Stop Wasting Time on Recovery Tools That Don’t Work—Here’s What Actually Does

Estimated read time: 3.6 minutes (about as long as your neighbor’s ice bath rant). 😉

🧊 Cold Plunges: Friend or Gains-Killer?

Cold plunges are everywhere—and yes, they might reduce soreness and inflammation.

But if you’re chasing muscle growth or long-term adaptation?

Timing is everything.

⚠️ The Inflammation Paradox

Inflammation isn’t just a side effect of training. It’s the signal your body uses to repair and grow.

🧪 A 2025 study found that cold water immersion immediately after lifting restricted microvascular blood flow, reduced amino acid delivery, and suppressed muscle protein synthesis.

Translation: Ice baths right after lifting may short-circuit your gains.

✅ How to Use Cold Plunges (Strategically)

Best for:

• Multi-event weekends

• Deloads or off days—if you like how they make you feel, go for it

  • (Just avoid them close to workouts if you care about gains)

Avoid after:

• Heavy lifting sessions

• Hypertrophy-focused blocks

Bottom line: Cold plunges can work mostly because they subjectively make you feel better in the short term.

But if you’re in a muscle-building phase? Skip the ice tub and let your body recover naturally.

🧷 Foam Rolling: Feels Good, Doesn’t Boost Gains

Foam rolling is the golden retriever of recovery tools: friendly, familiar, and always hanging around. 🐾

It might ease soreness, but don’t expect it to boost performance.

✅ What It Might Do

• Increase temporary range of motion

• Reduce muscle soreness (DOMS)

• Improve perceived recovery

🧪 One meta-analysis called performance effects "minor and partly negligible."

🧠 Smart Use (If You Like It)

• Use before workouts for light mobility or warm-up

• Don’t rely on it for strength, speed, or hypertrophy

• Risk: low. Feel-good factor: high.
  

Bottom line: If foam rolling helps you feel better, go for it. If not? Skip it. You’re not missing much.

💥 Massage Guns: More Marketing Than Muscle

Are massage guns actually effective, or is science about to save you $200 (and fund a year’s worth of ice cream instead)?

🧬 What the Research Says

• Some small studies show improved short-term flexibility

• No strong evidence they enhance strength, performance, or speed recovery

• In most cases, they’re no better than rest—or doing nothing at all.

⚠️ What to Know

• Traditional massage: Proven to help reduce perceived soreness and aid relaxation

• Massage guns: Still waiting for robust evidence

• Red flag: Intensity doesn't equal effectiveness, more pressure may increase injury risk

Bottom line: If you love using a massage gun and it helps you chill out, fine.

But don't expect it to enhance your recovery in any meaningful way. If you're skipping it, you're not missing much.

🧶 Compression Gear: Helpful, But Don’t Expect Miracles

Compression garments get more hype than my dog Augie when he sees a squirrel. While the science isn’t overwhelming, there’s some merit.

They may help reduce soreness and slightly improve strength recovery.

But let’s be clear:

• They don’t improve running performance.

• The benefits are modest.

• And considering the price tag? They're far from essential.
  

🧰 Practical Use

• Best for: Helping you feel a bit less sore after races or big training blocks

• Not for: Improving performance metrics like speed or endurance

• Cost vs. return: Small gains, high cost
  

Bottom line: Compression gear might help you feel better. But if you're tight on budget? You're not missing out on major gains by skipping it.

🧠 Perception vs. Physiology: The Real Recovery Divide

Feeling recovered ≠ being recovered.

Most tools reduce perceived soreness, but not actual physiological fatigue or tissue damage.

That’s fine and can support recovery. Just make sure you’re not skipping sleep or underfueling to make time for a gadget.

🟡 Recovery That Actually Works

Forget the gimmicks—these are the pillars that actually move the needle. Let’s break them down:

🥩 Nutrition: The Metabolic Foundation

Low energy = slow recovery and weak adaptation. Here’s what tanks when you underfuel:

• Hormones crash (thyroid, IGF-1) → sluggish repair, slower metabolism

• Muscle building stalls → breakdown > rebuild

• Performance drops → endurance, speed, and power all take a hit
  

The fix:

• Protein: 1.6–2.0g/kg bodyweight/day

• Carbs: Scale to training load (more volume = more carbs)

• Calories: Stay at or above maintenance, especially during big weeks
  

Food isn’t just fuel—it’s your body’s recovery signal.

• ✔️ Don’t dip below maintenance

• ✔️ Prioritize protein + carbs around training

• ✔️ Consistent underfueling = consistent under-recovery

• ✔️ Want faster recovery and fewer injuries? Eat enough.

😴 Sleep: Your Secret Weapon

Target: 8–10 hours per night. No hacks. No substitutes.

Sleep powers:

• Hormonal repair

• Neural recovery

• Motor learning

🧪 A 2025 meta-analysis (45 studies) found sleep loss significantly reduces:

• Endurance (–0.66), power (–0.63), max strength (–0.35)

• Speed, skill, and overall recovery

• Plus: Increased perceived effort

👉 Consistent sleep beats cold plunges every day of the week.

📊 Smart Load Management: Don’t Spike, Don’t Snap

The fastest way to ruin recovery? A sudden jump in training load.

Going from 10 to 50-mile weeks isn’t just bold, it’s reckless.

Research shows rapid spikes in volume or intensity are top predictors of injury. Your body can adapt, but only if the stress is gradual.

⚠️ What Happens When You Overdo It:

• Too much, too fast = breakdown, not adaptation

• Recovery systems get overwhelmed → fatigue you can’t bounce back from

• Even elites break down when stress outpaces capacity

Progressive overload = planned, steady increases. Not “I felt good so I doubled my long run.”

Practical Summary: Recovery Hierarchy

💬 One last thing before you go.

After the NFL, I wasn’t sure if obsessing over performance science still mattered—until I started helping this community.

Your training goals? They brought that fire back.

So if you're feeling stuck, second-guessing something, or just want to share how training's going—hit reply. I read every message, and I’m here to help however I can.

🚨 Strength Training Prevents Late Marathon Bonking

Did you miss my post about how strength training might prevent late marathon bonking? You can find it below!

I won’t lie. These posts take me a while to make. If you find it helpful, share it on your story or with a friend. It helps me a ton!

Don’t forget: You + Science = AWESOMENESS 😎

Yours in science,

Jonah

Please email me directly if you’re interested in references for this week!