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Recover Tips for after a Workout

Kate Corr provides some essential tips to boost your recovery after a workout.

If you are reading this, you are probably like many people: hoping to get better gains after working out. Many people work out for a year and give up because they do not see any improvements. The following ideas are simple changes that you can make to your lifestyle. Simple as they may be, they are highly effective at improving your post-workout recovery. That might involve increasing your muscle mass, reducing pain, or ensuring that you have more energy - all things that are ideal for someone who is seriously trying to see improvement. I wish I had known about these tips back then because I would be a year ahead of where I am now.

What Lifestyle changes are the best for increasing post-workout recovery?

Muscle growth occurs after the workout, not during. Your body needs to be in optimal condition to see the most improvement, and getting into optimal shape requires a lot of careful attention. It would be best if you had a healthy diet, a good sleep schedule, a healthy mind state (yes, that matters), and getting all these different things in check can take some serious attention.

Keep your diet in check

Your diet is possibly the most crucial aspect of developing a healthy workout routine. You probably already know that you need a lot of protein to see any significant improvement to your muscle mass, but protein is not the only important thing your body needs. It is important to regulate what type of food you eat regarding your workout schedule.

  • Make sure you eat carbohydrates before your workout. Carbohydrates supply energy to your body, and you will need them to help you meet your maximum potential. It is best not to eat your meals any later than two hours before your workout.
  • Do not worry - the carbohydrates will still be circulating in your body, especially if you consume slow-digesting complex carbs like those found in potatoes and whole grains.
  • Protein can be consumed anytime but should be consumed regularly. Since digestion is generally a slow process, as long as you have a regular protein intake, you can be sure that it will be put to good use.
  • Another powerful way to boost recovery after intense exercise is to consume turmeric. Studies have shown that turmeric can reduce the pain that is linked to (DOMS) and the way it does this is by lowering inflammation and by removing free radicals in the body.

Consider intermittent anabolic fasting

Anabolic intermittent fasting is a technique that has gained some popularity in recent years. The idea behind anabolic fasting is that you restrict your dietary intake to specific times on alternating days. The idea initially caused a lot of controversies - one would assume that consuming less food would lead to fewer gains. However, anabolic fasting has proven to be quite beneficial in several ways.

A study group was allowed to consume their daily calories within 8 hours. For the rest of the day, they were not allowed to consume anything except calorie-free drinks and amino acid supplements. Their diets were pretty typical for gym enthusiasts for the rest of the week - high protein, lots of vitamins, minerals, and complex carbs.

The study results showed that people who restrict their dietary intake on days following their workouts showed notable increases in muscle mass and higher levels of fat loss.

Get a proper sleep with the right mattress

Sleeping on a bad mattress can have a tremendous effect on your workout routine. Most notably, it can leave you in pain that is strong enough to impede your workouts and your recovery. A woman writes for Breaking Muscle who initially blamed her aggressive Brazilian Jiujitsu routine for her back pain.

It took her months to realize that most of the pain was caused by sleeping on a mattress that did not suit her body. A bed can cause, or rectify, several problems.

  • Sleeping on a mattress can misalign, or help to realign, your spine. If you notice problems with your spine, consider switching beds, even just for a night. If things change, you will probably want to consider getting a new mattress.
  • Sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress means you will be tossing and turning all night trying to get comfortable. This can leave you sore in the mornings and will make you prone to developing other injuries.
  • A comfortable mattress ensures that you will get a good sleep. If you do not, you will wake up tired, and nobody likes working out when they are tired. These are the reasons you should choose a top mattress brand.

Make sure you stretch

Stretching may sound more critical for yogis and athletes, but it plays a huge role in muscle growth. Making sure that your body is stretched properly ensures that you can get the most out of your exercise routines. For example, you need to have the tendons in your arms properly stretched to do a full curl. You cannot have your ankles tight if you want to do a full squat. Stretching also helps to eliminate post-workout soreness and can help you work out for longer. It is recommended that you stretch for at least 20 minutes before any workout.

Do not push too hard

This can be applied in several ways. While it is true that you need to push your body pretty darn hard to see a significant improvement, trying it too hard can be counterproductive.

  • Do not go too far beyond your limit. You need to push your muscles beyond their standard capacity to adapt and repair themselves, resulting in muscle gains. However, if you move them to the point that they are sore for days, you are likely doing more damage than you are doing good.
  • Make sure you give yourself ample recovery time. You need at least a day in between workouts, and it is even a better idea to provide yourself with 2-3 days in between workouts, especially if they are incredibly intense.

In conclusion

It is good to work out and keep your body in shape, but it is more important to make sure you have a healthy lifestyle to support a regular workout routine. Ensuring that you have a healthy lifestyle is not complicated by any means, but there are some simple techniques that many people are not aware of.

If you follow the information in this article, you are sure to find that your muscle mass will improve and that you will be much less sore after a workout. Hopefully, we have helped you make some positive changes!


Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

  • CORR, K. (2017) Recover Tips for after a Workout [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article261.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Kate Corr is the founder of "Best Mattress Expert", a blog dedicated to helping people choose the best mattress brand.