Ranking the Most Common Recovery Methods for Athletes: What Actually Works?

undefeatedptandper
Dec 7
3 min read

By Dr. Carmen Jansante, PT, DPT, CSCS

Undefeated Physical Therapy & Performance

Recovery is one of the most powerful—and most misunderstood—components of athletic development. We all train hard, compete hard, push ourselves to grow and perform. But what happens between training sessions is just as important as the work itself.

The goal of recovery is simple:

help the body return to its baseline with less soreness, less fatigue, and the ability to produce the same (or greater) power, speed, and strength the next time we train.

Every athlete responds differently, which means no single method works the same for everyone. But we can rank recovery strategies based on physiology, effectiveness, and transfer to performance.

Below are the most widely-used recovery modalities—with explanations, applications, and where they stand on the effectiveness scale.

The Most Important Theme in Recovery: Blood Flow

No matter what method you choose, recovery always boils down to one mechanism:

➡ More blood flow = more oxygen, nutrients, healing factors, and tissue repair.

➡ Less blood flow = slower regeneration, more soreness, decreased performance.

Any recovery strategy that increases circulation has value.

Anything that restricts blood flow slows everything down.

With that in mind, here’s how I rank the most common athlete recovery methods:

1. Active Recovery – The Gold Standard

Best overall method for tissue repair, soreness reduction, and return to performance.

Active recovery pumps blood into muscles through contraction and relaxation. This delivers oxygen, electrolytes, proteins, magnesium, potassium—everything tissue needs to heal micro-tears caused by training.

The key: recovery should be mostly concentric, meaning the muscle shortens without absorbing force.

Examples:

Light bike ride or interval training or Assault bike work
Rower intervals
Walking uphill/incline (downhill becomes eccentric)

A simple interval structure:

10–20 seconds at 60–80% effort → 10–20 seconds slow + easy

Repeat for 10–20 minutes

Nothing clears soreness faster.

2. Trigger Point Release / Active Release Techniques (ART)

Active tissue release with movement + pressure.

This method builds on blood flow by combining direct pressure with active motion to release tension, desensitize trigger points, and improve tissue slide.

Examples we use often with athletes:

Pressure to posterior shoulder while athlete moves into a Y
Subscapular pressure with guided external rotation

Why it works:

Pressure activates nervous system receptors
Release increases blood flow into the area
Muscle resets its tone + relaxes afterward

This is one of our highest-value hands-on recovery techniques.

3. Scraping (IASTM)

Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization

We use metal or shaped tools to glide across muscles and find adhesions, tension, and “speed bumps” in the tissue. Scraping turns tissue red—which isn’t injury, it’s increased circulation.

This is ideal as prep work before trigger point release, stretching, or mobility.

4. Cupping

More beneficial when combined with movement—not just sitting still.

Cupping lifts layers of tissue and encourages localized blood flow. Research continues to show value, mostly when paired with active motion rather than passive placement.

Best application:

Use along with mobility or light movement
Combine with soft tissue work

Good—but not a standalone miracle modality.

5. Electrical Stimulation (TENS, NMES)

Useful for pain modulation, less effective for recovery adaptation.

Electrical stimulation can help temporarily reduce discomfort and improve sensation. Athletes often feel better afterward, which is valuable—but the long-term recovery benefit is limited by itself.

Good tool for:

Pain control
Sensory input
Light circulation boost

But not as effective as movement-based recovery.

6. Heat

Better than ice, but still low on the list when used alone.

Heat increases circulation and tissue pliability. Great for warming up stiff muscles, improving flexibility, or prepping movement.

Best use:

Before training
Combine with mobility or soft tissue work

Heat feels good, but on its own won’t dramatically improve recovery.

7. Ice

Bottom of the list for performance recovery.

Ice reduces inflammation—but also blood flow, which is exactly what tissue needs to repair. Unless there’s acute swelling or injury, ice may slow the recovery process more than help it.

There are rare cases where icing might be appropriate…but for most athletes, it’s not the best choice.