The Swim Mechanic Talks Recovery With Marc Pro
Just like the Swim Mechanic, Bryan Mineo, most of us push our bodies beyond their limits. We talked with Bryan to learn more about how Marc Pro helps him recover fast and fully to perform at it’s full potential. Learn some tips, find out more about Bryan, and discover why he is a Marc Pro lover in this interview!
1. What are your techniques for muscle recovery?
I see swimming as an active recovery of sorts, but with the volume I train and spend in the water coaching I still need specific recovery. Daily I do a 30 minute cold plunge in the ocean. I believe cold therapy to be highly effective for muscle recovery, as well as mental training, learning how your mind can have power over your body. Equally important are my 30-60 minute nightly sessions with the Marc Pro Plus, targeting my shoulders, back and neck – the areas that tend to be overloaded from my ocean swimming.
2. Any shortcuts or little known tips you can share? Marc Pro or other?
Hydration is key. The Marc Pro helps to flush out the waste produced internally from exercise, and being adequately hydrated assists in this process, leaving my body feeling fresh and clean each night. I’m very conscious of being properly hydrated the day before a long training session or race, as it directly affects my output on that following day.
3. What types of stress does your body endure? How are you using your body athletically?
My gym is the beach. With that said, I’ve found ways to move that are natural to me – ocean swimming, soft sand running and yoga on the beach. The marriage of these three disciplines complement each other remarkably. Both swimming and yoga are about maximizing length, creating optimal posture, while maintaining a rhythmic, aerobic breathing pattern. The foundational pieces of yoga and swimming allow me to functionally translate the focuses to my running and general day-to-day movements that otherwise would be mindless. Mindless in the sense that reaching overhead to grab a glass or getting up and down from a chair is an automatic function for most people, without considering how they’re moving or how to move optimally. I’m hyper-aware of how I’m using my body in most all situations throughout the day. This is both a blessing and a curse, as I’m unable to just “be”. Sitting on the couch becomes an exercise in posture and core stability. So on and so forth.
4. How did you first hear about Marc Pro?
I first learned of Marc Pro through my friends at SMACK! Media. We had been discussing partnering up to some capacity, and Marc Pro was a mutually obvious fit for someone like myself who pushes their body daily and expects it to be able to repeat the workload 7 days a week.
5. What do you like about Marc Pro?
What caught my attention initially is Marc Pro’s science backing their product. I like to know how things work, the cause and effect, etc., so being able to read about the science behind the Marc Pro was really attractive to me. I enjoy writing product reviews, and with that comes a natural devil’s advocate in me, wanting to highlight both the pros and the cons of a product. The first week that I tested the Marc Pro I had a list of things I loved about it and only one thing that bothered me…that I couldn’t leave the pads attached to my body all day and go about my day connected to the Marc Pro power!
6. Why should other athletes use it?
As an athlete, increasing threshold and raising the performance ceiling is the underlying objective. We’re all on the same team in wanting to perform to our highest abilities. Without an effective recovery routine, you simply cannot tap into your highest potential. Marc Pro has found something that truly works and the accessibility of the device gives an athlete no excuses to miss a session.
Photo credit: @theswimmechanic