Stop wasting your money and time on supplements and methods that contribute little benefit to your recovery when you’re skipping the important stuff.
When I’m talking with someone about their training, we usually hit on the typical fitness routine and what they generally eat. Then a solid conversation on supplements, with their reasons as to why they started incorporating them… the main culprit more often than not ties into recovery. Then if I let them go on long enough we hit the good ole cold plunge, sauna/hot tub, foam roller, etc. conversation…

I do want to state that I have no issue with recovery methods. Especially if they help you relax. Take the hot tub, I’m a big fan of hot tubs because they provide the heat on top of you feeling relaxed. I know there is this notion on social media that you should be struggling or what have you in every situation. If you’re doing something in terms of recovery or as basic as wanting to relax… do it in a relaxed state. I’d rather you be pushing yourself, struggling, and doing a hard thing while training or in tasks that require that. I’m a big proponent for situations being what they are. Because if you’re always worried about one or the other, you’re adding unnecessary stress.

So anyway, let’s get into these 4 pillars: Sleep, Nutrition, Stress Management, and Work Load.

You probably saw this one coming. And if you’ve been reading the newsletter for a while, you’ll know that I’ve talked about this multiple times before. Sleep is crucial for every process in your body, basically from memory forming, cell function, to muscle repair. The coolest part about sleep, other than what it does for you, is it’s also free. Most of us need somewhere around 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, letting us follow our sleep cycles of going in and out of deep sleep (the deep stage is where the recovery magic happens). Short or broken sleep hurts how well you recover, tanks your training performance, and drives up hunger the next day. The problem is that no supplement fixes issues that stem from lack of sleep. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule, sleep in a dark and cool room, and cut caffeine off in the afternoon (or as early as you can).

Recovery requires macros and micros. Eat enough to fuel what you’re doing. Eating enough protein, carbohydrates, and fat is crucial. Then regardless of what you’ve heard or “believe,” you need to consume plenty of fruits, vegetables, and water (not electrolyte mixtures, just water). Start with whole foods and build your meals from there. Then if you absolutely cannot seem to fill a gap, turn to a supplement.
Big disclaimer here: most supplements mentioned and sold to you on social media are worthless if you eat a whole-food and balanced diet. I don’t care how they try to angle it. Don’t let randos fear-monger food or made up issues.

Unfortunately your body doesn’t really care why you’re stressed, it deals with stress the same. Those hard work weeks, bad arguments, and even heavy squat sessions all pull from the same recovery pool. Then add chronic stress on top of these acute stressors and it’s a recipe for higher than normal cortisol (a stress hormone) levels. This is why I like the hot tub point from earlier. It’s more about finding that relaxing state, rather than the heat. Stay off your phone for a while, go for a walk, get outside, hang out with people, just do stuff that doesn’t feel like training or work. Basically “check-out” every so often and enjoy the moment without worrying.
A quick side note with this… I know some do require medication for certain mental health issues. However, I believe we as a society have moved into pushing medication instead of learning coping habits, using activity and food, and utilizing less daily stimulation overall to deal with our stress. Obviously there is more to this, but lifestyle choices can make a huge difference in this area.

Training is the stimulus, recovery is where you adapt to it. If your volume and intensity outpace what your sleep, food, and stress levels can support, you’re digging yourself into a hole. Build up gradually with structured or at least intentional progressive overload, plan some deloads (lighter training weeks) every so often, and pay attention to the warning signs: lifts start feeling heavier for no reason, consistent/nagging aches, and uphill battles for little to no motivation. Sometimes the best recovery tool is simply taking a step back and doing a little less.

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