Issue 217

May 2025

Ray Klerck uncovers the box-fresh new science that just gave fighters another excuse to sit down after sparring, only this time, you’ll come out feeling stronger.

That post-workout shuffle haunting your every step? If you’ve become less ‘champ in camp’ and more ‘grandad on gravel,’ there may be a solution because MMA is something everyone wants a piece of, including those wearing lab coats for a living. A new study out of Poland, published in the Frontiers in Physiology just has just handed MMA athletes something better than rest. Better than ice. Far better than those voodoo floss bands you wrap around your elbows. It’s called contrast compression therapy. While it may sound complicated, that’s just a fancy-boy name for alternating hot and cold treatment under pressure. The best part? Ten minutes is all it takes. In the randomized crossover study of 30 experienced MMA athletes, researchers found that using a Game Ready device for just 10 minutes triggered a powerful blood flow surge, called a hyperemic reaction, that continued for 18 minutes after the therapy ended. That’s like getting extra rounds of recovery comp’d by the house. There was a significant spike in blood delivery, meaning more oxygen, faster nutrient transport, and less post-training drag. You don’t need one of these high-end devices to make it happen.

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BLOOD

This isn’t placebo-induced fluff or just another muscle rub in disguise. The researchers used gold-standard tech to measure perfusion, which is how much blood moves through your muscles' microcirculatory system. On average, blood flow more than doubled during therapy, spiking from 12.6 to 24.7 perfusion units. In sports science terms, that’s like hitting a walk-off knockout in the first round. What’s even more telling? Blood flow took nearly 17 minutes to drop back to baseline levels post-treatment, meaning the benefits stuck around long after the fighters unplugged from the machine. That’s crucial because this short-term boost in circulation doesn’t just help you recover faster. It also enables you to maintain better muscle elasticity and reduce the kind of residual tightness that may lead to injury down the line. 

THE TRIPLE THREAT

This type of therapy works by hitting your arm with alternating waves of heat (45°C/113°F) and cold (3°C/38°F), combined with variable air pressure. Cycling thermal and mechanical stress activates local axonal reflexes and endothelial pathways that trigger vasodilation. That means your blood vessels part ways like the crowd when Dana White’s security detail clears his path to the Octagon. This reaction does more than just pump blood. It lowers inflammation, helps flush metabolic waste, and even affects nerve signals tied to muscle tension. Think of it as a rapid muscle reboot that cleans out fatigue, restores range of motion, and recalibrates your nervous system. One minute, your arms feel like cement. The next, they’re ready to throw hands.

WHY REAL FIGHTERS SHOULD CARE

Let’s face it, most MMA recovery strategies are either painful (ice baths), expensive (hyperbaric chambers), or suspiciously vague (whatever that Instagram sauna tent is). Contrast compression therapy ticks all the boxes: quick, proven, and hands-free. This new study gives coaches and fighters a reason to slot in this kind of therapy right after hard sparring, during the cooldown phase, or even between sessions on fight week. You don’t need to sit in a tub of misery for 20 minutes. Just 10 minutes on one limb can provide up to 28 minutes of total recovery benefit when you factor in both therapy and extended hyperemia. Got a dead arm from grappling? Use it. Just went five rounds on pads? Yup. Need to stay loose between double sessions? You get the idea. However, this isn’t a magic fix. The benefits, while significant, are short-term. The elevated blood flow dissipates in about 18 minutes. That makes this therapy ideal for immediate recovery windows. So that means directly after sparring, between rounds, or in back-to-back training blocks, but not a long-term adaptation strategy.

DO IT LIKE A DIY SAVAGE

You don’t need to fork out for a device or check into a recovery spa. You can steal the science without spending a cent. Grab two buckets, one hot (around 45°C), one cold (3–10°C), and run your own contrast circuit. Dunk your arm, leg, or whatever body part feels like it’s been slammed by a crowbar into the hot for a minute, then into the cold for another. Repeat that for 10 minutes total. If you want to mimic the compression part, wrap a resistance band or slap on a tight sleeve between dunks. Is it glamorous? Not remotely. Messy? Sure. However, it’s free, works, and gets you most of the benefits without needing a medical degree. Recovery used to be elite. Now it’s just elbow grease, a bit of grit, and knowing how to rip the gold from the research without paying retail.

FINAL BELL

This isn’t just some European lab experiment. Fighters can build this actionable, real-world recovery into their day-to-day without overthinking it. When done right, it delivers a double shot of circulation and recovery in less time than it takes to complain about shin bruises. MMA can have training loads are similar to those of a triathlete, so the recovery needs to be equally aggressive to stand as a worthy counterbalance. Fighting breaks you down in rounds. Recovery has to build you back just as fast. Contrast compression isn’t some luxury. Instead, it may become the bare minimum if you plan on showing up tomorrow with both arms working.