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A few things to help keep your results coming! Whether you're a seasoned athlete or you're just getting into fitness, recovery is a necessary component to the whole equation that is often overlooked. Recuperating is an important step in reaching your fitness goals even if it doesn't feel like it. Believe it or not, it is possible to over train. This happens when you don't give your body the time required to repair its muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Overtraining can actually make your workouts more harmful than effective.  Here are the 8 laws of rest and recovery to prevent you from becoming the next victim of overtraining:  1. Sleep Sleeping is not only important because no one wants to be around you when you're crabby; it is also the time when your body does the most repairs. Plus, a good night's sleep will keep you from dragging through that next workout. Most adults need anywhere from 7-10 hours of sleep per night.  2. Stretch Stretching will keep you flexible enough to go through the daily motion without hurting yourself as well as keep sore muscles from burning near as much. Try doing ballistic stretching (moving stretches) before your workout and static stretching (hold stretches for extended period of time) after your workout. Don't be afraid to also take a day out of the week and make it your stretch day. 3. Myofacial Release Ever get a deep tissue massage? That was myofacial release and you can do it yourself at home with simple tools like a foam roller. Just find those trigger spots where your muscles have tightened up or formed knots. Then stick the foam roller in that spot and put some weight on it for a little bit. It will hurt so good, but it will also help loosen and repair those muscles. 4. Take a Recovery Week or Two Before you get all up in arms, taking a recovery week doesn't necessarily mean you have to completely stop working out. It just means you don't go quite as hard. Set a couple days aside for yoga, Pilates, or stretch workouts and then use your remaining days in the week for light cardio or lifting. This will allow your body to play catch up and repair those deep tissue tears that it hasn't had a chance to get to yet. How often you need a recovery week varies from person to person, but if you've noticed your workout performance has started to steadily decline, it's probably a good idea to take a recovery week.  5. Hydrate Your body needs water for pretty much every process it goes through, including recovery. Why not expedite all of your body's functions by keeping it super hydrated?  Not only will this speed up recovery, but it will prevent sore muscles, lower stress levels, and improve skin & hair.  An easy way to make sure you are getting enough water intake is to take a look at your urine. If it's clear, you're doing great! 6. Eat Clean Everything that you put in in your body can either help or hurt it. Alcohol and processed foods will release toxins that can be harmful and put a halt on your progress. Educate yourself on what foods are effective for your body and will help increase your performance. This is where FlexPro's healthy food delivery comes in handy!  7. Posture The majority of Americans have terrible posture because they sit at a desk all day while slouching. This may seem like the most comfortable position at the time, but it can lead to neck, back, and even knee pain, which will then affect your workout performance. Try being more cognizant of how you are sitting and maybe even try purchasing an ergonomically correct chair if you need the extra help.  8. Compress, Ice, & Heat  Not only are these three techniques effective for nursing an injury, they can also be super effective if you do any sort of extremely stressful training. Wearing compression pants, sleeves, or shirts during your workout will help your muscles stay put and result in less muscle soreness. Taking a hot bath or icing areas that experienced the most brutality during your workout is also very effective in the recovery process. 

Pull-ups have long been considered one of the most fundamental exercises in creating a strong back and that ever-coveted V-taper many guys desire. Being able to preform pull-ups is considered by many organizations, like the military, to be an indicator of superior physical fitness. However, pull-ups provide a lot more benefits than just looking good and impressing people. Here are just a few of our favorite benefits:  1. Compound Upper Body Move- Not only do pull-ups target your upper-back muscles, your biceps, forearms, shoulders, & core also come into play when preforming a pull-up. 2. Variation Variety- There are tons of pull-up variations you can do all depending on your hand placement. Each type targets your muscles differently. For instance, a chin-up incorporates more biceps while a close-grip pull-up targets more of your forearms.  3. Increasing Intensity is Easy- As with every other exercise, you must continually increase the intensity in order to grow and avoid a plateau. Pull-up intensity can be easily increased by simply doing more reps or adding weight with a weighted belt or vest.  4. Increased Heart Rate- Pull-ups use large muscle groups, so they will have your heart rate pumping in no time!  5. Increase Grip Strength- Pull-ups are one of the best ways to increase grip strength which comes in handy for other weight-training exercises and climbing. 6. Convenient- Pull-ups can be done almost anywhere. You don't need thousands of dollars worth of gym equipment to do this exercise-- just your body, a bar, and gravity. Don't Have Access to a Pull-up Bar? Doorframe pull-up bars are relatively inexpensive and work great!  Check out your local running trail. Many of them have outdoor workout stations that include pull-up bars. Head to the nearest playground and use the monkey bars. If you have an open beam ceiling in your basement, use the beam as a pull-up bar Head outside to your patio and use the edge of the deck or railing Do you integrate pull-ups in your workout routine? Tell us how in the comments below!