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The Truth About Recovery Methods
Do They Really Work?
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Recovery methods are a hot topic in fitness circles. From ice baths to red light therapy, everyone seems to have a favourite method. But are these recovery methods really worth the hype?
I find the whole narrative around recovery fascinating. Lots of people want to talk about what they are doing for their recovery. Whether it's ice baths, sauna, contrast therapy, red light therapy, cupping, massage, foam rolling, cryotherapy, compression boots, chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, active recovery, massage guns.
Even as I wrote that list, I was amazed how many things I could name, and also how new most are and how popular they have become in recent years.
The Pillars of Recovery
It's quite interesting that these things make people/brands loads of money (but that's not where I'm going with this). Every single one of those has limited value when stacked up against the pillars of sleeping enough, eating appropriately and training appropriately.
Those simple (I didn't say easy by the way) things are the key to being able to train hard and train frequently and ina manner that gets you continuing progress toward a goal, which is why we are all here isn't it?
The Stress Bucket Analogy
Probably the best way to look at all this is to look at the idea of the stress bucket. The bucket constantly has water being poured into it (whether that be stress from life or from training) and at the same time it has a tap letting it out (this is our body naturally recovering healing, resting and adapting to what we have done).
We need some stress to get create adaptations to make us get stronger, fitter, faster, more resilient. A lack of stress leaves people with weak bones/joints and susceptible to a multitude of health conditions, especially in later life.
The Limitations of Recovery Methods
If we go back to our huge list of recovery protocols, all of them provide some help with managing the stress bucket.
In the grand scheme of things these recovery options are all equivalent to bailing your bucket with a thimble.Regardless of the effort the outcome of recovery work can only go so far. So, is your effort with the thimble worth it? Especially the case when you could instead apply that effort to maybe getting more sleep, appropriate food and training at an intensity you can handle.
Focus on the Basics
Addressing those things out will have the effect of putting a wider tap on the bottom of the bucket. You derive a huge passive benefit from them, and you eliminate the need and effort required to engage in any of the active strategy's listed above.
This is the nature of the beast, we all have personal bias, and with that we shouldn't dismiss the power of placebo, but consider that for the most part all these recovery methods are very new, whilst the simple boring stuff is how every animal on the planet including us has "recovered"for all of time.
Personal Experience
I also write this from a place of having tried pretty much all of them in some form or another. In the end, after nearly 20 years of lifting weights and training, I actually found that I was getting stressed faffing about worrying over my recovery. I was trying to fit all these extras things in, compared with just getting my head down for a nap, enjoying preparing and eating good food and making sure I train at an intensity and in a manner where I feel pretty good to go again the next day.
Simplifying Recovery
This is how I look at recovery these days, I try not to overthink it. Sleep as much as you can, eat pretty well and when it comes to training push relatively hard consistently. If you have overdone it, dial back training for a bit.
Final Thoughts
So where does this leave us? My advice would be, don't major in the minors. If you really think something benefits you, fine have at it, but don't stress yourself out over it and remember that it's ok to be a bit beaten up and not recovered because you have to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.
Fun - HONESTY - Simplicity - Smash Life - Hard Work
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
Recovery methods are a hot topic in fitness circles. From ice baths to red light therapy, everyone seems to have a favourite method. But are these recovery methods really worth the hype?
I find the whole narrative around recovery fascinating. Lots of people want to talk about what they are doing for their recovery. Whether it's ice baths, sauna, contrast therapy, red light therapy, cupping, massage, foam rolling, cryotherapy, compression boots, chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, active recovery, massage guns.
Even as I wrote that list, I was amazed how many things I could name, and also how new most are and how popular they have become in recent years.
The Pillars of Recovery
It's quite interesting that these things make people/brands loads of money (but that's not where I'm going with this). Every single one of those has limited value when stacked up against the pillars of sleeping enough, eating appropriately and training appropriately.
Those simple (I didn't say easy by the way) things are the key to being able to train hard and train frequently and ina manner that gets you continuing progress toward a goal, which is why we are all here isn't it?
The Stress Bucket Analogy
Probably the best way to look at all this is to look at the idea of the stress bucket. The bucket constantly has water being poured into it (whether that be stress from life or from training) and at the same time it has a tap letting it out (this is our body naturally recovering healing, resting and adapting to what we have done).
We need some stress to get create adaptations to make us get stronger, fitter, faster, more resilient. A lack of stress leaves people with weak bones/joints and susceptible to a multitude of health conditions, especially in later life.
The Limitations of Recovery Methods
If we go back to our huge list of recovery protocols, all of them provide some help with managing the stress bucket.
In the grand scheme of things these recovery options are all equivalent to bailing your bucket with a thimble.Regardless of the effort the outcome of recovery work can only go so far. So, is your effort with the thimble worth it? Especially the case when you could instead apply that effort to maybe getting more sleep, appropriate food and training at an intensity you can handle.
Focus on the Basics
Addressing those things out will have the effect of putting a wider tap on the bottom of the bucket. You derive a huge passive benefit from them, and you eliminate the need and effort required to engage in any of the active strategy's listed above.
