#marc pro

[zenberrymix]

Consuming caffeine via organic coffee has huge benefits for athletes especially when paired with carbs.

[walkingalonenyc-blog]

Okay kids, this one is a real eye opener. I have to apologize to all my friends and teammates whom I've given false advice to in the past about dealing with injuries, more so inflammation. This is a must watch for all serious athletes, Kelly Starrett, DP from Mobility WOD and Gary Reinl of Marc Pro explain to us why we had it all wrong, we should NOT be icing, we were wrong, I know. 

"For the past year, I’ve been engaged in a personal moral debate about icing that in retrospect, seems silly if not out right obvious.  We should not ice.  For the last year, I’ve advocated for no icing with every athlete  with whom I’ve helped  either  post-surgery or post-injury.   The outcomes have been nothing short of stunning.  Even  way back in Episode 204, “Donnie Thompson, Strongest Powerlifter Ever, Cares About Your Swelling,” (15 months ago) we started shifting our management of swelling chiefly to compression.  And that was before I met Gary Reinl of Marc Pro.  Every athlete worth his or her salt knows of the old RICE acronym.  And dammit if I wasn’t already hearing and experimenting with reduced icing protocols for the last few years (remember numb and done?).  My problem with NOT icing, I told myself was that I didn’t have other good tools on hand to minimize the pain of swelling (which is the real athlete problem eh?).  As it turned out, the solutions presented themselves (excellent compression apparel, Dick Hartzell’s compression protocol, and the Marc Pro) at the same time that common sense matched up with my own clinical experience and test/retest ethic.  Maybe it was because I finally felt like I had other mechanisms with which to deal with the swelling, that I could resolve the dissonance I had around this outdated modality.  Don’t get me wrong, if you need to make something numb, ice is great.  As Mr. Reinl points out, “Yes, (making something numb is good) if the short-term goal is pain control and the prevention of the body’s normal cellular and vascular response to injury.”

Let me quote Dr. Nick DiNubile, Editor in Chief of The Physician And Sports Medicine Journal (physsportsmed.com) “Seriously, do you honestly believe that your body’s natural inflammatory response is a mistake?”

Well what does the research and  literature say?

“When ice is applied to a body part for a prolonged period, nearby lymphatic vessels begin to dramatically increase their permeability (lymphatic vessels are ‘dead-end’ tubes which ordinarily help carry excess tissue fluids back into the cardiovascular system). As lymphatic permeability is enhanced, large amounts of fluid begin to pour from the lymphatics ‘in the wrong direction’ (into the injured area), increasing the amount of local swelling and pressure and potentially contributing to greater pain.” The use of Cryotherapy in Sports Injuries,’ Sports Medicine, Vol. 3. pp. 398-414, 1986

So out with the ice bath's and in with the hot tub's...

[mikepincus]

Recover after a workout

I am asked by clients and friends what is the best way to recover from a hard workout or grueling bike ride. Many have chosen to reach for the ice to help in the healing process but after seeing this video you may think twice.

The fitness industry is learning from the medical industry a new way that once you sit back and open your mind to it, simply makes sense. Check out this 26 min video on YouTube. It explains so much and I think you will be shocked. I purchased my Marc Pro about 4 months ago after Dr. Terry Weyman introduced it to me for the simple reason of recovery. (use "etv21" in the coupon code to save some $$)

However, I found out just a few days ago that it has a healing property to it that is truly amazing.

On Monday of this past week I completed a great workout but felt that I may have pushed my Hamstrings a bit too far. Tuesday was my day to bike ride but I was nervous that the Hamstring would be an issue. So I decided to take an easier route and not push it to hard. Halfway into my 2 hour ride my right Hamstring began to lock up. It was a slow process but I could tell the direction it was going. With just 30 minutes to go before I got home, the Hamstring was cramped and beginning to really bother me. The last 10 minutes of the ride I had to unclip the right leg and ONLY pedal with my left leg. I was done!

Here's where the problem really set in, I didn't have time to do much of anything as far as recovery as I had to get showered and get to my next client. I was limping the rest of the day. I called Dr. Terry Weyman and asked him if he felt the Marc Pro could help or would it make it worse. He suggested that I use it but on a very low setting. So around 9pm on Tuesday I hooked up the Marc Pro onto my right Hamstring and set the intensity for 3.0. I left it on for 30 minutes and then applied some Rock Tape to the leg. I was so nervous as to how the outcome would be as I had a cycling client in town for a bike ride on Wednesday. I would have no other choice but to suck it up and ride. It would be too late for me to cancel on him.

I woke up Wednesday morning in complete amazement. I was not in pain. I felt the slightest level of fatigue in the leg but nothing that would stop me from riding. I took my client on a 53 mile ride with 3400 feet of elevation gain. We had over 90 minutes of a major head wind. The point is that I worked hard and my legs felt great! 

Please take the time and do your own research and see if this is for you. I love it myself.

Mike