The results you get in the gym are only as good as how well you recover. The following 5 unusual recovery methods every athlete must try is designed to help athletes and fitness enthusiasts to look outside the box for efficient and effective methods to heal the body.
The recovery time your body needs to fully be at its best can vary for each person. However, a quick recovery process can surely help you to grow back stronger and have the energy to perform the next day. With that in mind, the information ahead is designed to open your eyes to something new, or futuristic, with how you recover your body. 
Benefits of Recovery in Muscular Health
Athletes know exactly how to train the body to be at its best and they know the value of recovery. Pushing a workout to the limits to reach maximal performance for a competition, sport, or event means having a sound recovery process is even more important to encourage progress.
[wpcode id=”229888″]Recovery is an all-encompassing technique where the body rests to allow for tissue repair. Depending on the type of exercise or activity performed, the recovery process may be to grow muscles bigger or simply to heal back better for improved performance. Regardless of the end goal in mind, recovery is just as vital to the exercise. Here are some benefits to look forward to in your recovery process and for performance.
- Recovery can help to repair muscle fiber tissues following strenuous workouts.
- Recovery can help to encourage hypertrophy gains in muscles after exercise.
- Recovery can restore natural energy levels and maintain energy stores for future use.
- Recovery can help to prevent injury by rebuilding torn tissues following exercise.
Recovery can have some of the most important elements in a workout program and with the information ahead you can hopefully use some of the unusual techniques that have been useful to other athletes. While recovery may vary for each person, giving each method an attempt can help tp expose your body to something new so that hopefully you find a technique that works for your body.
How Long Does It Take to Fully Recover?
While each person is different and heals at a different rate than others, the general rule of thumb is it takes roughly 48-72 hours to recover the body after a workout. Some factors that affect this are the severity of soreness, the amount of rest the body has had, and the amount of time it takes the body to perform its primary healing functions.
In addition, nutrition can play a major role in the recovery process. A sound diet that is loaded with ample fruits, vegetables, protein, and water can play a role in delivering nutrients to the body during the healing process.
What are the Traditional Ways to Recover?
Traditional ways to recover the body tend to be very reliable. Following activity, the body begins to rebuild torn tissue immediately and the most common way that people recover is through rest and sleep.
Rest allows the body to focus on repairing sore, torn tissues rather than trying to multitask. Some people look to gentle activity such as stretching, light walking, or a swimming pool as active recovery. However, when it comes to recovery, the most traditional ways that athletes tend to gravitate, though, is rest and for good reasons. 
5 Unusual Recovery Methods Every Athlete Must Try At Least Once
While traditional methods of recovery are reliable, athletes should be open to alternative methods to healing, which can almost be thought of as a supplement to recovery. Listed ahead are 5 unusual recovery methods every athlete must try at least once for additional healing and to potentially help to cut down the process time.
- Sensory Deprivation Tanks. Also known as restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST). This type of recovery method uses magnesium solutions, Epsom salts, and restricts gravity to relieve pressure off the body and joints. This type of recovery may be a preferred option for runners and body builders as the anti-gravity feeling can feel amazing on the joints and promote healing.
- Infrared Saunas. Traditional saunas use steam to heat the body whereas infrared saunas use infrared light to provide heat. This type of heat created by infrared light may help to flush toxins, build collagen, and encourage muscle recovery. Flushing out the excessive compounds that are left over after exercise may help to speed the recovery time, and the heat generated help the body to sweat some of these toxins out.
- Cryotherapy. With more technology that comes out, ice and cold remains a good source fir the recovery process. Cold therapy, or cryotherapy, is used to help slow inflammatory processes so the muscle tissues can repair, and studies show applying cryotherapy immediately after activity can help to mitigate tissue damage caused by inflammation. Adding cryotherapy to a regular routine could be an unusual, but efficient way to heal after exercise.
- Lymphatic Drainage Massage. This unusual recovery method takes a spin off standard Swedish massage and utilizes a technique that helps to promote lymphatic circulation. This type of massage utilizes a specific pattern that can help to decrease swelling, reduce fluid retention, and fight inflammation. After a strenuous workout, athletes are all too familiar with soreness, so adding lymphatic drainage massage may be an unusual, but effective way to heal.
- Smart Mattresses. Since rest is the gold standard to recovery, adding a smart mattress to the equation may be an unusually effective way to recover. Smart mattresses have sensors that collect data about how you sleep at night. This can provide valuable feedback about how to optimize your sleep and how to potentially improve quality sleep.
Athletes Should Give Additional Recovery Options a Try
How the body responds differently for everyone and recovery is necessary for progress. The 5 unusual recovery methods every athlete must try at least once listed above offer great potential to anyone looking to speed the recovery process. While each method listed is not a standard method that most people utilize, there are some potential benefits with each that can help to enhance the healing process.
