The recovery paradox revealed: 89% of athletes use stretching for recovery, yet Cochrane reviews show only 0.52-1.04 point improvement on a 100-point scale—clinically trivial. Meanwhile, cold water immersion demonstrably reduces soreness (SMD -0.59) but costs you 17% of your Type II muscle fiber gains. This deep dive exposes the evidence-practice gap ($1.5B stretching market despite null findings), the genuine CWI trade-off (acute recovery vs long-term adaptation), and why apparent "individual variation" may be measurement error rather than biology. From institutional inertia (17-year research-to-practice lag) to placebo effects (Cohen's d=0.38), discover what actually works for fit 40+ adults and what's just expensive ritual. Full research report: https://research.yuda.me/podcast/episodes/active-recovery/ep2-therapies/report.md
