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January 2, 2012 by

Four Easy Ways To Reduce Soreness and Recover Faster

Just looking at this photo makes me sore (Image courtesy of Jim Schmitz)

Yesterday, you had a grueling workout, game, or competition that left you covered in sweat and/or vomit – for you adventurous ones – and you stumbled out of bed this morning feeling like your body was hit by a train, then picked at by vultures. It hurts to move, it hurts to sit, and it hurts to laugh.

What should you do?

Here are five quick ways to reduce your soreness and get you feeling your best ASAP:

1. Soft-Tissue Therapy

This one is a terrific method to reduce soreness because it increases blood flow to the tissues, breaks down scar tissue, releases trigger points, improves the fluid balance of tissues, activates your nervous system and fascia, and improves the overall quality of muscles. That’s quite a mouthful, but trust me – it’s damn good.

In addition to reducing soreness, soft-tissue therapy is a fantastic way to warm-up before your activity. I highly recommend starting with a foam roller (the ones with PVC pipes inside last longer) and rolling on each area for 30 or so seconds. If it hurts and you find tender areas, spend some more time rolling – with time, the pain will subside.

As your tissue quality improves, upgrade to a tennis ball then to a baseball or lacrosse ball.

Then, if you really want some fun, buy a 4″ PVC pipe and have at it!

2. Light Cardio

For baseball fans out there, the day after your favorite pitcher starts a game, they almost always go for a long, slow jog the next day. In fact, after former-Colorado Rockies pitcher, Ubaldo Jiménez, pitched his first no-hitter, he woke up 4am the next morning to run six miles – a trick Pedro Martinez taught him. Now why would he do that? Why not get a few extra hours of sleep?


Look at all those zeros! (Image courtesy of Getty Images)

Well, research demonstrates that light cardio reduces Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) due to factors such as heightened blood flow to affected tissues, which increases nutrient delivery and metabolic waste removal.

In other words, a light workout or run gets the juices flowing. As it’s been said elsewhere, the best way to reduce your soreness after a workout is to work it out again.

How light and for how long?

When I say “light”, I’m talking about 70% of your Heart Reserve Rate (which is approximately equal to 220 minus your age). In fact, for much of the population, exercises at just that intensity can improve their cardiorespiratory fitness.

And for how long? Fifteen minutes is just fine. I understand that Ubaldo Jiménez runs for much longer than fifteen minutes, but he’s a professional athlete. Talk to me after your first no-no.

You can try a light jog, a stationary bike, an elliptical machine, or a dynamic circuit.

3. Drink Plenty of Water

Most people I know don’t drink nearly enough water (sorry fellas). As a result, they spend their entire day slightly dehydrated, impairing muscle performance and repair.


Water-drinking contest in Australia. Good on ya, mate!!

The recommended amount of water per day is 3.7L for men and 2.7L for women, which includes the fluids from food. I’ll let you do the math yourself, but that’s probably more water than you’re accustomed to. One of the best ways to quickly rehydrate yourself each day is to drink 20 ounces of water after waking up (credit Nate Green for the awesome idea).

4. Contrast Showers

Contrast showers alternate between hot and cold water temperatures. After a normal shower, change to cold water for about a minute, switch back to hot water for a few minutes, then switch back to cold. Repeat this a few times, make sure that the warm phase is longer than the cold phase, and always end with cold water.


That must be some cold-ass water

More information about contrast showers:

Contrast showers will promote blood flow and stimulate the nervous both of which influence recovery and arousal levels. With increased blood circulation in the muscles because of the contrasting temperature of the water it will cause a rise in nutrients to the area and immune cells to the area also. Another benefit of increased circulation to the muscles is it increases the excretion of cellular and metabolic waste from the muscles and body.
- Olympic Weightlifting Resource


5. Stretching

Psyche!

Contrary to popular belief, research shows that stretching after a game or workout does not reduce soreness. A few studies can be here, here, here, and here.


Sorry ladies…

Does that mean you shouldn’t stretch?

Hell no! But if you’re sore as all hell, don’t expect stretching to be your savior.

