The room also features several exercise bicycles for athletes to use. 

Next Level Fitness owner Garrick Spain has been one of the biggest supporters for Teche Area athletes, and now he has another trick up his sleeve for our local athletes.

In addition to his training and nutrition services, Next Level has recently built a recovery room with several tools to aid athletes in rehabilitation and recovery to ensure that they are able to play at their highest levels.

According to Spain, the latest focus for athletes is on flexibility and recovery, something that many athletes wait too long to begin working on.

“It gives them a huge advantage,” Spain said of having the recovery room available. “Nowadays, you have to continue to work on your flexibility and durability. We’re teaching them about nutrition and recovery, so this is going to help these guys excel.”

For years, recovery-specific gyms were too cost prohibitive for most gyms, leaving athletes with no experience with the latest techniques before arriving at the college level. Spain hopes to change that, focusing on incorporating athletic recovery down to the lowest levels.

“It’s going to help their transition to higher levels because we’re starting this stuff now instead of waiting,” he said. “We want to have them start taking care of their bodies in elementary and junior high so that by the time they make it to high school or college they’ll already know what to do. It’s going to give them a huge advantage going forward.”

One such athlete is Westgate defensive lineman De’Myrion Johnson. Johnson, an LSU commit who will leave for Baton Rouge in January, said that learning how to take care of your body is crucial for all athletes, especially the big guys battling it out on the line.

“It’s a big help because you always want to keep your big boys healthy,” Johnson explained. “We’re in the trenches, so something like this can help you play longer. It means a lot to me because I’m going to be going in healthy and feeling good. It’s always nice knowing that your body is prepared and that you’re doing the best rehab and recovery that you can.”

The recovery room features exercise bicycles, multiple Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation units that use electric pulses to stimulate recovery and reduce pain, and several sets of compression sleeves that provide pressure, hot and cold therapy to limbs.

Spain said he is encouraging all athletes to give the recovery room a shot and has introduced a $0.75 membership fee for the month of December.