Recovering after workout intensity is critical for your body and your overall health and fitness. Rest is one fact that helps you facilitate that recovery and make you feel like new after training.
Your body needs to allow time to repair from the muscle breakdown caused by the workout.
Of course, part of that is promoting blood circulation, tissue repair and the bodies ability to remove waste after exercise.
While you may just feel sore and tired, a lot is happening inside your being. That’s why it helps to have some education for your personal health and fitness, so you can learn what to do.
But do you know what to do to achieve a quicker recovery time?
Going from a state of physical intensity to a state of rest is not always easy.
Coaches agree on the importance of doing it in the right way, in order to take advantage of all the benefits that exercise implies.
Having a gym rest day and spending some time focusing on fitness recovery will avoid injury or stiffness that can impede your development and progression in future sessions .
How To Help Your Recovering After Workout?
You are not a machine and your body needs time to relax after working in the gym. This will help you to function in a healthy way, avoiding excessive fatigue and the feeling of post-workout stress.
It must be emphasized that one of the simple but important ideas is based on how you end your exercise.
Recovering after a workout starts when you end an intense physical activity progressively, never suddenly.
Reduce the level of effort as you start to cool down. You will help your body to lower the tension, calm the heart rate and everything starts to settle down.
It is recommended to take post workout and recovery supplements like protein shakes just after a workout to help aid the process of the muscles repairing.
But while these products are beneficial, they are not the only thing you should be doing to recover from a session.
Put into practice some of the tips that we give you so that gym recovery is quick and easy for you.
5 Tips for Recovering After Workout Sessions
1. Stretches
Regardless of the exercise routine you do, ending the session with stretching is essential to promote the progressive and gentle elongation of the muscles that have worked the hardest.
Stretching is essential not just for the gym but for any sport in general. So, ignoring it just to save yourself some time can actually be detrimental to your performance and progression.
When you incorporate stretching at the beginning and end of your workouts it will improves mobility and help you avoid injuries such as strains.
Being intentional about making sure you stretch your abs as well as other areas of your body before a core workout is key to your overall wellbeing.
If professional athletes and experienced gym users do stretching, then you should pay attention and follow suit.
2. Shower or Bath
Another one of the simple gym recovery tips is utilising a shower or bath to stimulate recovery times.
Getting in contact with water is always an excellent remedy to help you relax after playing sports or working out.
It can be effective to immerse yourself in a wonderful warm water bath just as much as trying an invigorating contrast shower (start with warm water and go to cold water).
With the bath you can even try things like an ice bath, as well as using products like epsom salts to help stimulate the healing process.
In both cases, you will notice the relaxing effect of the water, perfect for recovering after training.
3. Food and Hydration
What you consume after the session also influences when it comes to achieving optimal relaxation after the gym.
You can have normal substances like a protein shake, but you should also have good food to aid recovery.
Normally meals with protein and carbs are useful within the first hour after a workout not only to aid recovery but to also replenish the energy stores that have been used up.
The best gym recovery programs include nutritional plans so you’re taking care of the whole body.
Hydrating properly is essential after exercise and you should not only do it by ingesting enough water, you can also resort to infusions to avoid fatigue.
Chamomile, linden, valerian are all options that are perfect to help you relax while taking the liquid your body needs.
If you fancy something fresher: juices, fruits or smoothies will replenish vitamins and minerals that will make you feel much better after the effort.
4. Massages
Few things are more relaxing than a good massage.
A massage helps to eliminate the accumulated tension in any area of ​​your body, perhaps sore after an intense workout.
Massages are great at breaking down the tension that is built up in the muscles during high intensity efforts.
This is helpful in helping the muscles to not only relax back to their normal state, but it also helps stimulates blood flow to promote healing and recovery.
Relieve the feeling of heavy legs, neck, hamstrings and more with a specific massage that help you relax after your routine at the gym.
If you are unable to go to a place to get a massage, you can look to invest in something like a massage gun. This is a portable device with different pieces all designed to loosen up your muscles to get recovery started sooner.
5. Rest and Recovering Afte Workout
For maximum health benefits after all the exercise you need to ensure that you incorporate time for your body to rest and recover.
Allow some good time between your workouts, even days.
There is much evidence to suggest that your body actually gets better results in you factor this in as an integral part of the overall health objective.
In the ‘not gym days’ go for a walk instead or do something light like gentle pilates or stretching.
What is the best recovery after workout?
So, let’s recap our 5 tips to recovering from workout sessions:
- Make sure you gently stretch
- Enjoy a shower or bath
- Get hydrated and eat some healthy food
- Relax with a massage
- Allow rest time
But, fundamentally, one of the best tools you have to help your body recover is to drink water. Hydration is critical for the overall wellbeing of not just your muscles, but your blood, cells and skin.
Invest in a good water bottle, even a smart one that helps you keep track of your hydration. Remember, the goal is always fitness the healthy way!
