Good to Go

What we have learned:<br />Choco milk: ✅<br />Sleep: gold standard, do it a lot.<br /><br />Everything else: ??‍♀️

OK, OK, I admit it. Earlier this year, as an aging (very much recreational, but nonetheless too often competitive) endurance "athlete" (using the term in the most expansive sense) ... who thinks nothing of trying/buying/consuming the latest gel or energy bar or protein shake ... and fantasizes about a weekly sports (deep tissue) massage... who has, in my second half-century, done more than my fair share of complaining about how much more slowly I recover from exertion...., at the urging of a relentlessly curious, research-oriented colleague, ... broke down and bought a couple pair of compression tights, which I've experimented with wearing after longer bicycle rides or particularly intense workouts. They're uncomfortable, I don't like them, and I can't believe they're doing me any good. But should I wear them anyway, ... <i>if so many people (and credible sources) recommend them</i>? <br /><br />Which must be why this book ... having recently arrived on my library's <i>new book</i> shelf, caught my eye....<br /><br />OK, first things first: this book isn't for everyone (but it was definitely for me). The author is a serious (and seriously successful) competitive multi-sport athlete (although, apparently, many of her most competitive days are behind her). And she can write ... and she's experienced and quite polished at explaining science to laymen and more sophisticated readers. So, to my mind, she was the right oracle to deliver whatever prophesies one takes from this work. <i>(Sorry, no spoilers here!)</i> And, she did her homework, collecting a lot of (domestic and foreign) research and interviewing a lot (and I mean <i>a lot</i>) of people. Moreover, it's a serious book (even if it's sprinkled with plenty of levity), in that it's full of footnotes (if you want to read more) and wraps up with a helpful index. On the one hand, I read it (surprisingly) quickly. On the other hand, given the cumulative content, I thought the author could've got to the same place in 50-100 fewer pages. Then, again, it wasn't like I got bored (in the least) reading it, so....<br /><br />Next: the full title is a winner, particularly the subtitle, because if there's one thing I really came to believe from the book, it's that athletic recovery is, indeed, a very <i>strange science.</i><br /><br /><i>Reader's nit</i>: my long-term (highly credentialed) physical therapist long ago recommended arnica (a popular herbal remedy) for some of my aches, bumps, and bruises. Despite my initial skepticism, I've found it surprisingly effective, so I was disappointed (and a little surprised) that the author never mentioned it. Alas, you can't have everything....<br /><br />Oh, and in case you're wondering: <i>will I continue to wear the compression tights?</i> I dunno; I'm waffling. My guess is that, if I'm really exhausted, I might give 'em another try. Only time will tell. I just need to convince myself they're helping....

Right now, I'm young enough that my running recovery can be summed up with a good night's sleep (and lots of complaining). I realize that one day that won't be true (and damn, that's terrifying). Reading this book felt like a peek into that world. <br /><br /><i>Good to Go</i> is an interesting book that looks at different recovery techniques. As an athlete with scientific background, Aschwanden is the perfect person for the job. With cheerful and easygoing writing, she tries out various techniques and writes about her experiences and the science behind them. <br /><br />The conclusion is that sport science is not a very scientific field. Research gets done without enough people involved. It's easily swayed by businesses. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is a successful recovery product. For example, a product might help lower the body heat but that doesn't necessarily mean that it helps combat dehydration. Moreover, dehydration doesn't necessarily hurt runners abilities, our bodies are built for it. It's hard to know what recovery actually means in quantitative terms. <br /><br />The result of this is that we simply don't know. We know that sleep is good for recovery and we know that there are plenty of shams out there but between those two lies a huge spectrum. The answer to the question, "does it help with recovery?" is apparently "sometimes and maybe!". At the end of the day, it depends on how it feels to you. <br /><br />Aschwanden cites the importance of placebos. Much of the recovery products work simply because we believe in them. This belief isn't going to be shaken so easily. At first, while reading about ice baths, I thought it was ridiculous to spend time and money on something that doesn't have tangible results. <br /><br />Then Aschwanden pointed out that research shows stretching after workouts has no benefit. And heck, I realized that it doesn't matter to me what the science is, stretching makes me feel better and that's why I'll continue to do it even if it's not proven as useful. That's really the heart of the discussion about recovery. It makes us feel better. <br /><br />To conclude, this is a nice book. It's fun and it makes you skeptical about every kind of research. It's very neat to consider that our body naturally knows how to recover from sports. Although I'm definitely not a pro-athlete, I enjoyed learning about how my body does stuff while I run. <br /><br /><b> What I'm Taking With Me</b><br />- Despite the beer research, I still know that after I drink alcohol my runs feel more sluggish so I will still forgo the after-run drinking.<br />- Ack, I miss running races, this is so sad. <br />- The sensory deprivation chambers sound very cool.<br />- I am often too lazy to bring water with me during runs so it's very calming to hear that dehydration is actually far less common than over-hydration. Like heck yeah, I can go on running 10kms in 35+ weather without it being a health hazard, right? <br /><br />--------------------------------------<br />Chocolate milk is apparently really good for recovery! <br /><br />Review to come

