Recovery Tips from the Austin Track Club

The Austin Track Club is one of America’s premier professional track & field teams, with past team members including Olympians Leo Manzano and Shannon Rowbury. Under coaches Dr. Noah Moos and George Perry the team has become a much-needed center of innovation for the sport. As they start their outdoor track season, hundreds of miles of training turn into hundreds of miles on the road.

- We’re athletes first. That’s our 24/7 job. Zensah Argyle Compression Socks are perfect for ensuring we get a full recovery while also keeping our usual levels of style and swag when we’re at work or on the town.

You’ve all heard about R.I.C.E., right? Well, you don’t always get a chance to rest, ice or elevate immediately after a workout. We rely on Zensah to ensure we can always compress, wherever we are or whatever we’re doing

- Our recommended tips for R.I.C.E.: 

Rest - Try to spend at least an hour after your workout doing as little as possible. Watch some TV, read a book, eat a LOT. If you have a hard workout or a two-a-day, try to a get a 30-minute nap in around lunch to give your body that extra chance to get the most out of your work.

Ice -As terrifying as it sounds, nothing beats a nice full-immersion ice bath for the legs. And we recommend you stand, not sit, in the water! Here in Austin, we’re lucky to have Barton Springs, a natural pool that is always in the low 60s. A good DIY is to put ice and water in a (clean) tall garbage can and stand in there for 5-10 minutes (wear your Zensah hat and gloves!). 

OR, Ice baths are the classic way to get cold, but have you ever tried cryotherapy? Cryo chambers hit you with super cold gas for only 2-3 minutes, but that’s enough to juice your body’s recovery processes. As soon as you step out, your skin warms right back up so unlike an ice bath you won’t be shivering and trying to bring your temp back to normal after you’re done.

Compression - This one’s easy. Find what works best for you, and how much compression you like while you’re working out and while you’re recovering. Each of our athlete’s has a different compression system (e.g., compression socks for tempo runs, calf sleeves for long run, tights while at home). The only way to figure it out is to try them all!

Elevation - It might be a little awkward to lay down on the floor with your feet on your desk while at work. Maybe prop them up on another chair while you dream about getting home to your couch. You can also incorporate elevation into your post-run core work by doing stability ball bridges or stability ball hamstring curls.