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VENTURE<br />
Fitness<br />
<strong>The</strong> pulsing mimics<br />
the one-way flow<br />
of veins and<br />
lymphatic vessels<br />
As the sequence<br />
moves up the leg, the<br />
previous two zones<br />
are kept compressed<br />
Originally<br />
created for<br />
medical patients,<br />
now it’s a<br />
leading sports<br />
recovery tool<br />
<strong>The</strong> sequential<br />
pulse starts at<br />
zone 1, the foot,<br />
working upwards<br />
Releasing<br />
pressure lower<br />
down the leg<br />
allows maximum<br />
rest time<br />
between cycles<br />
RECOVER<br />
Body<br />
rebuilder<br />
Beat post-workout<br />
body trauma with this<br />
portable pump-action<br />
physiotherapist<br />
In the cutting-edge field of<br />
sports science, there’s a new<br />
craze: resting. While exercise<br />
pushes performance, evidence<br />
shows that it’s during the<br />
recovery phase that the body<br />
makes its gains, repairing<br />
tissue, removing metabolic<br />
waste and restoring natural<br />
fuels such as glycogen. Many<br />
high-intensity sports events<br />
such as triathlons and ultraruns<br />
now feature ‘recovery<br />
lounges’ where it’s highly<br />
likely that you’ll find athletes<br />
wearing the NormaTec Pulse<br />
Recovery System.<br />
This portable pneumatic<br />
compression technology<br />
comes in three forms, aimed<br />
at arms, hips and legs, and it’s<br />
the latter that is most popular.<br />
Most simply described as<br />
a pair of inflatable boots, the<br />
system is plugged into an<br />
air compressor and initially<br />
inflates to gauge the shape<br />
of your legs before providing<br />
an intense pulse massage<br />
from your feet up to your<br />
thighs. This accelerates the<br />
natural circulatory flow of<br />
veins and lymphatic vessels<br />
and delivers more oxygen to<br />
muscles to aid recovery and<br />
help relieve pain after an<br />
Customise your<br />
recovery experience<br />
from your phone<br />
intense workout. Using the<br />
hand controller, the squeezing<br />
force can be dialled up to a<br />
boa-constrictor-strength<br />
seven and targeted on specific<br />
zones. It’s also rechargeable,<br />
meaning it can be transported<br />
wherever needed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> massage system<br />
wasn’t initially conceived for<br />
athletes: in 1998, when she<br />
developed the technology and<br />
founded NormaTec, Boston<br />
physician bioengineer Laura P<br />
Jacobs was searching for a<br />
non-invasive treatment for<br />
patients prone to blood clots<br />
or circulation disorders. Her<br />
patented Sequential Pulse<br />
Technology soon caught the<br />
eye of sports stars looking to<br />
shave down their recovery<br />
time. Today, its fans include<br />
footballers such as Gareth Bale<br />
and Paul Pogba, NBA legend<br />
LeBron James, and two-time<br />
heavyweight boxing world<br />
champion Anthony Joshua.<br />
Former US fencing world<br />
champion Miles Chamley-<br />
Watson discovered its<br />
remarkable recuperative<br />
powers at the 2016 Rio<br />
Olympic Games. “At first I<br />
was sceptical, but the thing<br />
is absolutely amazing,” says<br />
the 30-year-old today. “After<br />
periods of tough physical<br />
exertion I need to be fit again<br />
quickly, and with this I feel as<br />
good as new straight away.” He<br />
only took bronze that year, but<br />
thanks to his NormaTec Pulse<br />
Pro 2.0 he’s aiming to bounce<br />
back better next time.<br />
normatecrecovery.com<br />
TOM MACKINGER FLORIAN STURM<br />
72 THE RED BULLETIN
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