At Youfit Health Clubs, we’re all about YOU. While our gyms offer a supportive setting for your workouts, we know that a great workouts also need serious recovery. We’re now offering Recovery Sessions with Theragun, a revolutionary tool that will help you relax and recharge.
We sat down with Raphael Konforti, Head of Fitness Education here at Youfit, to learn more about how Recovery Sessions with Theragun can help treat soreness, nerve pain, joint pain, stress, and back pain.
Theragun Q&A with Raphael Konforti
Q: What is a Theragun and how does it work?
Raphael Konforti: The Theragun is a deep tissue massage device that uses what’s called Percussive Therapy. Most massage devices only affect the surface level but Theragun uses patented amplitude and frequency to reach beyond the surface and into the actual muscle belly. This not only has a neurological effect that relaxes the muscles, but it also improves blood flow for recovery. Many people are familiar with foam rolling, but Theragun delivers these results at a much higher level and almost immediately.
How does Theragun percussive therapy help as a part of recovery sessions?
Theragun uses percussive therapy to reach muscles at a deeper level which overrides discomfort signals to the nervous system. Most discomfort in the body is caused by tension. You don’t need to be working out 7-days a week to suffer from muscle tension. In fact, sitting and looking at screens is one of the things that creates the most tension in the body.
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When muscles have too much or too little tension, it changes how the body moves which forces joints out of alignment and many muscles become overworked leading to lots of aches and discomfort. Recovery Sessions deliver immediate relief to this tension while reducing stress so you feel recharged mentally and younger physically.
Can Theragun workout recovery sessions help with treating muscle soreness?
Definitely, one of the initial uses of Theragun was treating muscle soreness. It also increases blood flow to the muscles which delivers oxygen and nutrients, helping with speeding up recovery and regeneration so you come back stronger.
What else can be done during recovery sessions to help with muscle pain relief treatment?
Recovery Sessions start off with deep belly diaphragmatic breathing. This type of breathing has been shown to shift the body from a sympathetic “fight or flight” mode into a parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode. Shifting out of a stressed state into a relaxed one opens the gateway to recovery and regeneration.
Since Theragun helps increase range of motion, most people take advantage and follow it up with stretching. Stretching restores tight muscles to their normal length, taking pressure off of joints and other muscles.
For older people, can the Theragun help treat joint discomfort?
For any joint discomfort, the first step is understanding the root cause. There’s a large difference between degenerative diseases like arthritis and muscle imbalances caused by poor posture or past injuries. Most joint discomfort we see comes from imbalances and instabilities. Essentially, the balance between the strength and flexibility of the muscles that attach to the joint are off. When this imbalance occurs, it leads to the joint not moving through the correct range of motion which surfaces as discomfort. Going through movement assessments like the overhead squat, push and pull assessments performed by our certified YouCoach personal trainers identifies these muscle imbalances and instabilities. Combining this specific knowledge of the imbalances with Theragun and Recovery Sessions gives you the opportunity to have a customized approach to restoring your muscle imbalances so your joints can return to a normal range of motion.
What else can Theragun recovery sessions help with?
The underlying benefit of Recovery Sessions is stress management. When you are under stress, whether it’s mental stress from life or physical stress from exercise or a lack of sleep, your recovery is inhibited.
Most people think that you get results from exercise during the actual exercise but the truth is most of the changes your body undergoes from exercise actually happen outside of exercise when you recover. The body is either being broken down or built up. In today’s connected and non-stop world, it’s challenging to find that balance.
Recovery Sessions shift you into a parasympathetic or resting nervous system state, effectively resetting your body. This allows you to recover faster so you come back with more energy and strength but with less stress.
The percussive therapy of Theragun is great for workout recovery sessions, but can you also warm up with a Theragun session?
Absolutely! Theragun is typically used for recovery but it’s also used for muscle activation. Activating the muscle before an exercise increases your ability to contract and use that muscle properly. This means you’re able to use muscles easier that might be turned off from poor posture or old injuries. You’re also getting more out of each exercise since your muscles can work harder.
How often should someone use workout recovery sessions with the Theragun?
Most people do one Recovery Session per week. It’s a relaxing and regenerating reward to cap off a solid week of training. People get to go into their weekend feeling recharged, more mobile, and less sore to take on the rest of their life. Those who have more pronounced muscle imbalances or train more intensely do 2-3 sessions per week so they can enhance recovery after each session. Some people also like to do 1-2 sessions per month to treat themselves to relaxation and celebrate their accomplishments in the gym from the last month.
Stop by your local gym today to learn more about Theragun Recovery Sessions!