This is the nature of the beast, we all have personal bias, and with that we shouldn't dismiss the power of placebo, but consider that for the most part all these recovery methods are very new, whilst the simple boring stuff is how every animal on the planet including us has "recovered"for all of time.
Personal Experience
I also write this from a place of having tried pretty much all of them in some form or another. In the end, after nearly 20 years of lifting weights and training, I actually found that I was getting stressed faffing about worrying over my recovery. I was trying to fit all these extras things in, compared with just getting my head down for a nap, enjoying preparing and eating good food and making sure I train at an intensity and in a manner where I feel pretty good to go again the next day.
Simplifying Recovery
This is how I look at recovery these days, I try not to overthink it. Sleep as much as you can, eat pretty well and when it comes to training push relatively hard consistently. If you have overdone it, dial back training for a bit.
Final Thoughts
So where does this leave us? My advice would be, don't major in the minors. If you really think something benefits you, fine have at it, but don't stress yourself out over it and remember that it's ok to be a bit beaten up and not recovered because you have to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.
Fun - HONESTY - Simplicity - Smash Life - Hard Work
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Recovery methods are a hot topic in fitness circles. From ice baths to red light therapy, everyone seems to have a favourite method. But are these recovery methods really worth the hype?
I find the whole narrative around recovery fascinating. Lots of people want to talk about what they are doing for their recovery. Whether it's ice baths, sauna, contrast therapy, red light therapy, cupping, massage, foam rolling, cryotherapy, compression boots, chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, active recovery, massage guns.
Even as I wrote that list, I was amazed how many things I could name, and also how new most are and how popular they have become in recent years.
The Pillars of Recovery
It's quite interesting that these things make people/brands loads of money (but that's not where I'm going with this). Every single one of those has limited value when stacked up against the pillars of sleeping enough, eating appropriately and training appropriately.
Those simple (I didn't say easy by the way) things are the key to being able to train hard and train frequently and ina manner that gets you continuing progress toward a goal, which is why we are all here isn't it?
The Stress Bucket Analogy
Probably the best way to look at all this is to look at the idea of the stress bucket. The bucket constantly has water being poured into it (whether that be stress from life or from training) and at the same time it has a tap letting it out (this is our body naturally recovering healing, resting and adapting to what we have done).
We need some stress to get create adaptations to make us get stronger, fitter, faster, more resilient. A lack of stress leaves people with weak bones/joints and susceptible to a multitude of health conditions, especially in later life.
The Limitations of Recovery Methods
If we go back to our huge list of recovery protocols, all of them provide some help with managing the stress bucket.
In the grand scheme of things these recovery options are all equivalent to bailing your bucket with a thimble.Regardless of the effort the outcome of recovery work can only go so far. So, is your effort with the thimble worth it? Especially the case when you could instead apply that effort to maybe getting more sleep, appropriate food and training at an intensity you can handle.
Focus on the Basics
Addressing those things out will have the effect of putting a wider tap on the bottom of the bucket. You derive a huge passive benefit from them, and you eliminate the need and effort required to engage in any of the active strategy's listed above.
This is the nature of the beast, we all have personal bias, and with that we shouldn't dismiss the power of placebo, but consider that for the most part all these recovery methods are very new, whilst the simple boring stuff is how every animal on the planet including us has "recovered"for all of time.
Personal Experience
I also write this from a place of having tried pretty much all of them in some form or another. In the end, after nearly 20 years of lifting weights and training, I actually found that I was getting stressed faffing about worrying over my recovery. I was trying to fit all these extras things in, compared with just getting my head down for a nap, enjoying preparing and eating good food and making sure I train at an intensity and in a manner where I feel pretty good to go again the next day.
Simplifying Recovery
This is how I look at recovery these days, I try not to overthink it. Sleep as much as you can, eat pretty well and when it comes to training push relatively hard consistently. If you have overdone it, dial back training for a bit.
Final Thoughts
So where does this leave us? My advice would be, don't major in the minors. If you really think something benefits you, fine have at it, but don't stress yourself out over it and remember that it's ok to be a bit beaten up and not recovered because you have to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.
Fun - HONESTY - Simplicity - Smash Life - Hard Work
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Recovery methods are a hot topic in fitness circles. From ice baths to red light therapy, everyone seems to have a favourite method. But are these recovery methods really worth the hype?
I find the whole narrative around recovery fascinating. Lots of people want to talk about what they are doing for their recovery. Whether it's ice baths, sauna, contrast therapy, red light therapy, cupping, massage, foam rolling, cryotherapy, compression boots, chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, active recovery, massage guns.
Even as I wrote that list, I was amazed how many things I could name, and also how new most are and how popular they have become in recent years.
The Pillars of Recovery
It's quite interesting that these things make people/brands loads of money (but that's not where I'm going with this). Every single one of those has limited value when stacked up against the pillars of sleeping enough, eating appropriately and training appropriately.
Those simple (I didn't say easy by the way) things are the key to being able to train hard and train frequently and ina manner that gets you continuing progress toward a goal, which is why we are all here isn't it?
