Soft Tissue and Joint Recovery

Soft Tissue Recovery

Rest and recovery are crucial, especially when it comes to strongman training.  During my younger years, I completely disregarded stretching or any recovery.  I would just come in and start warming up on bar or even the strongman implement.  Over time, this completely wreaked havoc on my body and still to this day, causes me issues.

It was January 2015, I just did a powerlifting and a strongman competition back to back days for fun and the next day, my back seized up.  I could barely move.  That began my occasional SI issues which plagued me for years.  It seems to be under control meaning it only happens every few months instead of few weeks (hahaha).

My latest issue is one that plagues a lot of people.  My chest is tight and shoulders are rounded forward.  This causes tightness and pain in each deltoid.  It usually is never the same delt at the same time.  The left will hurt but not the right, then the pain switches sides.  I thought to myself “am i imagining this pain?” but it is very real.

One thing that has really helped improve this issue is working with Bear Bakhshandeh from Summit Performance Therapy and this has really helped and improve my ROM in my shoulders.  Utilizing the Hawkgrips graston tools, Bear is really able to get into the problem areas and improve how my body is moving.  In the below pictures, you can see a before and after from my most recent session on (1/30/18).

This work immediately releases any pain and I can move more freely. I still have room for more improvement but continuing to work with Bear each week allows me to consistently progress and not backtrack on the road to recovery.

Joint Recovery

Joint recovery is absolutely crucial in strongman.  I was lucky enough to come across Play Again Now after winning a local strongman competition back in 2014.  

They are an oral hyaluronic acid supplement (with msm) that helps your joints, tendons, and muscles recovery from the daily grind of strongman. I like to refer to it as “hydraulic fluid for your joints”.
The moment I started taking Play Again Now in July 2014, I fell in love with it. After about a week of taking the supplement daily, I could feel the aches and pains in my joints go away. I could begin to feel the relief.
I continued to take Play Again Now until my wife and I moved and I feel out of my routine. After about 2 weeks, I was extra sore, my joints would ache, and I was extra stiff when I moved. I then realized that I stopped taking Play Again Now. I immediately began taking it again. This stuff is the real deal (hence why so many people swear by this product).
After all of these years of taking Play Again Now, it still works and helps me continue to push it in the gym so I can be ready to compete when it's time to go.