Smarter Recovery

Many fitness and wellness resources stress the importance of getting in a good workout. Often overlooked is recovery. Without proper recovery, you won’t be fully prepared for your next session—or reap the full benefits of your training. Smarter Recovery changes that, delivering evidence-based information and practical advice to effectively integrate this essential step into your routine.

Pete McCall, renowned personal trainer and author of the top-selling Smarter Workouts, cuts through the hype to explain what you really need to maximize your recovery and feel your best. With 58 exercises and stretches for recovery and mobility, Smarter Recovery breaks down the most effective tools, techniques, and methods, including these:

• Massage stick
• Foam roller
• Percussion gun
• Static stretching
• Mobility exercises
• Low-intensity strength exercises

You’ll also learn the importance of nutrition and sleep in recovery and how to create a long-term plan to help you feel your best. Case studies further demonstrate how to use the information in applicable situations. Simply put, Smarter Recovery takes the guesswork out of the process to help everyone—from fitness professionals to weekend warriors and fitness enthusiasts—identify the most effective recovery methods for their needs.

Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Audience

Fitness enthusiasts as well as personal trainers and other fitness professionals who want to maximize fitness results with effective recovery methods.

Part I. Recovery Explained

Chapter 1. Understanding the Need for Recovery
Learn how your body responds to different exercise demands. Use the information in this chapter to make recovery an integral part of every workout to maximize your fitness goals.

Chapter 2. Impact of Intensity
Understand the connection between exercise intensity and the body’s need for repair so you can monitor intensity to allow for adequate recovery.

Chapter 3. Systems Overload
Optimize your body’s natural recovery mechanisms and understand their response to stress on various internal systems.

Chapter 4. Recovery Methods
Choose the type of recovery method that works best for your body, your workouts, and your budget.

Chapter 5. Fascia and Foam Rolling
Explore the functions of fascia and the science behind maintaining healthy muscle development through tissue treatment. 

Part II. Strategies for Optimal Recovery

Chapter 6. Immediate Recovery: The First 24 Hours
Use the nutritional and hydration strategies as well as physical techniques in this chapter to maximize the recovery window for immediate gains.

Chapter 7. The Day After a Workout: Exercises for Active Recovery
Embrace the relationship between soreness and strength while incorporating a variety of recovery tools and exercises into your training plan.

Part III. Plan for Recovery

Chapter 8. Long-Term Planning for Recovery
Develop a solid recovery plan that incorporates your goals and lifestyle for weeks, months, and years ahead. 

Chapter 9. Healthy Habits to Promote Recovery 
Ensure that your fitness and recovery habits become part of your lifestyle for the long term.

Pete McCall is the director of education for EōS Fitness, the host of the All About Fitness podcast, a strength coach, and a fitness educator. He is certified as a personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and he holds a CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Frequently quoted as a fitness expert in publications such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, U-T San Diego Union Tribune, Time, Men’s Fitness, SELF, Glamour, U.S. News & World Report, and Shape magazine, McCall is a sought-after resource for accurate, in-depth insight into how to get results from exercise. Besides working with individual clients and teaching group fitness classes, he has more than a decade of experience in educating personal trainers around the world, including teaching for both ACE and NASM.

McCall is a former exercise physiologist for ACE, where he helped create the Integrated Fitness Training (ACE IFT) model, write the ACE Personal Trainer Manual, and develop education workshops on metabolic conditioning, movement-based training, and youth fitness. He is a master trainer for Core Health & Fitness (the parent company of Nautilus, StairMaster, Star Trac, and Schwinn), a content contributor for 24 Hour Fitness, and an adjunct faculty member in exercise science at both Mesa Community College and San Diego State University. He has delivered wellness education talks for the U.S. Navy (at Naval Air Station North Island), the White House, the World Bank, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and Reebok.

McCall earned his master's of science degree in exercise science and health promotion from the California University of Pennsylvania, and he holds the Fellow in Applied Functional Science credential from the Gray Institute.

"Conversations about recovery often come with vague explanations that lack practical application. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth with Smarter Recovery by Pete McCall. In this book, Pete provides clear and comprehensive explanations of the science behind fatigue, recovery, and training adaptation, along with real-life practical applications that you can instantly put into practice. If you want to better understand how you can help your athletes get the most out of their training, Smarter Recovery is the only place to start."
—Kevin Carr, CFSC, LMT

Developing a Recovery Mindset
See the Chop and Rotation
The Four Components of Recovery
Understand the Timing of Recovery
 Lateral gluteal muscles and piriformisLateral quadriceps and iliotibial bandLayers of muscleTypes of SMR tools and their benefits