Recovery is, or should be, an essential part of every fitness routine. In our previous blog post, we argued that post-exercise recovery routines have a huge impact on sports performance and overall fitness, allowing us to train better and more effectively. For this second part of the recovery process, we reached out to Victoria Sparkes, diPulse Managing Director for Therapeutics to help us explore in depth our body’s natural way of healing itself and how diPulse wearables can speed up this process.

How would you define recovery for us to understand?

Recovery in sports and fitness refers to the body's ability to bring itself back to the starting point, ready to undertake more training. When we put the body under physiological stresses such as training, we are placing extra demands on it. These stresses cause small muscle fiber micro-tears that allow those muscles to grow. As the fibers, repair, they grow in size which increases overall muscle mass. This process of healing from the inside is inherently a positive effect. Recovery time is when you allow your muscles to grow and improve, after a period of induced stress. This is the very process of post-training recovery.

So our body has an inner way of recovering itself. Can we externally influence this process?

We can. The body will automatically provide additional blood to the area that has experienced physiological stress to assist with the healing process and muscle development. However, if you go on and have another extreme training session, then you're just adding more stress and you're not giving your body the chance to heal and regenerate. Instead of an additional training session, we would use the diPulse app recovery programs, which provide circulatory assistance. The capillarization program will bring more blood to the area which will enhance the healing process. The key is to keep using the dipulse system but gently and for difference purposes – the same concept as doing very gently exercises for circulation. You should also gently stretch your muscle to prevent muscle shortening for best recovery.

How is diPulse technology making recovery better and faster?

diPulse recovery programs are specially designed to increase blood supply to the area and remove lactic acid and surplus metabolites. Think of our recovery programs as a micro-massage where your muscle is gently activated. Athletes normally have access to sports massage after big training sessions or a big game. With diPulse, you have exactly this but at your own pace and from the comfort of your home or gym.

Which products would you suggest for recovery?

You can use all diPulse products in your recovery sessions depending on your personal needs. You can use the knee sleeve, the corebelt, or even the whole suit. As for the programs you must focus on relaxing massage, reviving massage, muscle relaxation, muscle pump, activation, capillarization, and restoration. All of those programs are fine for creating the best physiological state post-workout. You can even have the wearables on and walk around the kitchen or watch TV and still have a ‘treatment’ or massage session.

With diPulse wearables, you can do recovery sessions for your lower back, your abs, or any muscle group by using the relevant product. Additionally, you can use the sensory stimulation program, which differs from muscle stimulation as it activates the sensory nerve fiber and not the motor point of the muscle. This works by the tingling sensation racing to your brain faster than any feeling of discomfort which means it over-rides feelings of discomfort. An efficient, non-pharmaceutical reliever of discomfort that works in synergy with your body to block out negative sensations.

Is recovery something that applies to elite athletes or keen fitness fans only?

Anyone who's doing sports can vastly benefit from recovery programs, but for athletes is essential to have a solid recovery routine. Here in Switzerland we recently had the Tour de France going close by; I could see the athletes cycling in an extreme mode every day. At the end of the day, they know they have to do another leg of the Tour tomorrow. For me, the best way they could recover is to increase their circulation with diPulse products coupled with some stretching afterward. Same with marathon runners, swimmers and everyone who  push themselves hard and want to perform well the next day.

I'm going to the gym four days a week. I'm doing cardio and some very light weights. Can someone like me use the diPulse products for recovery?

Absolutely. Say you go to the gym on day one of the week. On days two and three, you start to feel your muscles sore. This is when it makes sense to use a recovery program from the app, to better prepare for your next gym day. I have a friend who is a mother and housewife –who recently started running with a running club and she absolutely loves it. She uses diPulse recovery and massage programs every time after she is running and all the days in between. You don't have to be an elite sportsperson to benefit from it. diPulse is for everyone who loves sport and fitness.