Two-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion Ryan Terry is locking in his off-season recovery before ramping up prep for his title defense. A week into training, he peeled back the curtain on his fasted morning routine after his shoulder stem cell therapy.
It took Terry nine attempts and 21 years of training to reach the pinnacle of the sport. It’s one thing to rise to the summit, but staying there requires even more dedication. He became acutely aware of this following his latest victory at the 2024 Olympia in Las Vegas.
Ryan Terry’s 1-Hour Enhanced Recovery Morning Routine
Terry’s recovery-based fasted morning routine consists of four steps:
- Stretching Band Work
- Compression Massage
- Ice Bath
- Infrared Sauna
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Boosting Mobility and Joint Strength With Resistance Bands
Terry warms up at 5 a.m. with stretching and bandwork. Studies have shown that daily stretching can improve blood flow and vascular health, which is integral to post-workout recovery. (1)(2)
Terry’s problem area is his left shoulder for which he performs external rotations to regain complete function.
Lymphatic Drainage
The Hyperice Normatec compression boots are Terry’s solution for lymphatic drainage in the lower extremities — a tool for clearing waste, toxins, and extra fluid from the body, allowing faster recovery from challenging training sessions. (3)(4)
Legs…take a long time to recover. This aids it faster.
—Ryan Terry
Cold & Hot Contrast Therapy
Terry sits in an ice bath for one minute each morning to wake up and soften the wear and tear incurred from years of intense training. Research supports cold water immersion for its anti-inflammatory benefits, especially after exercise. (5)
For a minimum of 20 minutes, Terry rests in the infrared sauna, which heats the body directly by emitting light. Traditional saunas heat the air around you.
Terry uses an infrared sauna during his off-seasons and contest preps. Evidence suggests infrared sauna therapy can reduce muscle soreness and improve neuromuscular performance. (6)
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References
- Hotta K, Behnke BJ, Arjmandi B, et al. Daily muscle stretching enhances blood flow, endothelial function, capillarity, vascular volume and connectivity in aged skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 2018;596(10):1903-1917. doi:10.1113/JP275459 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29623692/
- Artés A, Ferrer-Ramos P, Javierre C, Viscor G, García I. Effects of intermittent pneumatic compression on the recovery of cardiovascular parameters after repeated sprint exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2024;124(4):1037-1048. doi:10.1007/s00421-023-05333-x https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37792163/
- Dunn N, Williams EM, Dolan G, Davies JH. Intermittent Pneumatic Compression for the Treatment of Lower Limb Lymphedema: A Pilot Trial of Sequencing to Mimic Manual Lymphatic Drainage Versus Traditional Graduated Sequential Compression. Lymphat Res Biol. 2022 Oct;20(5):514-521. doi: 10.1089/lrb.2021.0025. Epub 2021 Dec 9. PMID: 34883036; PMCID: PMC9603280. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9603280/
- Brown F, Gissane C, Howatson G, van Someren K, Pedlar C, Hill J. Compression Garments and Recovery from Exercise: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2017;47(11):2245-2267. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0728-9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28434152/
- Xiao F, Kabachkova AV, Jiao L, Zhao H, Kapilevich LV. Effects of cold water immersion after exercise on fatigue recovery and exercise performance–meta analysis. Front Physiol. 2023;14:1006512. Published 2023 Jan 20. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1006512 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36744038/
- Ahokas EK, Ihalainen JK, Hanstock HG, Savolainen E, Kyröläinen H. A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training. Biol Sport. 2023;40(3):681-689. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.119289 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37398966/
Featured image: @ryanjterry on Instagram
