Recovery for CrossFit: What Actually Helps

CrossFit beats you up in a specific way. High intensity, high volume, constantly varied movements. Your body never quite adapts because the stimulus keeps changing. That’s the point-and it’s also why recovery matters more than in most sports.

We’ve worked with a lot of CrossFit athletes. Here’s what we’ve learned about what actually helps.

The Problem CrossFit Creates

A typical CrossFit workout combines weightlifting, gymnastics, and metabolic conditioning. In a single hour, you might deadlift heavy, do fifty pull-ups, and run 800 meters. Your muscles, joints, and nervous system all take a hit.

The challenge is that you’re back in the gym tomorrow. Or the day after. You don’t have the luxury of a week-long recovery period between sessions.

This creates two problems:

1. Accumulated inflammation. Without adequate recovery, inflammation builds session after session.
2. Nervous system fatigue. High-intensity work taxes your central nervous system. If you don’t recover, your performance drops even when your muscles feel fine.

What Actually Works

Cold plunge after metcons. After a conditioning-heavy workout, your body is inflamed and your heart rate is elevated. A 2-3 minute cold plunge brings down inflammation quickly and shifts your nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.

Timing matters here. If you’re trying to build muscle, wait at least 4 hours after strength training before cold exposure-some inflammation is part of the adaptation process. But after a pure metcon or competition, get cold soon.

Compression for leg recovery. CrossFit destroys your legs. Squats, lunges, box jumps, running, rowing-it all adds up. Compression therapy moves the metabolic waste out of your muscles faster than rest alone.

We see athletes come in the morning after a heavy leg day, do 30 minutes of compression, and walk out feeling like they can train again. It’s not magic-it’s just accelerating what your body does naturally.

Infrared sauna for mobility. Tight muscles limit your positions. If you can’t get into a deep squat or overhead position, you’re leaving performance on the table and increasing injury risk.

Heat loosens tissue. Infrared sauna penetrates deeper than traditional sauna, reaching muscles and joints that surface heat can’t touch. Twenty minutes before mobility work makes a noticeable difference.

Float therapy for nervous system reset. This is the underrated one. CrossFit athletes are often chronically overstimulated-loud music, competitive environment, high adrenaline. Your nervous system needs quiet.

An hour in the float tank gives your brain and body complete rest. No gravity, no light, no sound. Athletes report sleeping better, feeling calmer, and performing more consistently after regular float sessions.

A Practical Recovery Schedule

Here’s a template that works for most CrossFit athletes training 5-6 days per week:

After competition or high-intensity metcons: Cold plunge (2-3 minutes)

Morning after heavy lifting: Compression therapy (20-30 minutes)

Once per week: Infrared sauna + cold plunge contrast (the full Reset Circuit if you have time)

Once per week or every two weeks: Float therapy (60-90 minutes)

Adjust based on your training volume and how you feel. More volume means more recovery.

What About Rest Days?

Rest days are when recovery modalities have the most impact. Your body isn’t being broken down-it’s rebuilding. Supporting that process makes the next training week better.

A solid rest day protocol: Float therapy or sauna in the morning, compression in the afternoon, early bedtime.

The Bottom Line

CrossFit is demanding. Your recovery needs to match your training. The athletes who last-who keep improving year after year without burning out or getting injured-are the ones who take recovery as seriously as their workouts.

We built our protocols with this in mind. Come in, tell us what you’re training for, and we’ll help you figure out what fits your schedule and goals.