5 Ways to Maximize Muscle Recovery After A Tough Workout
The steps you take after a workout impact your body as the moves you do during a workout.
No matter your fitness goals, you need to focus on muscle recovery after every workout.
Why You Should Care About Muscle Recovery
Many people make the mistake of continually working out, thinking that resting is a sign of weakness or failure.
The truth is that rest and recovery are crucial for building stronger muscles. Your body needs time to recharge in between workouts.
If you push yourself too hard, you’ll end up moving backward. It will take longer to reach your goals, and you may even end up with a severe injury that impedes your ability to work out at all.
Fortunately, you don’t have to completely revamp your fitness routine to get the muscle recovery your body needs. Adding a few extra steps into your daily routine will go a long way to improving your overall fitness.
5 Ways to Speed Up Muscle Recovery
Incorporating these five things into your workout routine will help you recover faster and get stronger.
1. Stretch after your workout
It’s tempting to hit the showers immediately after you get done working out. However, just a few minutes of stretching will decrease the muscle tension built up during your workout. As a result, you will feel less sore the next day. You’ll also reduce your risk of injury.
Ideally, you’ll spend 10 minutes stretching post-workout. But even just spending a minute or two stretching the primary muscles you worked on will go a long way toward improving your recovery time.
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
This cannot be emphasized enough. Your muscles need water to recover and perform. You’ll have cramps, fatigue, and lower physical performance without it. Because you lose water when you sweat, drinking water during and after your workout is essential. Your body also needs electrolytes, which you can replenish through sports drinks, chocolate milk, or fruit.
3. Fuel with protein
Protein helps rebuild your muscles. Follow a challenging workout with a protein-filled snack, such as a protein bar, protein shake, eggs, fish, Greek yogurt, or chicken. Aim for at least 20 grams (the equivalent of three eggs) with each meal to aid muscle recovery.
4. Get enough sleep
Don’t skimp on sleep the night before or after a tough workout. Your body needs sleep to do the vital work of repairing muscles. Aim for at least seven to nine hours of sleep. Avoid alcohol, which can negatively impact your sleep quality.
5. Embrace the art of active rest
Your body needs time in between workouts to repair. So, don’t try to do back-to-back strength training workouts. Instead, schedule active rest days in between your hard workouts. Go for a walk, do some gentle yoga, ride your bike, or get in the pool. These types of activities will help stimulate the muscle recovery process without adding more strain to your recovering muscles.
Do Your Muscles Need Some Extra TLC? StretchSPOT Can Help!
Following the advice listed above can improve your overall recovery and prevent a lot of soreness.
But sometimes, that’s not enough to cut it, especially when you have a chronic condition or are training at a higher level of intensity.
StretchSPOT can help you get the deep stretch you need to stay active and enjoy your daily life, whether you need extra support as you train or are just looking for ways to increase your overall mobility.
Give yourself the gift of more flexibility and mobility. Book an appointment at StretchSPOT today!