This book is a great read for anyone who has spent hundreds of dollars trying to not feel like crap after a hard run/workout/training session. As a marathon runner, I stare at the hundreds of dollars of nutrition, gadgets, and gizmos wondering whether or not it was worth it. This book sheds the light on all the marketing, traditions, and science behind all the things we do and buy to recover faster.<br /><br />The writing moves well explaining the fables we tell ourselves and the actual science that exists. It uses great examples of athletes you always wonder about, coaches you always wonder what they do, and scientific studies you always wonder where they are from. I learned how counter intuitive some things are, how maybe I should question what I've been told, and how I need to train my relaxing.<br /><br />I wish I read this book years ago. It probably would've saved me a few hundred dollars. Or not. (I'm googling these sensory deprivation chambers.) Will this change my current recovery habits? Maybe. I'll definitely be more conscious about my workouts, what I purchase, and how I recover. On my runs, I'll definitely drink less water. For now, I'll keep lying down, slipping on my compression boots, and drinking my protein shake. But maybe now my ice packs will cool my beer, instead of my legs.

***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***<br /><br />I really really liked this book. I went in expecting it to tell me about the latest science and technology related to sports recovery. What I got was 300 pages of calling bullsh*t on fake science. That's like my favorite thing in the world! :D Do I even need to continue this review? That should be enough to convince you that it's a good read. The author isn't a scientist at all, but I give her major props for explaining science both correctly and in a way that's easy for lay-people to read. I was a little nervous when she started explaining what infrared radiation is...but she handled it like a champ. She explains why and how we can't just accept results without looking at the sample size, the experimental design, the biases, etc etc etc. All good things to be reminded of! <br /><br />Oh, and she spends multiple pages, at various points, explaining why pretty much all of Tom Brady's products are bullsh*t and based on exactly zero science. So, that was great.

TLDR; sleep is optimal recovery. Only treat inflammation (antioxidants, ice bath, etc.) when in “peaking” phase of season. Our mind is incredibly effective at helping us recover, even when modalities are placebo.<br /><br />She puts a lot of research into this book, I think I would’ve enjoyed the research/writing. I thought of Sam Hinz almost every other chapter.

I'm a bit of an athlete and worked as a personal trainer for awhile, a thousand or so years ago, it seems like sometimes. It was a bit revelatory digging into this book and discovering how the author -- using rigorous research -- debunks the vast majority of 'recovery' therapies available to professional athletes, as well as the 'couch to ouch-' type of athlete. <br /><br />I did not give it four stars because I disagree with the author and her conclusions. On the contrary, I found it a fascinating read, for the most part. But the author -- in addition to being an accomplished multi-sport athlete -- is a scientist, and the in-depth analyses she provides regarding various performance studies and methodologies can be a bit of a snooze. <br /><br />What I expected to find was athletes in general (in my case, the aging athlete in the twilight of his competitive career) would be able to prolong activity levels and maximize performance through one or a combination of therapies/strategies researched by the author. I thought wrong, which is the point of the book. Do you believe in RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) therapy to assist recovery from sprains? You're wrong. In fact, the guy who INVENTED the term RICE thinks it's wrong, and science backs him up. Do you think plunging yourself into an ice bath promotes/speeds recovery? It doesn't. How about the effectiveness of ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory? Nope. Infrared sauna? Wrong and weird. Cryotherapy? Wrong, weird, and expensive. Electrolyte-laden sports drinks a la Gatorade/Powerade? You're body doesn't need those as it's perfectly capable of maintaining homeostasis, provided you are eating something and washing it down with water. Supplements and dietary aids? Unnecessary. Post-workout window for carbohydrate and/or protein intake? Also unnecessary. <br /><br />What Ms Aschwanden makes abundantly clear is the concept of recovery has been hijacked by questionable science (what do you think the Gatorade Performance Laboratory promotes) and a huge marketing blitz which preys on every athlete's desire to work out harder, heal faster, and maintain an edge over opponents. The phenomenon is remarkably similar to all of the fad diet trends one can choose from, like Keto and Adkins, or the concept of 'cleansing' and 'detoxifying,' which is what your liver and kidneys already do for you.<br /><br />So ... Does the author's research turn up an incredible combination of therapies which are capable of enhancing recovery? Read this book and find out for yourself, because I'm not telling. I will say Ms Aschwanden has pretty much blown apart my concept of recovery, and laid out solid evidence to back up the demolition. If you're pressed for time, or you're just plain uncomfortable with science-based, factual reporting, then read Chapter 11 (Hurts So Good), as it provides -- moreso than any other chapter -- pretty definitive answers. <br /><br />