So now you have four quick and easy tips you can do right now to reduce your soreness. Let me know how they work for you. If there’s anything else that has helped you, leave a comment, hit me up on Twitter, or add me on Facebook.

Happy lifting!

Anthony J. Yeung is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association with detailed knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, kinesiology, and exercise techniques and theories. He maintains a personal website pertaining to life, travel, and fitness at anthonyjyeung.com. For more information, check out: About.Me

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December 28, 2011 by

Is XM going the way of the dinosaur?

A Casual Music Lover’s Perspective…

Since its introduction, I’ve always seen XM as a niche product. It was an alternative to the standard AM/FM radio stations that offered some exclusive content, primarily in the form of talk shows (Howard Stern comes to mind).

However, a few significant obstacles prevented its widespread adoption. The first of which is a high cost of adoption. A car without built-in XM would require not only the purchase of a compatible head unit but also an accompanying antenna. Couple this initial cost with a monthly subscription fee and you’re left with a very limited audience.

The rise of streaming internet radio amounts to a coup de grace. Cars are now able to harness the internet connectivity of smartphones. It’s evolved from a simple audio line in to full blown Bluetooth integration with platforms such as Ford Sync. And a sign of times to come is BMW’s ConnectedDrive—built-in internet connectivity.

How does XM compete? Even packaging a free 6-month trial subscription with new cars can’t save XM. While most friends I spoke to took advantage of this, none of them elected to pay monthly for a radio service that still had commercials. The bottom line: Why pay extra for something you can already have for no additional cost? And if FM isn’t good enough, services like Pandora or Rdio are able to fill that need.

To survive, XM seems to have piggybacked on top of commercial airlines like JetBlue. And maybe that’s what they need; a shift away from selling directly to the consumer. Instead, become the go-to service that replaces the terrible music on airplanes. A place where Wi-Fi isn’t widely available… yet.

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December 26, 2011 by

Battery Drain

This post started as commentary on battery life but has since morphed into a bit of a Motorola Droid Razr critique of sorts. So here goes…

With widespread rollout of LTE by Verizon, Verizon launched a handful of 4G capable devices—among them, the HTC Thunderbolt. One of the chief complaints about this device and LTE capable devices as a whole was battery life. Under heavy use, people seem to get maybe half a day. A friend of mine has a HTC EVO 4G on Sprint’s network. The first thing he did? Install an extended battery.

Poking around various tech blogs and websites has revealed that power consumption while running anything 4G (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon) is abysmal. And it’s not a HTC centric problem; the LG Nitro HD, Samsung Galaxy II Epic 4G, and Motorola Droid Bionic, to name a few, all suffer the same fate.

Then the recent release of the Motorola Droid Razr got me thinking. The Razr is a mere 7.1 mm thick and has an awkward camera hump. It digs into my hand, and I’ve found this phone difficult to wield. In terms of battery life, it shoots par for the course. But why not make the back flush and increase the battery size/life to set the Razr apart from its competition?

I happen to think this change would make the phone easier to hold. You can brag about the Kevlar backing, aluminum frame, and Gorilla glass all you want, but a phone’s useless if it’s out of battery. Presumably targeted at geeks and power users, a phone that lasts longer than its competitors would be more attractive, no? Having made the battery inaccessible to the user that’s the least you could do.

Of course, a change like this would just reshuffle the list of pros and cons.

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December 23, 2011 by

The Number One Thing to Wear to Look More Attractive

It’s light.

It’s free.

And it’s simple.

A smile.

That’s right, tough guy.

Studies reveal that smiling makes you more attractive (a two-second Google search produced findings here and here).

When approaching a woman (or anyone else for that matter), nothing is more cordial and inviting than an a beaming smile. Moreover, when you genuinely smile at someone, it’s rare that they don’t reciprocate – it’s a fantastic way to break the ice without saying anything.

Have you ever gazed at someone, smiled, and had her smile back? You’d be silly to NOT approach her!
In addition, studies also show that you feel happier when you smile (another quick Google search produced findings here and here).

That’s another one for the Pro column, playa.

