Gym Junkie Post Event Recovery

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-massage-lite thegreenalternative

Look in any gyms in any city and you will find the gym junkie who is there every chance they get-they are doing weights, using rowing and cycling machines, and are running on the treadmillAt any time in the world there are people trying to break personal best times and distances againstthemselves and other people and even trying to break world recordsGym junkies have to go and workout at the gym, they become addicted to the endorphins exercisingreleases-to them it is as addictive as drinking, smoking and manufactured drugs-only it is cheaper!

Gym junkies have similar problems to ultra marathon runners and walkers

Gym junkies are pretty competitive people just like my ultra marathon runners and walkers who geton the road or track for many hours/days/weeks/years of distance, and unlike other sports people,they get out there every day rain hail or shineBoth groups have to perform on a daily consecutive basis without recovering properly before goingout to do it all again!No matter how much tightness, stiffness, muscle soreness or injury there is they do not let it standin the way or affect their activity they have planned at the gym or or running track Ok they do not look like gym junkies but their motivation is the sameThe man in the red top ran himself into the ground before this was taken but we recovered him sohe could get out and run again!

How did we recover him

We used knowledge and my hands to facilitate his bodies recovery-but his body did the work

Recovery

There is much information on the internet and organisers have top athletes and trainers discussingequipment, training, and tactics-but there is one tactic for enhancing performance that is totallylegal and can be done without drugs-that is to increase the speed of recovery

My philosophy on recovery

Having worked in ultra marathon running and walking for many years, and having had an input intomany world distance records during that time under the most extreme conditions, I have worked outthat no matter how good the therapist who is helping the athlete, they are only facilitating thebody’s ability to recover itself The moment the muscles stop being used dynamically, and long before the therapist touches them,the body is well into its repair and recovery cycle at a micro-cellular level-the secret to a fasterrecovery though is having the knowledge to assist this process without interfering with its progressor causing further damage to the already traumatized muscle tissues

Minimal interference in the repair and recovery process will result in a faster recovery

Interference in the repair and recovery processes going on in the muscles by an outside force willresult in a retarded recovery time frame because the body has to start work repairing the micro-damage all over again!Recovery is important for anyone who uses their muscles aggressively-and the quicker it is startedon the faster the recovery-the most effective time to get onto this is in the 'window of opportunity'-while they are still warm and pliableIn the normal course of events there is very little injury other than small micro-tears in the over usedmuscle tissues-unless there has been a problem from an exterior sources such as impact or bio-mechanical causes (the running shoes, surface, blisters) to increase muscle stressTrained muscles are not injured in the conventional sense–so there is no need to use conventionalfingers into the muscle tissues to recover themGently assisting the muscles to get rid of by-products and wastes that have formed-as the by-products are removed, allows fresh blood to enter the tissues and enhance healing-allowing the gym junkie to get back to the gym without the inconvenience they would normally associate with after-effects of intensive exercise

Workingonthe muscles Vs working

with

them

After aggressive use the muscles will be sore and fatigued-later after they have cooled down theymay also be stiff-working

them using conventional recovery systems at this stage may do moreharm than good because it interferes with the bodies own recovery processes

Gym Junkie Post Event Recovery using Light Manual Muscle Relaxation3Copyright 2008 Michael Gillan ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://aching-legs-relief.com/the_gym_junkie_muscle_recovery.html This is a result sheet when the World Run Recovery System was developed and shows the gradualchanges from working

the muscles to working

with

them-if this was translated to the GymJunkie with fatigued muscles they would recovered in a short time

Results from 1995 Coburg 6 day footrace

Name Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6A Krouglikov237.2113.6130106126108Kilometers539284325365315270LapsT Rusek215.298.898139.6138.4122.4Kilometers538247245349346306LapsM Taylor174.4128.8143.6123.6138.4122.4Kilometers436322359309302223LapsB Beauchamp180.4133.2124117.611093.2Kilometers451333310294275233LapsP Gray150134105.294.8111.6106Kilometers375335263237279265LapsD Parris138.4108.4106.8116.4106107.2Kilometers346271267274265268LapsI Davis168119.290116.4106107.2Kilometers420298225291180247LapsG Watts132.296.499.2104.492.8133.6Kilometers328241248261232334LapsC Young14291.29097.68892Kilometers355228225244220230LapsD Kettle138.286.890.895.294.484.4Kilometers332217227238236212LapsR Hill12880.899.27095.696.6Kilometers320202248175239241LapsK Fisher16491.650115.249.681.2Kilometers410229125288124203LapsG Pollard12074.873.668.469.661.2Kilometers300187184171174153LapsThe above group came in for Light Manual Muscle RelaxationThe below group did not or had their own recovery peopleT Rafferty141.6112.8104.8101.69896.4Kilometers354282262254245241LapsG McConnel145.6110.8126.4113.6108.4106kilometers363277287284271265LapsG Audley152.8110.8126.4113.6114.895.2kilometersS Scanlon140.882843400Kilometers35220521085pulled out-blistersLapsJ Timms127.298.474.8000kilometers