3 Recovery Tools Every Trailer Needs
Can you relate to any of these 3?
You spend a lot of time in a truck.
Unless you get severely hurt, you’re probably not going to stop working with horses.
You’re probably in pain, and if you don’t think you are, you’ve probably gotten so used to it, it’s become your normal, so you’re probably in pain.
I can’t solve #1, but I can help you solve #3 so you don’t have to worry about #2. There’s a 4th bullet point - you need the next three, simple and easy to store recovery tools.
What are recovery tools? These are simple devices that you use while on the bus or plane to help your body recover from the stress you’re putting it through - stress like being in a truck for days on end and then taking care of animals. Stress from work. Stress from lights. Stress from screens. Stress from whoever just texted you, and that nastygram just changed your whole posture.
Massage Gun
The first thing - a massage gun, like this Hypervolt Go. I’ve been around the world of sports massage long enough to tell you, you don’t need the $500 Theragun. The little Go was $150. And it fits everything a tour bus needs. It’s small, it’s handy, and it’ll help keep your muscle tissue and tendons happy.
There is a bit of science in using it, though. Like, if you want to (P.s. this means you NEED to) loosen up your pecs, because they’re pulling your shoulders forward from all of that slouching and guitar or drum playing. Use whatever massage gun you get and do little circles starting from the center of your body and work your way out to the deltoid. You may find tutorials that show models going every which way with the muscle tissue, circles here, circles there, down on a limb and back up a limb, and they’re wrong. For this application at least. Source: 6 years of formal education, 8 different certifications and licenses, a focus on neuromechanics and over a decade plus of sports medicine. Start from the center of the body and work your way out if you want to relax the muscle, especially the pec.
Bands
Don’t let your ego get ahead of you on this one - exercise bands, especially the thick monster bands, can be a total ego killer once you realize how unstable your body really is. Think your shoulders are in awesome shape? Try a few banded exercises, and most touring bands will find out the real, humbling truth.
What I LOVE about bands is how versatile, utilitarian, small and easy to store they are. Can it get any better for a busy, frequent traveler situation? You can work with a band until you’re sore for days, build muscle, create healthy stability in the body, and they fit into super small spaces and don’t add to the weight of the truck or trailer.
Want to strengthen your shoulder to avoid rotator cuff problems or your neck to avoid spinal fusions from all that head banging? Bands are the way to go! Leg day? Bands. Glutes? Bands. Rows? Bands. Squats? Bands. Bench? Bands. Stretching? Bands. We can turn almost every exercise into a band-based exercise and make it fit on your bus. As a recovery tool, they’re proactive and reactive. Get some bands.
Normatec Compression Sleeves
Oh man, oh man do I love Normatec Compression Sleeves. These are full leg length boots which use air compressed within the boots to help circulate blood and lymph and are used by Olympic, professional and amateur athletes around the world. Music world, say hello to Normatec Compression sleeves. They are especially PERFECT for those who spend a lot of time on the road, because they can be stored in something as small as a regular sized backpack.
Besides having a size advantage, these sleeves help with recovery through the physical manipulation of your legs. Think - leg massage every single day. These babies will increase flexibility of both your muscles and your veins and arteries (link to our blog here on cardiovascular flexibility), decrease soreness from sitting to stage antics to sitting, decrease swelling of the legs, and increase “energy.” We find that after clients use these, they feel lighter, able to move better and smoother, and that makes them feel like they have more energy.
Now, they are definitely pricier than the other two options, but these are well worth the investment.
There you have it, 3 traveling-life changing recovery tools.
If you’re feeling a bit confused or intimidated by this all, hit us up, and we’ll help break down each piece bit by bit, provide some tutorials, and send a basic recovery protocol for you!