Jeff Nippard
This video ranks various popular recovery methods into tiers based on scientific research and overall effectiveness. While foundational habits like adequate sleep and appropriate training volume top the list, interventions like cold plunges and IV drips rank near the bottom.
Reflect
“What is the smallest action from this you can take today?”
Jot your answer in the private note below — it stays in this browser.
Only stored in this browser — a place for the key takeaway or why you saved it.
Recovery Tier List! Two are in S tier, one is in F tier. Cold plunges. They can reduce soreness, but most studies show they actually blunt muscle growth. And hot water is probably better post-workout. D-tier. Sauna. Heat can help with recovery, but the research isn’t super clear yet. Until there’s more data, I’m leaving it in high C tier. IV Drips. Unless it’s for extreme dehydration, heat stroke, or trauma under medical care, I’d skip it. F-tier. Foam Rolling. Some research shows that it can reduce muscle soreness. No real downsides, but the effects are pretty small in my experience. Low B-tier. Stretching. It can help flexibility and range of motion but for recovery, it doesn’t seem to be any better than just resting. Low C tier. Eating Enough Calories. You can recover in a deficit, but if your calories get too low, recovery drops off, for sure. High A-tier Appropriate Training Volume. This is mostly what recovery boils down to. If you try to do too much in the gym for too long, you’ll dig yourself into a hole. Easy S-tier. Sleep. Getting 7–9 hours boosts recovery, performance, and overall health across the board. S-tier.
Watch on YouTube