ove Daily, Early and Often

Many athletes put all of their time, energy, and effort into training hard. They want to continually push themselves and crush it every single training session. This work ethic is the reason many athletes are successful, but often leaves little room to fit in purposeful recovery strategies. When it comes to recovery, sleep and proper nutrition are the two most important methods. They are worth more than all of the other recovery modalities combined! Endless massages, stretching, cold plunges, or cryotherapy won’t help you much if you aren’t sleeping or eating well. Start with prioritizing these two elements and watch your recovery improve drastically!

Beyond sleep and nutrition, focused, daily movement is a key component to improving recovery. I owe this concept to Max Shank and his idea of a “5 Minute Flow.” Max’s challenge is to spend 5 minutes every morning moving through various flexibility and mobility exercises before you do anything else. I began doing this at the beginning of the year and have never felt better! Each day I spend time mobilizing stiff joints and stretching sore muscles. This has helped to improve my range of motion and decrease soreness. Moving through a joint’s full range of motion keeps it healthy and stimulates blood flow to the surrounding muscle groups.

The beauty of the concept is that it doesn’t have to be planned, nor does it have to look the same each day. Just crushed leg day? Focus on your glutes and hamstrings. Been sitting for two hours during your commute home? Stretch your hip flexors and mobilize your upper back. Generally you know the areas that need the most attention. If you need some ideas, here are 5 of my favorite drills that I plan to do each morning:

1. Shin Box

2. Adductor Stretch with Extension and Rotation

3. Alternating Spiderman with Reach

4. Squat to Stand with Overhead Squat

5. Shoulder Controlled Articular Rotations

The options with the 5-minute flow are truly endless! Any of the drills we do in our warm-ups will work. The goal is to get your body moving early and often. Not only will it help to improve mobility, it will also keep you feeling fresh and improve your recovery. I truly believe daily movement is an underutilized recovery method. This, along with good sleep and nutritional habits will allow you to train harder and longer! If you need more ideas for your flow, feel free to ask any of the coaches here at Paradigm Sport!