The Best Tool for Recovering from Sore Time
“The woodcutter Works in all seasons. Splitting wood is both Action and Inaction.”
—Deng Ming-Dao
The hardest part of going hard on workouts is the period of soreness afterward.
I decided to invest in reducing soreness and tested the trendiest tech available, including rollers, massage guns, electric stimulation, and compression boots.
While all of those tools are helpful, the one I’ve found to cut my recovery time the most is compression boots. I have the Normatec boots from Hyperice, and they work surprisingly well.
If I wear the boots for 45 minutes after a long run or heavy lifting, my legs will not be sore the next day, and can get to training again immediately. I also bought the hip attachment to help my glutes and upper hamstrings, and I’ve been able to do heavy leg days back-to-back.
There are 2 major drawbacks to the compression boots:
They’re expensive. The Normatec are $800 for the leg set alone, with attachments running for $400. Good budget boots are still $250.
They don’t improve mobility or do anything to heal injury (at least not in my experience). If you want to work out knots or increase range of motion, you still need to do tissue work with rollers, massages, stretching, and mobility work.
But if you want every day to be a leg day, the price might be worth it.
—Erik Pavia, CEO
Related Resources
Runner’s World tested compression boots at various price points and has a list of recommended compression boots.
Hyperice makes my favorite percussion gun, the Hypervolt Pro. Theragun Pro is another popular option. You can read a comparison between the Hypervolt 2 Pro and Theragun Pro from Gear Patrol.
If you’re really sore and want a cheap, effective massage, find a close friend, lay down on the floor, and have them gently squash any sore spots with their feet.
Have questions or feedback for the CEO?