The Stress Bucket Analogy
Probably the best way to look at all this is to look at the idea of the stress bucket. The bucket constantly has water being poured into it (whether that be stress from life or from training) and at the same time it has a tap letting it out (this is our body naturally recovering healing, resting and adapting to what we have done).
We need some stress to get create adaptations to make us get stronger, fitter, faster, more resilient. A lack of stress leaves people with weak bones/joints and susceptible to a multitude of health conditions, especially in later life.
The Limitations of Recovery Methods
If we go back to our huge list of recovery protocols, all of them provide some help with managing the stress bucket.
In the grand scheme of things these recovery options are all equivalent to bailing your bucket with a thimble.Regardless of the effort the outcome of recovery work can only go so far. So, is your effort with the thimble worth it? Especially the case when you could instead apply that effort to maybe getting more sleep, appropriate food and training at an intensity you can handle.
Focus on the Basics
Addressing those things out will have the effect of putting a wider tap on the bottom of the bucket. You derive a huge passive benefit from them, and you eliminate the need and effort required to engage in any of the active strategy's listed above.
This is the nature of the beast, we all have personal bias, and with that we shouldn't dismiss the power of placebo, but consider that for the most part all these recovery methods are very new, whilst the simple boring stuff is how every animal on the planet including us has "recovered"for all of time.
Personal Experience
I also write this from a place of having tried pretty much all of them in some form or another. In the end, after nearly 20 years of lifting weights and training, I actually found that I was getting stressed faffing about worrying over my recovery. I was trying to fit all these extras things in, compared with just getting my head down for a nap, enjoying preparing and eating good food and making sure I train at an intensity and in a manner where I feel pretty good to go again the next day.
Simplifying Recovery
This is how I look at recovery these days, I try not to overthink it. Sleep as much as you can, eat pretty well and when it comes to training push relatively hard consistently. If you have overdone it, dial back training for a bit.
Final Thoughts
So where does this leave us? My advice would be, don't major in the minors. If you really think something benefits you, fine have at it, but don't stress yourself out over it and remember that it's ok to be a bit beaten up and not recovered because you have to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.
Fun - HONESTY - Simplicity - Smash Life - Hard Work
Recovery methods are a hot topic in fitness circles. From ice baths to red light therapy, everyone seems to have a favourite method. But are these recovery methods really worth the hype?
I find the whole narrative around recovery fascinating. Lots of people want to talk about what they are doing for their recovery. Whether it's ice baths, sauna, contrast therapy, red light therapy, cupping, massage, foam rolling, cryotherapy, compression boots, chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, active recovery, massage guns.
Even as I wrote that list, I was amazed how many things I could name, and also how new most are and how popular they have become in recent years.
The Pillars of Recovery
It's quite interesting that these things make people/brands loads of money (but that's not where I'm going with this). Every single one of those has limited value when stacked up against the pillars of sleeping enough, eating appropriately and training appropriately.
Those simple (I didn't say easy by the way) things are the key to being able to train hard and train frequently and ina manner that gets you continuing progress toward a goal, which is why we are all here isn't it?
The Stress Bucket Analogy
Probably the best way to look at all this is to look at the idea of the stress bucket. The bucket constantly has water being poured into it (whether that be stress from life or from training) and at the same time it has a tap letting it out (this is our body naturally recovering healing, resting and adapting to what we have done).
We need some stress to get create adaptations to make us get stronger, fitter, faster, more resilient. A lack of stress leaves people with weak bones/joints and susceptible to a multitude of health conditions, especially in later life.
The Limitations of Recovery Methods
If we go back to our huge list of recovery protocols, all of them provide some help with managing the stress bucket.
In the grand scheme of things these recovery options are all equivalent to bailing your bucket with a thimble.Regardless of the effort the outcome of recovery work can only go so far. So, is your effort with the thimble worth it? Especially the case when you could instead apply that effort to maybe getting more sleep, appropriate food and training at an intensity you can handle.
Focus on the Basics
Addressing those things out will have the effect of putting a wider tap on the bottom of the bucket. You derive a huge passive benefit from them, and you eliminate the need and effort required to engage in any of the active strategy's listed above.
This is the nature of the beast, we all have personal bias, and with that we shouldn't dismiss the power of placebo, but consider that for the most part all these recovery methods are very new, whilst the simple boring stuff is how every animal on the planet including us has "recovered"for all of time.
Personal Experience
I also write this from a place of having tried pretty much all of them in some form or another. In the end, after nearly 20 years of lifting weights and training, I actually found that I was getting stressed faffing about worrying over my recovery. I was trying to fit all these extras things in, compared with just getting my head down for a nap, enjoying preparing and eating good food and making sure I train at an intensity and in a manner where I feel pretty good to go again the next day.
Simplifying Recovery
This is how I look at recovery these days, I try not to overthink it. Sleep as much as you can, eat pretty well and when it comes to training push relatively hard consistently. If you have overdone it, dial back training for a bit.
Final Thoughts
So where does this leave us? My advice would be, don't major in the minors. If you really think something benefits you, fine have at it, but don't stress yourself out over it and remember that it's ok to be a bit beaten up and not recovered because you have to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.
Fun - HONESTY - Simplicity - Smash Life - Hard Work
One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
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