Rekova
Recovery guides

Routines for real days

Five short routines for the moments that actually leave you tight, ordered through a day. Each uses what you already have - pick the one that matches your day rather than working through all of them.

Two minutes

Morning feet

If the first steps out of bed are the worst part of your day, the fix is doing this before you stand up rather than after. It is the easiest habit on this page to keep.

  1. Sit on the edge of the bed with the ball on the floor under one foot.
  2. Roll slowly from the ball of the foot back to the heel, covering the whole arch.
  3. Pause on the sorest point and hold for 30 to 60 seconds while you breathe.
  4. Swap feet. Two or three minutes total, before your full weight goes through them.
What you need
About 5 minutes

The desk day reset

Sitting loads the same few places for hours. Short and frequent beats one long session at the end of the day - a minute every hour or two does more than ten minutes at six o'clock.

  1. Roll your shoulders back ten times, then tilt one ear toward your shoulder and hold for a few breaths. Repeat on the other side.
  2. Pin the massage ball between a wall and the top of one shoulder blade. Lean in, circle slowly, and hold anywhere tender for 30 to 60 seconds.
  3. Clasp your hands behind your back and lift slightly to open the chest, undoing the forward hunch.
  4. Finish with the gua sha down the sides of the neck toward the collarbone, over oil, three to five light strokes a side.
What you need
About 10 minutes

After a run

Calves, hamstrings and the soles of your feet take the load. Work them while they are still warm rather than waiting until they have stiffened up.

  1. Start with the calves. Seated with the ball under one calf, roll slowly and pause 30 to 60 seconds anywhere it bites.
  2. Move to the hamstrings and glutes, sitting on the ball and shifting slowly rather than rolling fast.
  3. Roll the ball under each foot, heel to toe, for a minute or two a side.
  4. Gua sha along the calves and quads in one direction, following the muscle. Light pressure - you are encouraging blood flow, not bruising.
What you need
About 10 minutes

After training

Soreness from resistance work peaks a day or two later, not on the night itself. That makes this a routine you repeat rather than one you finish - the session tomorrow matters as much as the one now.

  1. Start with the biggest muscles you worked - quads, hamstrings, glutes. Roll slowly, around an inch per second, and give each 60 to 90 seconds.
  2. Move to the upper back and lats with the ball against a wall, circling around the shoulder blade rather than over it.
  3. Gua sha along the same muscles, one direction, light to medium pressure. This is the scraping technique physiotherapists use on sore muscle.
  4. Come back tomorrow and the day after. Soreness peaks 24 to 48 hours in, so repeating this beats a longer session tonight.
What you need
About 5 minutes

Winding down

Recovery mostly happens while you sleep, so the point here is settling rather than working hard. Keep the pressure lighter than you would earlier in the day.

  1. Dim the screens first. The routine works better when it is not competing with a phone.
  2. Gua sha over oil along the jaw and temples, outward and then down the neck. This is where a day of clenching collects.
  3. Light work with the ball between the shoulder blades against a wall, without chasing knots.
  4. Finish with slow breathing for a minute. The pause is doing as much as the pressure.
What you need

Firm should feel like a deep stretch, never sharp. These are everyday wellness tools, not medical devices - avoid working over injuries, swelling or broken skin, and speak to a healthcare professional about persistent pain. For the technique behind each tool, see how it works.

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