7 Best Ways to Speed-up Muscle Recovery After Tough Workout Sessions
The best way to grow muscles and lose unwanted body fat is to follow a clean diet and have those killer workouts. While you might feel like a champion after a particularly tough session in the gym, you’ll soon start noticing the effects of physical exertion and great pain in your muscles.
These post-workout muscle inflammations are familiar to all of us gym rats, but they can be reduced with the right muscle recovery techniques. Here’s how you can optimize recovery and welcome your next workout pain-free:
Stretch after your workout
Even kids know that stretching after a workout is important for the health of your muscles. If you just take a few minutes to stretch, you can boost your flexibility, minimize the risk of injury and let go of a lot of tension in your body. With stretching, you can also release stress and boost blood flow, both crucial for recovery. So after your next hard workout at home or in the gym, hold on for another 5-10 minutes to perform some stretches and hold every move between 30 and 60 seconds.
Fuel your body
It’s important to keep your body replenished with nutrients after a workout. As you exercise, your body is burning these beneficial nutrients much faster, and if you don’t replenish them, your muscles can starve. You can recover your body naturally by getting essential nutrients from fruits and veggies.
But if you need an urgent recovery and want to build strong muscles you should try alternative ways to boost your immune system. Investing in vitamin supplements or IV therapy is a reasonable and effective way to get quick results. With mobile IV therapy in Dallas, you can reduce muscle soreness and build stronger muscles. Simply schedule a session and have the IV therapy team come to you – it’s that easy!
Within 90 minutes of your workout, make sure to have a good protein-loaded meal with some healthy carbs that will do all the work when it comes to repairing and rebuilding damaged muscle tissue. This is especially important for people who do several sessions a day while preparing for a competition, etc.
Hydrate thoroughly
Being well hydrated is easy to do but also easy to forget, especially during those sessions that require a lot of sweating. Optimal hydration includes enough water consumption before, during, and after you leave the gym, and make sure to sip water gradually throughout the day. Listen to your body and quench your thirst as soon as you notice the first signs. According to experts, it’s necessary to drink 17-20 ounces before the workout (about 2 hours before), 7-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes of exercise, and 16-24 ounces for every pound you lose after the exercise.
For workout sessions that last around an hour, you’re fine with simple water, but some heavier sessions might require something more serious. Things like coconut water or sports drinks rich in electrolytes will do the trick and help recovery.
Add some supplements to your diet
If you want to improve your body or maintain your fitness levels, exercise and nutrition are crucial for success. You can add a post-workout shake for recovery to your diet and then follow it with a regular meal. It’s also useful to add a scoop of whole body collagen supplement to your morning smoothie and enjoy better support for your connective tissue as well as better muscle repair and bone health.
You won’t even taste the difference! Omega-3 fatty acid pills are also a great addition to your diet. These supplements are natural and have no negative effects so you can enjoy them all through your workout journey, after you consult with your doctor, of course.
Engage in foam rolling
You’ve probably seen those spiky rollers at the gym, well now it’s time to embrace this weird contraption and try them yourself. These foam rollers are a great aid in fitness and recovery that you can use before and after the workout to either warm up or cool down.
According to research, massage provided by rollers, massage guns, or therapists is one of the most effective ways to fight Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and enjoy more energy after a workout.
Try active recovery
It’s crucial to have rest days when training and workout out, especially when your body is telling you to rest and relax. However, just because you’re recovering from working out, it doesn’t mean you have to be glued to your couch.
Sitting all day won’t help you with muscle rehabilitation, but delay it due to all the tightness and hamstrings and hips it can cause. It’s best to engage in light active recovery like yoga, tai chi, stretching, and brisk walking are all great for your muscle recovery and blood flow.
Avoid overtraining
Overtraining is a serious problem in the fitness community, and as with everything, overtraining is not good for you. Not giving your body enough time to rest and recover can cause many negative consequences like declined performance, injury, muscle soreness, poor sleep, mood swings, and reduced immune functions.
Giving your body time to recover is crucial in weight training, so make sure to leave at least one full day between exercising specific muscle groups.
In conclusion
Working out is very important for all people, not just those who are athletes or want to change their bodies in any way. With a proper recovery program to add to your workout schedule, you can achieve amazing results and suffer a minimal amount of pain and discomfort in your muscles.