Here’s a quick tip about smiling: make it slooooowww. Smiles that are quickly flashed seem phony; slow it down and look like your smile is flooding your face.

Try it out and let us know how it goes! Leave a comment or add me on Facebook here.

Happy pimping Holidays!

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December 23, 2011 by

Smartphone Wishlist

What would make my ideal smartphone? This list is meant to be fluid and won’t include no brainers like wifi, bluetooth, etc. Just to get started…

- 4 in. retina display: The current iPhone 4 screen is a little on the small side. I’ve tried the 4″ screen on the Samsung Focus and think it’s the ideal size. For me, a 4.3″ or larger screen becomes too bulky and goes from holding to wielding.

- Expandable storage (microSD): Sometimes you just need extra store for music, pictures, etc.

- Decent camera: My iPhone 4 camera sensor takes pictures that look great on my phone… but terrible everywhere else.

- Dedicated hardware camera button: It just makes life easier.

- Battery life: As in, I can use my phone for more than a day without worrying about recharging. This can be somewhat mitigated by an accessible battery compartment allowing you to hot swap batteries.
Update: Looks like Samsung wants to do something about that battery life. (http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/samsung-commits-to-improve-smartphone-battery-life-in-2012/)

 

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December 22, 2011 by

Do You Make These Gym Mistakes?

Going to the gym is half the battle. Once we get there, are we doing the right things to maximize our efficiency and strength? If you make the following mistakes, you could be significantly detracting from your overall performance…. arranged in no particular order:

1. Forgetting To Warm Up

Even professional weightlifters warm up with just an Olympic bar before ramping the weights up to 600lbs, 700lbs, or even 800 lbs. Warm up sets warm your muscles and joints and gets your central nervous system fired up to lift heavy weights. They also allow you to practice technique and focus on lifting cues.

2. Warming Up Too Much

Oftentimes, I see people doing 10-15 reps of a warm up weight before the heavy stuff. All this does is tire you out. In reality, warm up sets only need to be about 3-5 repetitions with increases of 30-45lb increments. Anything more won’t warm you up any better.

3. Not Using The Full Range Of Motion

Not touching the bar on your chest or locking your elbows when benching. Not going lower than parallel on squats. Not reaching chest-level on chinups and pullups or starting at a dead hang. Sound or look familiar? A full range of motion emphasizes correct technique, leads to more muscle growth, and improves flexibility. Anything less is cheating.

NOTE: Sometimes, experienced weightlifters do partial lifts to strengthen one aspect of their overall lift. Unless you’re lifting a serious amount, I wouldn’t worry about that.

4. Cardio Before Weights

I could never understand this one. It’s basically like stopping at McDonald’s for a BigMac before eating at a 5-star steakhouse. While there’s nothing wrong with cardio, could you do it after finishing lifting weights? A lot of guys believe they need to work up a sweat before starting, but all you’re doing is burning out before any real work is done. Excellent substitutes are foam rolling and/or mobility exercises. If you truly insist on running before working out, keep it short. But I promise you’ll have a good sweat going once you’re squatting 1.5X your bodyweight.

5. Training Until Failure

Completely unnecessary to gain muscle. Focus on increasing weight; don’t focus on tiring yourself. I used to evaluate my workouts based on how sore I was the next day – too bad it didn’t indicate muscle growth. Although I wouldn’t worry about overtraining, training until failure will hurt your recovery and ability to consistently increase the weight you lift. Plan on plateauing earlier with this strategy.

6. Not Having A Plan

When I ask people what they do at they gym, they usually tell me something like, “I worked out my legs, arms, and chest.”

That answer tells me nothing. I have no idea what exercises they did and how they figured that it emphasized those things. Honestly, twenty burpees will work your “legs, arms, and chest” pretty good too. To me, that answer reveals something else: they are body part focused, not lift-focused. In other words, they go into the gym without knowing which exercises they are going to do, for how many sets, and for how many reps – they just walk around until they find things that work the body part they want to emphasize that day and train until they get tired.

How can you track progress like that? Or consistently build muscle? Bring a journal to the gym and find a good routine to put on muscle fast.

