What to do for Sore Muscles? Muscle Recovery Tools + Elite Trainer Ryan Lauderdale

So, what to do for sore muscles… After signing up to a few parks & rec classes, I’ve recently become addicted to beach volleyball.  In addition to great exercise, it’s a highly social experience & age is not a critical factor; I regularly play with twenty somethings on up to seventy somethings.  BTW, you can find beach or indoor Vball in most states… no ocean required!

Generally, my 18 year old brain takes over during matches. I find myself diving for shots & serving a little harder on match point. Eventually, the 50+ brain kicks back in, reminding me to address the nagging aches & pains that sometimes follow.

Fortunately, there are now a wide variety of muscle recovery tools to  tackle sore muscles.

Originally intended to keep top tier athletes in peak physical condition, recovery products are available for the weekend athlete & those simply looking to enhance their well being.

Muscle recovery tools are great for…

• Quick relief for sore muscles
• Faster recovery time
• Reduced aches & pain, leading to a  better night’s sleep
• Improved range of motion, head off a chance of injury
• Skipping an Advil/Aleve pain killer regimen, when possible

Elite trainer Ryan Lauderdale

From his home base in So Cal, Ryan Lauderdale, Owner of Rypen Fitness , has spent over a decade training elite level athletes & those of us looking to improve their overall fitness. His credentials & certifications are too numerous to list here.  He is also one of only 22 Nike Master Trainers in North America.

What to do for sore muscles & training programs

Ryan Lauderdale’s take…

J-  I know you work with elite level athletes as well as the fitness conscious,  but what’s the age range of the athletes you train now a days?

RL – From the pro level, which is a lot of hockey players right now, down to 14 year olds. As far as the general population, my oldest client is 70, with everything in between… people that want to exercise, to be more fit, for their sanity, aesthetic goals…everything under the sun.

J- When your clients fall into a routine, how often do they work with you per week?

RL – If they’re not going pro or college, we can get a lot done with 3 days a week. With the system(s) I have now,  I’m easily able to give everyone workouts they can do on their own, when we’re not together…so we won’t miss a beat, even if we miss a day together.

Click to check out 24 cool products to Pack on your next Picnic

J- How important is recovery & downtime as a part of a workout routine?

RL -So, recovery…  back in the day, was a very short conversation. Just stretch, then boom, you’re done. Recovery has evolved, from something people didn’t really do, to something that people [now] understand from a more scientific point of view. When you’re working at your career and going 50-60 hours a week, your stressed out… and it leads to burn out. That burn out from everyday life is similar as it relates to exercise, without recovery or lack of regeneration.

When we were young, you could go go go and not feel anything. [But] at a certain point our bodies change, metabolism changes and you slow down. With our parasympathetic (flight or flight) nervous system, people are on edge, for many different reasons and it ramps you up far too often.

We need to bring ourselves back down to homeostasis (a rested state). Yoga, meditation & nutrition can help with this & [also] something as basic as water and not too much caffeine or other stimulants.

J- How are you using percussion therapy as part of your elite athletes routine (massage guns, vibrating rollers/balls/platforms etc…)?

RL- Percussive therapy has become more well known, but it’s been going on in the sports and physical therapy world for a long time. When I was a young athlete, no one used foam rollers. Even when I got to the college level you didn’t see them. Now, everyone & their mamma’s use foam rollers, and it’s a good thing! [Laughs]… It’s just an evolution where people want to be more informed and take control of their well being.

Now percussive therapy is everywhere. Think about most things [available] in the recovery space and it’s all about increasing blood flow. Whether your using recovery boots, massage guns or simply stretching, it’s all about increase blood flow to the area, to aid in recovery. I believe in massage guns and I’ll use them on my athletes for pre, intra and post exercise, depending. For my older clients, I’ll use the massage gun as a warm up to the session or afterwards to loosen muscles up. It’s a really convenient tool for trainers and has changed the industry. When massage guns first came out, like the theragun, they were as loud as jackhammers on the street! [laughs]. The quality and cost have come way down.

J- Are today’s recovery tools,  like massage guns, mainstream enough that they can be recommended for home use?

RL- Yes… for my college and pro athletes that train with me in the Summer, I recommend they take recovery tools back with them to help them out.

J- Are you an Ice or heat guy, as part of recovery/healing?

RL- It depends. There’s benefits to both.

J- What products do you keep at home to help you bounce back from a tough workout?

RL- Great question. Right now I’m using a few different things on the market. I use a muscle stimulator (devices delivering electric pulses that stimulate muscles, reducing pain & aiding in recovery). They used to be very expensive. Now, there are a lot of good home products available to break up adhesions and increase blood flow. As far as products that are out there, [I like] Hyperice. HyperVolt is their percussion gun. Also, hyper sphere… a vibrating ball.

J- Any recommendations for additional products that could aid in recovery?

RL – Portland Ashwagandha – “There’s a company I work with, Portland Ashwagandha farms.  Ashwagandha is a supplement that’s been around for thousands of years”. They take the roots and make a tincture out of it” “You also see it showing up in protein drinks like Vega. I’m a big advocate of this.

J- Where does CBD fit into all of this?

RL- Right now CBD is huge…everyone’s talking about CBD. CBD’s cool, except there’s so much variance on the dosage & the individual’s tolerance to CBD. More states are [introducing] standards, but right now it’s all over the place. I see lots of athletes using CBD. I see massage therapists using topical CBD on their clients, with great results. As a topical cream [great], but as a tincture, say for sleep, I’m not a huge advocate…I know tons of people that use CBD, but [many of my clients] have better results with Ashwagandha.” You can use it as a pre-workout or a post workout. It’s a natural testosterone booster, balances hormone levels, DHEA etc…

Many Thanks to Ryan Lauderdale for sitting down & discussing what to do for sore muscles!

Check out the list of products Ryan mentioned in the article and more, below!

Click to check out 24 cool products to Pack on your next Picnic

 * Members of the Jaunty staff are faithful users of the Intelitopia massage gun,  Acumobility balls, Portland Ashwagandha and Tens Electrical Stimulation

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