I found this to be the most comfortable and also the most practical. You pull them on like bulky pants, and for the sake of this experiment, I chose to use them while lying down. I used the set that includes legs and boots. Utilizing the Normatec legs system in recovery and also as a sleep hygiene method to shift into a parasympathetic state after competing.įor those unfamiliar with the Normatec, you can learn more about it here. By 10 p.m., I had eaten and was ready to use the Normatec. But as any men’s league player knows, my shifts weren’t as intense as the pro game, making it a good mix of intense anaerobic and aerobic activity. I averaged 39 minutes total time on ice, which is higher than any NHL player. We played 60 minutes running time with seven players in each team. In the evening, I played men’s league pick-up hockey. In the morning, I had a workout with our group coaching clients, followed by my own strength training. My weekdays over these six weeks looked virtually the same. Like any experiment, controlling variables is key. Again, I’ve covered why I like HRV so much here, so I won’t get into it again too much. Since the Normatec is a general recovery tool, I used the HRV metric on my wearable device to assess how it was helping my recovery generally, rather than using soreness measurements-these would have been more challenging to measure, or track, and more likely than not would’ve just left me frustrated, and I would’ve abandoned the experiment. I settled on a six-week experiment, because that time frame lined up well with what would be a very consistent schedule for me. To understand more concepts and theories behind pneumatic compression, as well as more details on all the features of the Normatec, check out this guide to pneumatic compression recovery systems. Also, I’m not as interested in how it works as I am in that it works. That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but as far as my clients are concerned (and likely yours, as well), that’s sufficient. Click To Tweetįor those unfamiliar, the basic concept behind the Normatec is to add compression and therefore increase blood flow and circulation, which ultimately will enhance recovery. The basic concept behind the Normatec is to add compression and therefore increase blood flow and circulation, which ultimately will enhance recovery. There’s no doubt it has the “cool” factor, which draws in many people-and, quite frankly, is a huge contributor to the amount of attention a new piece of technology will get.Īttention and intrigue, though, are nothing but speculation-and I wanted to put the Normatec to the test. The Normatec looks like the type of futuristic recovery tool that performance coaches have been drooling about for decades. With that prelude out of the way, I’ll get into discussing my first experiment today: the Normatec Pulse 2.0 from Hyperice, for which I used the Leg Recovery System. While these self-experiments don’t replace double-blind peer-reviewed studies, I do my best to isolate variables and abide by the scientific process…at least as much as possible in the real world, outside of a laboratory. For this experiment, I used both an Oura Ring and a Whoop Band and saw nearly identical scores. I’m still “wearable agnostic” and have tested out nearly all of them. Using metrics on my wearable device (in particular HRV, which I’ve discussed in a previous SimpliFaster article), I can test my recovery, or sleep, or a number of other factors. In lieu of research-which, let’s be honest, will probably take decades before it’s conclusive-I first take steps to test new technologies and products on myself. Does it work? Is it useful for me? Is it worth the investment? As a coach for professional athletes and Fortune 500 executives who depend on their body to perform (and then recover), I want to know the answer to these questions so I can best support their efforts. Like many of you, I’m among the chorus of people asking essential questions. Every few months, it seems there’s an innovative recovery, mobility, or power product that hits the market.
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