7. Stretching Before Lifting

Don’t static stretch before lifting. What’s static stretching? It’s when you hold a stretch for time. Instead, try dynamic stretching – these are movement-based and train and improve your body’s range of motion (aka mobility). Static stretching merely lengthens the muscle and can detract from strength.

Fix these mistakes and you’ll feel more energetic. Happy lifting.

Anthony J. Yeung is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association with detailed knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, kinesiology, and exercise techniques and theories. He maintains a personal website pertaining to life, travel, and fitness at anthonyjyeung.com. For more information, check out: About.Me

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December 21, 2011 by

One Receipt to Rule Them All?

Not so fast.

In the interest of finding a way to track spending short of building my own Excel spreadsheet, I tried out a couple online receipt aggregators and came away less than impressed.

OneReceipt’s launch was covered by TechCrunch, and I was intrigued by its features. Basically, photos of your receipts are emailed to your OneReceipt account where they are digitized. This feature works very well. But I found a few other key features incomplete.

OneReceipt is also able to process emailed receipts from online purchases. This is where I became increasingly frustrated. I forwarded a bunch of receipts, but many were unable to be processed. Instead of letting me punch in values myself, the receipt is merely greyed out and inaccessible. When I emailed customer support, I was told this was “in the works,” which leads me to wonder: why launch with incomplete features?

One of the main draws of online receipt aggregation is the ability to organize receipts. But the last time I checked, the category system wasn’t working. In an attempt to organize receipts, I categorized many of them only to find that they weren’t recognized by the system. Maybe I’m just doing it wrong. In addition to categorizing purchases, you can also tag them. At launch, this was finicky and didn’t really work either. To their credit, the tags now work as expected.

My initial frustration with OneReceipt led me to explore other options—namely, Lemon. Lemon addressed some of OneReceipt’s shortcomings but was not without a few of its own. It has the ability to manually enter or edit purchases, for times when you may not get a receipt or if the digitized receipt is incorrect. Lemon also gets the dates right, pulling the transaction date off the receipt. OneReceipt does not do either.

Lemon has also provided a mobile app that simplifies the process of photographing receipts and accessing your account. With OneReceipt, the user has to photograph the receipt and then use an email client to send the image to his or her account. Last I checked, mobile access is via the browser.

Where Lemon trips up is in processing forwarded receipts. Like OneReceipt, it has problems extracting data from emails. Receipts that cannot be processed simply don’t show up, which is quite annoying. It’s also a little weird that receipts are categorized as “unread” when they first show up. I can understand Lemon may want you to review your receipt after it’s been processed, but why not have a “mark as read” function?

What neither platform provides is a way to track returns. Lemon seems to have the better feature set at the moment, but as OneReceipt continues to improve, it will be interesting to see how they differentiate themselves from the competition.

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December 19, 2011 by

Why do new smartphones seem to always be missing one key feature?

A handful of new smartphones have been released over the last couple months and each one of them has at least one key drawback. At least to me.

Take the Droid Razr for example, the use of a pentile display set off a ton of tech aficionados from Techcrunch to Engadget and The Verge. The Razr’s screen just isn’t as nice. The fact that it’s a premium LTE device that costs $300 on contract only compounds the poor design choice. You can see a comparison to other screens done by The Verge here.

Pentile technology may not be the problem though. Google’s newest flagship device, the Galaxy Nexus also sports a pentile display but hasn’t elicited the same negative feedback. What the phone is missing though, is an expandable microSD slot. One could argue that the target audience for Galaxy Nexus is precisely the subset of power users who would need and desire expandable storage for their apps, music, and photos.

Even the iPhone 4S is not exempt. Touted as a world phone, the “unlocked” iPhone 4S only works on GSM networks. The dual mode GSM/CDMA capability has apparently been locked down—locking you out of Sprint and Verizon networks. Only by purchasing a Verizon or Sprint 4S and subsequently adding a micro-SIM card will grant access to additional networks, but not the other way around.

There just doesn’t seem to be a phone out there that does everything.

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December 18, 2011 by

Momofuku Ko

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