Best items to optimize recovery

Best foam roller

If you’ve been training for any fall races, you’re definitely going to be thankful for this foam roller! The Trigger Point brand has been trusted by runners everywhere for years, with good reason. The Grid Roller is the brand’s original design, featuring a hollow core centre with multiple foam densities and textures across its surface to mimic a massage therapist’s hands. At only 13 inches long and 5.5 inches wide, this handy tool can easily be stashed away when not in use, and the shorter length makes it versatile enough to be used on multiple body parts, including calves, quads, back, lats and just about anywhere else that needs some TLC.

Best all-around recovery supplement

Derived from leucine (a branched-chain amino acid, or BCAA), HMB Sport by Blonyx is a powerful supplement designed to enhance your training capabilities by minimizing muscle damage and soreness. It allows for quicker recovery, so you can push yourself harder during workouts. With HMB Sport, you can shorten your recovery time between sessions, train at a higher intensity more frequently, and reduce the risk of injury. This supplement helps combat muscle loss caused by age, injury and downtime, ensuring you can bounce back swiftly and continue progressing toward your running goals.

Best hydration supplement

Hydra+ by Blonyx is a natural energy and electrolyte drink made with real food to ensure easy digestion without causing stomach issues. With ingredients like cane sugar, sea salt, coconut water, mango and passionfruit juice, it helps your body absorb water, recover quickly and maintain peak performance during workouts. Whether you’re doing short, intense exercises or longer, lighter ones, Hydra+ can replenish your sodium and sugar levels to keep you hydrated and energized. Unlike other sports drinks with excessive salt content, Hydra+ tastes like fruit juice and won’t hinder your performance.

Best for destination runners and racers

Runners who travel, rejoice! The Theragun G5 Mini is the smallest Theragun available–20 per cent smaller and 30 per cent lighter than its predecessor, this handy little gadget can easily be tossed into a suitcase, thrown into your daypack or tucked into your gym bag so you can get relief from aches and pains, no matter where your running journey takes you. Don’t let its size fool you–this mighty little tool gets the job done with 12 mm of amplitude, three massage speeds (1,750, 2,100 or 2,400 PPMs) and an ergonomic shape and grip, so you can access all the hard-to-reach places.

Best recovery tool for your feet

If you struggle with tight, sore feet, the Trigger Point MobiPoint Massage Ball can help. At only two inches in diameter, it’s designed to provide targeted pressure to a small area, and the raised-tip texture helps promote blood and oxygen flow to enhance mobility and decrease soreness. It’s durable and easy to clean, and is the perfect addition to any runner’s rehab tool kit.

Best tool for injury prevention

Whether you’re rehabbing an injury or trying to prevent one from happening, these resistance bands help you up the intensity of your workout, so you can become stronger and more injury-resilient. Made with premium-quality latex to avoid tearing and breaking, these bands come in three thicknesses, so you can vary the challenge in your workout. They come with a microfibre carry bag, so you can easily toss them in your bag and take them with you for a convenient workout when you’re away from home.

Best wearable recovery tool

Having sore legs is an occupational hazard of being a runner, but you shouldn’t have to suffer. These Smartwool compression socks provide 20-30 mmHg of graduated compression to promote blood flow and help improve comfort and performance during your run, as well as to recover faster afterward. They feature durability zones and a breathable mesh patterning in the leg of the sock, and are made with soft merino wool and recycled nylon to increase overall comfort.

Best blister prevention

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and thanks to Bodyglide, preventing chafing and blisters is so much easier than treating them. Runners everywhere have been trusting this anti-chafing and anti-blister balm for nearly 30 years, and with good reason. It’s made with plant-derived ingredients, it’s invisible, non-wet and non-greasy, and creates a barrier against irritation and rubbing that can cause skin injuries (i.e., blisters). Use it on your toes, inner thighs, feet, underarms, bra line or anywhere you need a little extra lubrication.

Easiest on-the-go hydration

The first step to post-run recovery is hydration, and these Nuun tablets ensure you can re-hydrate no matter where you are, thanks to the convenient tablet design. Just toss one into your bottle or a glass, add water and watch it dissolve. With a tasty blend of electrolytes and minerals, the tabs help you stay hydrated on-the-go. The Immunity tablets pack a double punch, and contain antioxidants to help you stay healthy ahead of your next goal race.

Easiest massager to take with you

If taking a full foam roller with you to a destination race sounds like a hassle, the Grid Stick is a great solution. This recovery tool fits perfectly into a backpack or gym bag. The Grid Stick comes in two densities: regular and extra firm, and you can use it seated or standing to roll, release and relieve minor aches and pains. Water-resistant and easy to clean, this is the recovery tool you won’t want to leave home without.

Best massage gun

Elevate your wellness routine with Theragun Elite, a premium smart percussive therapy device designed to provide unparalleled power and personalized relief for deep muscle tension. The Theragun Elite combines efficacy with elegance, featuring an ultra-quiet brushless motor with QuietForce Technology for powerful, yet discreet, therapy sessions. Connect to the Therabody app via Bluetooth to access customized wellness routines based on your activity data, enhancing your overall well-being. With a 16-mm amplitude that reaches deep into muscles, the Theragun Elite stimulates circulation, generates heat and releases tension for a rejuvenating experience. Enjoy features like a customizable speed range, OLED screen, and up to 40 lb. of no-stall force, all packed in a sleek, ergonomic design with wireless charging and a long-lasting internal lithium-ion battery.

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