When the little things add up
F&TF with an appreciative twist
At the end of a wonderfully Thai day last week – including a massage and a half-day of chef-ing up dishes like Khao Soi, Tom Yum, and of course, Pad Thai – I found myself reflecting on a calmness that transcended the contentment.
It clearly wasn’t just the masseur’s magic touch that had me in this reverie (though I’ll admit, there were some serious knee digs into my back that helped), but a realisation that the holistic approach to wellness I’ve taken over particularly the past year – of spending time outside whatever the weather, staying hydrated and incorporating weighted stretches into a training routine that aligns with my goals – might have been paying dividends long before I was aware of them.
Over the past two months, sleep has been a struggle, temperatures have hovered around 30 degrees, and, outside of Thailand, food has been more miss than hit and yet I’ve still been training consistently. And, for the first time in ages, the snaps, crackles and knots that usually bubble up in massages just didn’t appear.
It was easily the best massage I’ve had this year and yet it didn’t hurt. I wasn’t tight, I wasn’t knotty, I wasn’t inflexible when it came to the wild manipulations towards the end of the hour. Upon reflection, I felt good going in and felt relaxed coming out; I didn’t feel “restored” for the session, rather I felt simply rested.
I used to rely on massages to feel “normal” again
The busier I was on the gym floor, the more gym classes I led and the harder I trained on top of that, the more I relied on monthly massages to “reset” me. And despite having my nutrition nailed and near perfect sleep conditions – I still could have installed a blackout blind! – I rarely felt truly rested or recovered.
These days, I feel like I have energy to train, and I have a pump when I leave the gym; I feel like I can push for more intensity with every session and still have enough in my legs to do cardio afterwards.
Where the drop off in food and sleep would normally be associated with a performance drop-off, I think, then, in a way that I didn’t understand in the UK, the heat has forced me to learn how to properly hydrate. I drink a litre less water a day here than I did in the peak of summer last year but, differently, always have a sports drink and a mini Red Bull before my sessions – the Thai formula focuses on taurine and has little to no caffeine but might anyway simply be a placebo! And afterwards, I’ll have a protein shake with my meal to ensure I’m getting enough protein, and, other than drinking water to thirst throughout the day, that’s it.
Thought quenching
Hydration is one of the simplest, yet most overlooked, elements when it comes to physical performance and feeling. As much as I’m conscious of drinking water, it’s clear that hydration goes deeper than simply quenching thirst. Electrolytes – such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium – play a significant role in muscle function and recovery and even the frequency of your headaches.
Indeed, studies have shown that proper fluid balance can help maintain endurance, reduce fatigue, and improve recovery after intense exercise. This is especially true when training in hot environments, like the 30°C heat I've been living in, where you lose more minerals through sweat.
So, while I might not be hydrating like I’m training for a marathon, I’m ensuring that I'm replenishing more than just my water levels by adding electrolytes to my routine.
But what about the snaps, crackles and knots?
What about the physical movements I’m doing to stay relatively limber and injury-free?
That’s where stretching through loaded movements comes in. It’s long been debated whether stretching actually aids in muscle growth, but recent studies suggest that active stretching during training – such as using weighted stretches in squats or lunges – can stimulate muscle growth in a similar way to regular resistance training, by creating tension and elongating muscles under load.
This isn’t, however, an argument to replace weightlifting with stretches. Rather, it’s about integrating dynamic and weighted stretches into your workout, allowing your body to move through its full range of motion while also building strength. This added range of motion and tension helps muscles grow and become “more functional”, and I’ve found that it helps me stay mobile and limber, with less tightness and discomfort after workouts.
Dynamic warm-up movements like arm and leg swings can be simple yet effective ways of improving your performance while decreasing your injury risk; by improving blood flow and gradually introducing your muscles to the feelings of contraction and relaxation they’ll alternately experience in a workout, you’ll likely perform better and feel less sore afterwards.
Less is more (sometimes)
There’s an ongoing debate in fitness circles about the value of mobility drills, foam rolling, and “functional” training. Don’t get me wrong – some mobility work like the arm swings above – has its place, but it’s easy to overdo. Spending half your workout on activation exercises for the glutes – as a number of booty-focused influencers do – might make you feel busy, but might actually be less effective than simply doing warm-up sets of your planned exercises – as most actual coaches would prescribe.
