Feeling great after targeted stretches and massage gun session to alleviate soreness

Two days after my last visit to The SportLab RecoverySuite was the first time since September 2022 that my hip flexor felt normal again.

This isn’t an exaggeration. Having suffered a tear on the soccer pitch (which was a painful reminder as to why warming up is important), it had never quite felt right since.

Though, to be fair, I had been ensuring to do proper dynamic stretching at least twice a week since the tear healed.

Still, a bit of soreness which led to me favouring my left foot and not pushing hard on the pitch lingered for months.

I had told Mary Bernais, one of the sports science practitioners at the RecoverySuite, my issue during my first visit – check out how that went at Next Level Recovery.

This latest visit we focused on lower body massage with a massage gun and resistance stretches, targeting the muscles most used by soccer players and giving a little extra attention to the problem area.

While naturally there was a predictable bit of sore muscles after the visit, within a couple of days, I was surprised at how good I felt – particularly in my hip flexor area that had been causing my issues.

This isn’t to say that The SportLab RecoverySuite can solve every muscle issue you have on one visit (remember, I had been healing and doing my own dynamic stretching for months), but the expert team and top notch equipment can be part of the recovery process.

The best part about my latest visit was seeing people come in ahead of a race and after a workout in the gym to do some air compression therapy (see our last article for more on this).

One of the athletes also asked about a particular nutritional supplement the RecoverySuite has available. Proper recovery includes providing the body it’s physical, mental and nutritional needs.

“The fuelling after a workout is almost as important as the workout itself,” explains Bernais. “A vast majority of people do not consume enough protein daily, as minimum required for a sedentary individual is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight . . . But when you engage in physical activity regularly research suggests consuming anywhere from  1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.”

Protein supplements at the RecoverySuite focus on metabolic recovery and come in a variety of flavours. Rather than individuals needing to cook up a storm or constantly be weighing their food, the protein powders offer a simple solution to filling the necessary nutritional needs.

They also provide carbohydrate supplements to aid with metabolic recovery. These supplements have a mix of complex and simple carbs to achieve the desired results.

Complex carbs provide energy for longer periods as they digest slower, while simple carbs provide a burst of energy for a short period of time.

“That’s why the mix of simple and complex is key in this supplement,” explains Bernais. “Where they will absorb fast so we can access energy soon after ingesting and keep us energetic for longer periods of time.”

This nutritional information is all part of educating their clientele about the full recovery process and part of the full service offerings from The SportLab RecoverySuite.

Now that you have a good idea of what it has to offer, I recommend trying it out yourself.