CLASS PASS SERIES-When All Those Classes Wear You Down…
They tried to make me go to rehab…and I said, yes, yes, YES! (I hope you all get that little side joke)
An hour a day or exercise may seem like just a regular daily occurrence for yours truly, but as I have gotten older, I do notice that doing something active every day, especially if it is intense, takes a toll on my body. I might get tightness in my back, shoulders, hips and/or knees, or I might just feel worn-down and irritable. Either way, I need to spend some time recovering.
My favorite way to recover is usually with a sports or Thai massage, both of which are deeper tissue styles of massage/bodywork. However, today after a class, I remembered seeing a picture of a fellow Class Pass goer that involved a sports recovery center called Great Earth Sports Performance. Located in Brentwood, California off of San Vicente, the GESP, as it is called, is a specialized facility with high end technology.
The Class Pass deal for this location is 20 minutes using NormaTec Compression. NormaTec Compression is a dynamic compression device specifically designed for recovery and rehab. This technology is supposed to help athletes recovery more quickly after performance and between training sessions.
There are different attachments that go on the legs, hips and arms, but at this location for the 20 minute session, the session just includes the leg attachments. It uses compressed air to massage your limbs and increase circulation with a patented massage pattern. I won’t go into details about the massage pattern, but if you want to know more about it, click here.
When I arrived, the man who runs the GESP store was there and he had me check in. As soon as he saw I was from Class Pass, he guided me to a chair and asked me how tall I am. Based off of that, he brought me the correct size compression leggings to wear. I removed my shoes and put them on. Then he turned on the machine and slowly I felt my feet, then my calves, then my quads being compressed in a pulsing manner, then released. At first lightly, then pressure got more intense. It is supposed to really help with muscle repair and recovery. After my session, I feel relaxed, but I am pretty sure you need to do this more than once to really get results. Also, the prices are not listed online or in the brochure. I didn’t ask, but my guess is that it is not cheap.
During my NormaTec session, I noticed two spaceship looking capsules on the other side of the room. These are used for a process called CVAC (Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning). Apparently going into one of these capsules for between 5-20 minutes (you adjust the time the more you go as you get used to it) can improve a person’s endurance and performance naturally by improving recovery. The process creates an atmospheric workload that challenges the body using changes in air pressure. I was able to go inside a capsule for 5 minutes and you can definitely feel the pressure change. These session are meant to allow a person to continue to gain improvement in energy production even on rest days. This process helps prevent wear and tear on the body as well. After my session I felt slightly more tired than normal, but otherwise not much different. You can read more about the CVAC process here.
Again, if you are on ClassPass, you can get the NormaTec compression procedure done up to three times in a month, so it is worth trying out if you are really sore from all your workouts and have the time. If you really enjoy the procedure, inquire about packages at the store.
Great Earth Sports Performance
11640 San Vicente Boulevard.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
