Ice it down!
by Thom Van Vleck
Thom enjoying a post-competition "hydrotherapy" session following last summers Ledaig Highland Games. A cold group bath with your sweaty buddies is a great way to enhance recovery following a hard day of competition! (photo courtesy of Al Myers)
Ok, I’m sure by now half of you are thinking I mean beer….but I mean your body! I’m talking about what some call “hydrotherapy” or the used of heat and coolness to reduce inflammation, soreness, and recovery times between workouts. Now, there’s a ton of stuff out there on the good, ol’ world wide web and if you found this, you can find that. I’m just gonna give you some basics.
First, what led to this was me getting old. After numerous injuries over the years, broken bones, etc. it’s all catching up to me. when I was young I just worried about working out, now I feel I have a pretty good understanding of how to develop a good work out routine so now I’m more focused on how I can recover more quickly….especially with age! I remember Mickey Mantle once saying he wished he’d taken better care of himself when he was younger. Well, Mickey was past his playing career when he said that but for those in the USAWA our playing career is never over. You can make a big difference.
Before your workout, be sure and spend some time warming up. My warm up time has probably tripled from my 20’s. I have a special routine that I do and I pay attention more to my preworkout diet, load up on fluids all day, and I don’t push the time…..when I’m ready and I’m ready and not before. I also use anti-inflammatory type medication (Ibuprofen, sodium naproxen, etc.).
After the workout, ice the areas you’ve worked out down. My knees (especially my right one) tend to swell after my squats. I have found that after the workout I have a heat pad and an ice pack that I alternate back and forth it does wonders. I will also take a hot and cold shower, start warm, take it down, the up, then down. I end it with cold water. In the winter, I’ll take a snow bath alternating with the hot tube or sauna. If you don’t have a hot tub or sauna, get a chair for you shower and do the “poor man’s sauna”. Throw a large beach towel over you, you can get that water incredibly hot without burning and the hot steam will fog the mirrors for a square mile!
I also bought something called “the stick”. Basically, it’s a human rolling pin. I work the areas I can myself and then I recruit my wife to get the areas I can’t. I use this thing to the point of it being painful, but afterwards I feel like a million bucks….kind of the poor man’s deep tissue massage.
Well, I hope these few things get you to thinking……and if all else fails…..ice that beer down while you ice down!