As an aging "athlete" (in quotes because, well, I'm an amateur at best) I've racked up my fair share of injuries at this point. Both legs, shoulder, elbow, rib, Achilles...basically, as time goes, there's just more and more stuff that aches. I get out of bed in the morning and it sounds like what I imagine it sounded like when Rocky got out of bed after Rocky III, the one where he let Mr. T punch him in the face a handful of times, a decision that probably made him feel pretty tough at the time, and the next morning I imagine he was like, "Hmm...maybe I should've just let him hit me like 7 times in the face as hard as he could."<br /><br />So I read this book, and it's not good news, people. If you are using any recovery methods you like, stop reading this review, and don't read this book.<br /><br />Still here?<br /><br />Okay, here are things that do not work, probably don't work, or only work through placebo effect:<br /><br />+Hydration: Gatorade, all that shit doesn't do squat. You'll hear a lot about how you should drink a shitload of water, but it turns out that overhydrating is a bigger issue than underhydrating (multiple marathoners have died from this in recent years), and that adage about "By the time you're thirsty, it's too late" is total bullshit. Thirst is an excellent indicator of your hydration needs. Oh, and I did feel a little vindicated because you don't need a water bottle for like a 5-mile run. You can go without just fine. Anyway, sports drinks, salt tablets, beers, all of that is bogus. Just eat food and drink water and you'll be fine. <br /><br />+Vitamins: Most of us have heard that vitamins mostly get peed out. This is partially true, but the more important truth is that you should be getting your vitamins from food rather than supplementing. Most people take vitamins because they assume they're missing some vital nutrient otherwise, and this is usually incorrect.<br /><br />+Supplements: Good god, don't take these. This is one of the few things in the book that crosses over from worthless to likely harmful. Especially if you're in competition as a lot of supplement companies use additives that are controlled substances. Plus, again, it's best to get your calories, vitamins, and nutrients from "real" food as much as humanly possible. Also, supplements are not controlled by the FDA because...I don't know why. So not only are they likely unhelpful, they might actually make you worse.<br /><br />+Ice: Doesn't really do much. May lessen pain, but may also lessen adaptation, which results in muscle growth, so it's useless at best, harmful at worst. Cryotherapy also seems to be totally bogus.<br /><br />+Heat: Maybe works? But probably doesn't do anything. All that infrared shit is crazy, by the way. That is junk science at its finest.<br /><br />+Powerbars: This includes most foods designed for athletes. They aren't as good as real food. They just aren't. It's always been a dream of mine to eat like one bar in a day and be good to go, but that's not happening, and it makes sense. We're talking about all of human evolution creating a system that allows us to thrive on real food, and now we've been trying to game the system for maybe 2 generations? Not likely.<br /><br />+Sleep: This is the one thing that seems definitively to work. I just watched the Iron Cowboy documentary, and I think the biggest mistake that his coaches/team made was not planning out his sleep a little better. On a good night it seemed like he was getting 5 hours, and that's just not enough. I've done a little more research on sleep, and it seems like the best thing you can do, if you want to be healthy and maybe even athletic, is to sleep as much as your body requires and to get good quality sleep. As a sidenote, lots of people think they're good with 5 hours, and that's bullshit. There's like .4% of humans who can get a full night's rest on 5 hours, and you're probably not it. Stop lying to yourself and GO TO BED.<br /><br />+Rolling/Massaging/Stretching: Nope. According to the research, none of this stuff works either.<br /><br />+Float Tanks: Traditionally known as sensory deprivation tanks, you'll find float centers all over. This is basically a form of meditation. The author is a believer in it, after trying it. I do think there's a lot to be said for the mental game, but this part of the book was the least researched and the most personal-experience-based. <br /><br />+Placebo: This completely works. Study after study has shown that the placebo effect not only makes people THINK they're getting better, it does actually make them better.<br /><br />That's the stuff covered in the book. Here are my additional thoughts/questions:<br /><br />General versus Injury: I do think recovery from an injury and recovery that's designed to let you run today and tomorrow are different things, and this book is leaned hard towards general recovery as opposed to acute injury recovery. Good to know.<br /><br />Athletes versus Normals: It's unfortunate that most of these studies are done on athletes as opposed to more average people. I think a lot of the information that comes out is based on professionals, or at the very least, people who were athletes at the collegiate level, meaning they've had a solid decade of building and coaching. Athletics are a major part of their life. So, don't get discouraged when something that works for athletes doesn't work for you, a normal. <br /><br />Slow: The biggest mistake most people make is that they don't go slow enough. Go slow. Especially if you're starting out. Build strength slowly. Build endurance slowly. Your body will adapt better if you let yourself plateau for longer periods. I really believe this. Most people get hurt when they try to exceed their grasp by progressing too quickly. One of the beautiful things about exercise is that it also builds patience. My general advice here is that if you're SUPER sore the next day, you did too much. Especially when starting out, you should exercise an amount that's comfortable for you. Most people would probably not feel sore from a 10 minute walk with 1 minute of running in the middle. How about 2 1-minute running intervals? Figure out where you're at, then...back it off a little. Do what's fairly easy until it's REALLY easy, then jump up a notch. And don't have a calendar-based goal in mind. Just let yourself get stronger.<br /><br />Watch the Marketing: Lebron James doing something doesn't mean you should. I might argue that anything that's sold to you, the normal, because Lebron does it, is probably bullshit. I'd highly advise looking to companies that cater to more average people than companies that pride themselves on their elite athletes when it comes to shoes, diet, whatever.<br /><br />Drugs: I was a little surprised there wasn't more discussion of drugs, doping, etc. Drugs...seem to work. I mean, that's why they're banned. They work. I have opinions on steroids that are VERY unpopular, but it seems to me that steroid use is manageable and probably beneficial in a lot of sports. As are things like HGH. I guess, overall, I don't like the idea of drugs being in pro sports, but if you're just some middle-aged dude who's hitting the gym? I don't really see what effect that has on the world, and in my eyes, these things should be legalized and regulated rather than illegal. I will say this: there are drugs at your gym. No doubt. And most of the people who are on Instagram and YouTube and shit are using stuff. Most people who are famous for their physique use one thing or another. They all admit to it when they're older. So, just accept it, and if you're natural, don't compare yourself to people who clearly aren't. At the same time, don't carry the burden of feeling like their drug use is taking something away from you. It's not my path, but it being a chosen path for others is fine. <br /><br />The Mental Game: The hardest thing to get athletes to do is to stop. They always think that more is better. Harder is better. I don't believe that anymore. I don't think a weight training session should leave you feeling completely spent. I think you overtrained if you did that. And again, I'm talking about the long game here, not someone getting ready for a big competition or something. Have that lifetime mentality. If pushing out that extra rep or extra mile today is a huge slog, you're going to hurt yourself, and that makes the next several months much worse.

