximize Performance

When you’re a CrossFitter, your workouts are all about improving the quality of your movements. Everything from the nutrition to the recovery habits of CrossFit athletes is dedicated to maximizing the ... Continue Reading

A person stretches their arms at their home office desk.

7 At-Work Stretches to Boost Your Gym Performance

Mobility workouts might be less glamorous than slinging around heavy barbells. But just because daily stretching isn't quite as Instagram-worthy as stunning tandem weightlifting feats, mobility training is ... Continue Reading

focl_featured_v1

6 Ways to Speed Up Muscle Strain Recovery

You often know the second it happens — there’s a tell-tale pinching or popping sensation as the muscle is pushed past its limit. And then the pain, swelling, and stiffness start to set in. Suddenly, all ... Continue Reading

A person emerges from icy water.

Everything You Need to Know About the Cold Plunge

Especially if you’re from a chillier region, you might scoff at someone saying that 59 degrees is cold. But when the water you’re immersing yourself in is below 60 degrees, it’s definitely on the ... Continue Reading

Ice Bath Benefits

6 Ice Bath Benefits That May Convince You To Take the Plunge

When it comes to staying at the top of your lifting game, a few factors matter as much as a high-quality recovery plan between training sessions. Some athletes prefer foam rolling, while others swear by ... Continue Reading

Active Recovery Explained — How to Make Gains While Resting

Active recovery days are the golden ticket for many top athletes. Healing from intense workouts is not just about ice baths and deep tissue massages, or taking care of your nutrition or sleep habits. But ... Continue Reading

gym stretch

Active Stretches Explained — Science-Backed Selections for Optimal Recovery & Performance

Stretching seems to frequently fall in and out of favor in the fitness world. Much of the discourse surrounding stretching as a viable — or wasteful, depending on who you ask — practice comes from ... Continue Reading

Mimic the Effects of a Sauna

4 Ways to Mimic a Sauna for Optimal Recovery

If heat exposure is a staple in your recovery routine, or if you’d like it to be, you might not need access to a sauna or steam room. There is always a way to mimic the benefits of daily sauna sessions. ... Continue Reading

Stretch after training

The Top Five Recovery Mistakes CrossFitters Make

Many people begin CrossFit as a path to managing their mental health. Physical activity has a host of mental health benefits, including potentially reducing anxiety and depression. However, recovery ... Continue Reading

Muscle Recovery

What You Need to Know About Muscle Recovery 

If you’ve ever started a new workout program or spent a few hours shoveling your car out of the snow, you know what it’s like to have sore muscles. And you’ve probably spent some time trying to find the ... Continue Reading

BarBend's Jake Herod performing the lying quad stretch.

How Deep Stretching Promotes Emotional Release

Developing a yoga practice isn’t just about hopping onto one of the best exercise mats every Sunday. It’s about the kind of deep stretching that you need to engage in regularly if you want to be a healthy, ... Continue Reading

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