'Recover as hard as you train' is a mantra that Harry Jameson is spreading in 2020

One of the biggest issues with people’s exercise or training regimes is that they either don’t have enough time or in most cases don’t dedicate enough time to recovery. In today’s fast paced society, our training often mirrors our working and social lives, where more is always seen to be better – more sessions, more squats, more calories burnt, more miles run (the list goes on) – with far too little attention paid to how we recover afterwards.

But recovery is not just a physical thing. We also need to recover mentally and emotionally so that we can perform at our best in all areas of our lives. Recovery should be planned, just as training sessions are planned, as recovering effectively can have a huge positive effect on our performance in our next session, as well as helping our body reach performance goals such as strength, speed and muscle hypertrophy (growth).

So let’s break muscle recovery down into a few sections and see how we can be smart and strategic about optimising recovery and improving performance. After any training session – strength or endurance – your muscles will be damaged. The ‘micro tears’ in the muscle fibres that are induced through exercise can leave your body in an inflamed state and put very simply, you want to reduce this inflammation and aid the muscular growth and repair. Using a natural anti-inflammatory product such as the BGD Arnica Balm is a quick and easy way to do this. Active ingredients like arnica get straight to the source of the inflammation and can also help with the dreaded DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Deep tissue massages, ice baths and cryogenic chambers are also all fantastic ways to bring down inflammation and can be added to your weekly ‘recovery routine’.

Now what about that mental recovery? For me nothing feels better after a big training session than a sauna and a long shower. This is some very well needed ‘me time’ where you can switch off from the world for 20 minutes and recharge. I love the BGD Sport All-over Wash because the scent of the peppermint is invigorating and refreshing, and its aloe vera and anti-inflammatory patchouli oil feel like I’m helping my muscle recovery.

Being both mentally and physically recharged and reset to go again means one’s performance in the next session is always better. The modern man needs some tools in his wash bag that keep him both looking, feeling and smelling at his very best and ready to take on the world, and for me they don’t come better than the new BGD Sport range.

Words: Harry Jameson