Labai rekomenduotina knyga visiems endure sporto atstovamas. Autorė, pati buvusi profesionalu sportininkė, rašydama šią knygą ėmė interviu iš beveik 250 žmonių, peržiūrėjo belekiek puslapių įvairių tyrimų, pati ant savęs išbandė nemažai recovery įrankių. Man asmenškai buvo žiauriai įdomu skaityti, kadangi knygoje “kabinamos” temos man yra labai aktualios. Sportiniai papildai, mitai, placebo efektai, įvairūs “gadžetai recoveriui”, persitreniravimas, mokėjimas klausytis savo kūno siunčiamų signalų. Dar kartą - labai rekomenduoju ir ypač tiems bėgikams, kurie galvoja, kad sporto pasaulyje veikia vienintelis principas - “Go hard or go home”. Dar smarkiau pasportuoti gali kiekvienas asilas, o štai teisingai recoverintis - it is a courage!

This was such a good read. <br />I started reading it immediately after Endure (Alex Hutchinson), and didn't love the opening, maybe because Hutchinson is such a great writer, that he's a tough act to follow especially if you're working within the same range of topics. The book quickly grew on me, and definitely had (and still has) me thinking about both the way recovery is being pushed on us through companies and media, but also my own approach and beliefs.<br />I definitely recommend this to anyone who spends a lot of time on their sport, or just anyone with the least bit of interest in how body and mind work together.<br />It might even be interesting from a business perspective. <br />The chapter on supplements was downright scary, but mainly I found this book informative while also being a light read, likely due to the many anecdotes.