Incorporating weighted stretches into my routine has been one of the most effective ways to reduce muscle stiffness and increase flexibility – without the need for extra mobility drills or hours of foam rolling. On a lat pulldown, this might simply be letting the bar stretch you out before you return it to the rack; on a pull-up, this might be just hanging on your last rep until your grip gives out; in an RDL this could be descending with perfect form as if you were going for another rep, hanging out for as long as you can before setting the weight on the floor rather than brining it back to the top again.
By dynamically stretching before my workouts, I’m not only improving my range of motion but also supporting my body’s natural ability to recover and build muscle. By stretching during my workouts (my calves routine is a gamechanger!) I’m potentially contributing to muscle fibre engagement – and so incremental growth – and improved mobility. Importantly, these movements are supporting long-term progress, rather than offering a quick fix. And they’re more effective than simply sitting around waiting for flexibility gains or relying on post-session recovery treatments.
In the above workout, you’ll notice most of the movements have an elongated element of stretch in them. Too many people avoid the uncomfortable stretch element of lifting weights when trying to build muscle, and yet numerous studies in 2024 show how important a range of motion that incorporates a weighted stretch is for muscle growth. Given it takes an extra second or two per rep for greater mobility and strength through a greater range of motion, which could have general and sport specific carryover, I think slowing down the eccentric portion of the movement and expanding these lazy ranges of motion can result in outsized returns on investment.
Key takeaways
1. Massage feels good but it might be distracting you from the issue
Massage and foam rolling, while pleasantly painful in the moment or indeed immediately after, often mask discomfort without addressing underlying issues. Long-term progress comes more from active recovery – e.g. deliberately running in zone two or going on long walks most days – and training your body through effective ranges of motion.
2. Hydration: beyond simply “more” water
Minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium play a huge role in muscle contractions, fatigue reduction, and recovery. Hydration is not just about chugging litres of water; it should be about leaning into affordable and accessible drinks and foods: Lucozade-like drinks, electrolyte tablets, or even simple cupboard staples like bananas or salted nuts can all play a roll in replenishing minerals lost to sweat.
A well-hydrated body typically has better blood flow, delivers nutrients more efficiently, and keeps muscles firing on all cylinders during training. And after exercise, replenishing with electrolytes can accelerate recovery and waste removal.
Finding balance
As someone who’s spent years chasing strength and aesthetics, I’ve found that health is more than the heaviest lift or the sharpest looking abs. It’s about how you feel in your body – preferably pain-free, mobile, and strong enough for the things you love. That doesn’t mean abandoning intensity or ambition. It does mean training smarter, listening to your body, and knowing that rest and recovery are just as important as sets and reps.
This week, I challenge you to reflect on your approach: Are you doing what you love while staying consistent? Are you chasing results or genuinely enjoying the process? Maybe the best gains are the ones you don’t expect – flexibility, resilience, or even a walk home after a hard massage, feeling at peace.
References
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Hawley, J. A., & Swart, J. (2023). Hydration and physical performance: Insights from sports and active living research. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, Article 1139065. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1139065Frontiers in Physiology
McKinlay, B. J., et al. (2021). Hydration strategies and their effects on physiological responses to exercise in the heat. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, Article 689492. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.689492Australian Fitness Academy
Australian Fitness Academy. (n.d.). Hydration and electrolytes: Optimising fluid balance for exercise. The Fitness Zone. Retrieved November 29, 2024, from https://fitness.edu.au/the-fitness-zone/hydration-and-electrolytes-optimising-fluid-balance-for-exercise/Konrad, A., Nakamura, M., & Tilp, M. "Long-term effects of stretching on muscle strength and size." Frontiers in Physiology from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.689492/full.
Simsek, D., Soylu, A. R., & Karabulut, O. "Influence of long-lasting static stretching on muscle growth and strength development." Frontiers in Sports and Active Living from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1139065/full
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And that’s it from me.
Hope yas have cracking weekends and I’ll see yas in the next one
Jack x