When you play football for going on 13 years and you have reached your mid 30s, you start having to think outside the box to prepare your body for another season. It’s simple biology. The older you get, the tougher is it to recover and be ready to perform long-term.
That is why professional athletes are spending more and more money on not only training and nutrition but also recovery. It used to be that recovery was a simple as sitting on your couch with ice bags and some ibprophen but science has found some amazing ways to aid the process.
More simply put, we have gotten smarter. That is why if you go to world-class training facilities at big time college programs and NFL programs, you will see an array of machines, gadgets, and science to not only help the athletes train, but to prepare their bodies to be able to perform again and again.
Playing sports into your 30s, no matter which sport it is, starts to become harder. I noticed it right around the age of 30 actually. I would always stretch before practices and games before that age, more because it was expected and not as much because I needed it.
About 30, I noticed that if I didn’t stretch and do it well before a practice, went onto the field and started sprinting, I pulled things. A slight hamstring here, a slight quad there. It was a bit of a reality check that yes, I really do have to put my ego aside and warm up right. Now, I come to every practice armed with my roll stick and spend a good 10 minutes stretching and rolling out tight muscles before we even do our team warm up.
Additionally, football is hard on your body. Over decade of hits takes a toll. 2 surgeries in 3 years also takes a toll. I’ve learned to always keep researching and trying to improve. I will tell you that if I worked this hard on my body at 23, would have a 6 pack. When you hit almost 35, it takes a lot more to get that.
In my quest this off-season to get better, I started researching different recovery methods. I figured that if some of this was good enough for Lebron, who literally spends a mansion price tag on his body upkeep every year, then it’s good enough for me. Some of the ideas have been around for a long time but the methods and efficiency have improved.
An athletes best friend since basically forever, has always been ice. Ice is key in keeping down inflammation and it alleviates cranky injuries. It used to be that you simply put on ice packs. The later the thing to do was ice baths, where you fill up a bathtub or container full of ice and cold water, and soak after a hard workout to aid in recovery.
Ice baths are definitely helpful but mind over matter. I would always have to count down in my head before I dropped myself in to talk myself into it. Once you are in, you are fine as you quickly numb and don’t feel it. When you get out, you feel refreshed. I’ve been doing them for years but they are kind of inconvenient sometimes and messy.
CRYOTHERAPHY
Enter stage left, Cryotherapy. What is Cryotherapy? Like the name spells out, it’s cold therapy but in a much more efficient way than ice baths. The main type of cryo chamber looks like a stand up tanning bed. It’s hooked up to nitrogen tanks. The nitrogen tanks cool the chamber down to extreme temperatures.
Here is what I have experienced. You check in and they gave you some warm socks, warm shoes, and gloves. You strip down basically to your underwear. I just go down to my shorts and sports bra. Then you put on a robe they give you and the socks, shoes, and gloves.
Then the assistant comes back in and you climb up into the chamber. Once you are in, you take your robe off and hand it to the assistant. You are only in the chamber for 3 minutes. The assistant will stand and talk to you to try to distract you as it really is cold! Sometimes they will tell you turn every 30 seconds.
You are only in it 3 minutes but believe me that is enough. Once it is complete, they hand you the robe back and you put it back on. They leave and you get your normal clothes back on.
When you are out of the chamber, it’s almost like your body is confused and there is an adrenaline type feeling. It’s like the one you would get with an ice bath but stronger and more intense. You feel like you could run a marathon and all is right with your sunny world.
The first time I went, I had a crash after where I was really tired and took a long nap. After that there was no crash although I did sleep really well that night.
My conclusion is that this way more efficient than ice baths. It’s a shorter amount of time to perform, more intense, and I definitely felt more limber. The downside is that is not cheap and there a not a lot of locations to choose from as it’s a newer technology.
My friend in my research has been Groupon. I was able to test drive different places for a fraction of the price. It normally will run you $40-65 a session but on Groupon you can find places for $20-25. There are also places that will sell monthly packages or sessions in groups.
I would say that if you just want to try it out and/or you think you might want it every once in a while, to go through Groupon and find a cheaper session. If you are an athlete preparing for a long season, it might be good to purchase out some of the bigger packages.
INFRARED
The next thing I’ve been looking at is Infrared. The idea behind Infrared is not new. If Cryotherapy is the ice pack on steroids, Infrared is the heating pack on steroids. Heat helps with achy muscles as well as a sense of wellbeing. There is a reason people jump into hot tubs and go into saunas. It feels good.
The idea behind Infrared is using infrared light instead of steam used in a sauna. It produces a natural warmth without the humidity of a sauna. I have done both variations of Infrared and will talk about both.
The first version is an Infrared Sauna. It is a similar set up to a traditional sauna and you sit down in room or box. However, instead of steam and humidity in the traditional sauna, it’s calming warm. Make no mistake though, you will still sweat and still burn calories.
The second version that I tried is an Infrared Pod. This is probably my favorite. The thing looks like a spaceship from 2200. You basically walk into this private room with the pod in it and disrobe. The pod opens up from the top so you can get in and lay down. You pull the top part down and it encases your body up to your neck.
Your head sticks out the top and there is a screen in front of you. There are even little doors from the main part of the pod that you can push up so you can use your hand to touch the screen. You can change it to different settings as far as your goal, temperature, and it even has a massage function.
There people who want to use it as a weight loss tool as you do burn a lot of calories in a short time in it but I typically keep it on the wellness setting and move the temperature up and down between medium and high. The massage function is really more of a vibration but you can put it on your legs and back.
Each session lasts 30 minutes and it is really relaxing. The first time I went, I basically fell asleep. Now I bring my phone and headphones and listen to Audible. There’s even aromatherapy hooked up to the pod so you can pick which scent you want.
After a session, you kind of feel a little foggy for maybe 30 minutes but in a good relaxed way. It is important to hydrate as you don’t realize how many calories you burn off. I usually go on a medium setting and the screen says I burn around 300 calories in 30 minutes. On higher settings you can burn more.
This too is a better version of saunas and the idea of heat therapy. I don’t mind traditional saunas but it does suck when you are in there with 12 other people and you can’t do anything because your phone is overheating and the sweat is dripping in your eyes. This is more private and relaxing.
The downside again is the price. You are again looking around $45-60 a pop. However, Groupon saved the day as I found an entry session at $20. There are places you can re order a $20 session and other places you can buy packages.
CBD/HEMP OIL
I’m also investigating CBD/Hemp Oil. No, it’s not what you think. These are parts of the plant that don’t contain THC but also have great anti-inflammation qualities. I’m a bit newer in this investigation but I definitely feel calmer after I take a couple of drops. I also notice I sleep better and I’m not as stiff in the morning when I wake.
At this stage in my life and career, I find it fascinating at how athletes have changed their training over the years. Here is a great video about the progression of the athlete and how science has helped.