Larry Howard II, 31, is not your average athlete. His favorite exercise includes jumping through flaming hoops, throwing spears and crawling under barbed wire fences. As an extreme athlete, he continues to compete and win awards at the Spartan Races, a series of obstacle races ranging from three miles to marathon distances and varying in level of difficulty.
This form of intense competition has left him with multiple injuries to his shoulders, knees and elbows. Recently, after an injury, Howard was desperate to recover before taking on his next challenge. That’s when a colleague introduced him to physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist, Liz Yerly, owner and founder of the Chicago Recovery Room.
The Chicago Recovery Room, located in the heart of the South Loop at 1131 S. State Street, offers athletes a variety of proven therapies, including compression boots that enhance the movement of fluid and metabolites away from the limbs and toward the heart, a 50-60°F cold bath to remove lactic acid build-up and swelling, cold laser therapy that sends small electrical currents to the body’s fatigued cells and Graston Techniques therapy that incorporates a specially-designed metal instrument to massage soft-tissue. In addition to recovery tools, the Chicago Recovery Room athletic training staff also provides recovery education, training and massage therapy.
What impresses Howard the most about the Chicago Recovery Room is Liz’s and the rest of her staff’s dedication and commitment to member athletes.
“The Chicago Recovery Room staff understands my level of athleticism and how important extreme competitions are to me,” he explains. “My frequent visits to the Chicago Recovery Room not only assisted in my recovery between workouts, but also helped me improve my Spartan Race rankings. It’s more than just a place to recover; it’s become a community for Chicago’s elite athletes.”
The Chicago Recovery Room has also helped Howard stay in top physical shape, which has also allowed him to place in various Men’s Physique Competitions. In these competitions, competitors are judged by their muscularity and body condition, as well as stage presence.
Athletes of all levels interested in boosting their performance, are invited to experience a 30-minute tune-up, drop-in sessions, monthly memberships and yearly memberships. Drop-in hours for members are available seven days a week.
The Chicago Recovery Room is located at 1131 S. State St, Chicago. Drop-in hours for members are: Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., Friday: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Open drop in hours for non-members are: Monday-Thursday: 3:30 – 8 p.m., Friday: 3:30-6 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. To request an appointment, call 312-952-1404 or schedule an appointment online: https://www.chicagorecoveryroom.com/#!contact/c2q4.
