Many people are bothered by severe muscle pain after training. How to quickly bounce back after working out in the gym – in the material from attractive sport
Muscle recovery after training, how to recover quickly?
What determines the speed of muscle recovery and how long does it take?
Post-workout nutrition
Sleep pattern for recovery
How to quickly restore muscles?
Muscle recovery after training, how to recover quickly?
In the modern fitness world, even with great love for exercise, people involved in sports often neglect a simple rule and forget an important thing. Recovery is a necessary and integral part of the training process. Without it there will be no strength, no mood, no progress in training weights, no muscle growth.
Recovery, if divided by periods, is of 2 types:
- short-term: during the training itself – rest between approaches
- long-term: between classes – rest for 24 hours or more between training days.
The first thing to consider is longer rest periods between sets. They increase muscle strength and hypertrophy in people who train with weights.
However, how you spend your time before the next time you hit the gym is critical to ensuring that your pain subsides and your muscles are ready for exercise. Let’s talk about this in more detail.
Don’t think that if you neglect rest and recovery after training, your body will thank you. By neglecting breaks between classes, you will not only not improve your performance, but you also risk finding yourself in the trap of “my muscles are not growing,” there is no mood, and everything is in vain. And this will definitely not lead to results.
What determines the speed of muscle recovery and how long does it take?
The time it takes for muscles to fully recover depends on many factors:
- the athlete’s level of training and experience
- training load intensity
- general health and body condition
The easier the workout and the better your physical fitness and general well-being (no stress, illness, heavy mental or physical work), the faster the recovery. It may take from several hours to several days. Quite simple but important things can speed up this process: nutrition and sleep. As well as several minor factors, which we will discuss in more detail.
Post-workout nutrition
The most important parameter on which the recovery and growth of your muscles depends. And that’s why.
Loads on working muscles lead to stretching and microdamage. To quickly restore muscle fibers, the body uses protein. If there is not enough protein, there will be no source for building new muscles and treating muscle microtrauma received during training. If you exercise regularly, it is very important to monitor the amount of protein you consume. Aim for 1.6-2 grams per kilogram of weight if you want to achieve significant changes in your body.
In addition, it is necessary to replenish the glycogen spent during training, so pay attention to carbohydrates. Make nutrition and macronutrient balance an integral part of your lifestyle.
Don’t forget about water. Maintaining water-salt balance along with the timely supply of nutrients allows muscle fibers to recover at the fastest pace.
What you can eat before or after training:
soft cottage cheese + banana
protein muffin/bar/cookie + coffee
cottage cheese + berries/jam
tuna sandwich
Greek yogurt + honey + berries
high protein drinks or skyr + fruit
Sleep pattern for recovery
Sleep is the second key element for rapid recovery. To successfully progress in the gym, you may even have to increase the number of hours you sleep. Progress in training directly depends on it.
Modern research repeatedly confirms that lack of sleep impairs muscle recovery and suppresses the production of hormones that promote muscle growth. Insufficient quantity and quality of sleep can lead to an increase in the amount of time it takes your body to recover, problems with concentration, and poor health. Therefore, if you are interested in results, you will have to find time for this resource.
How to quickly restore muscles?
Not a single method will help the body to properly recover after training if two basic conditions are not met: good quality sleep and rest and a balanced, protein-rich diet. If the first two points are met, then additional factors will help speed up the recovery process.
- Sauna or bath
Almost every modern fitness club has a sauna, hammam or bathhouse, so after a long workout you can visit the steam room. However, you should not overdo it in this matter: a 15-minute session will be enough. If visiting the sauna is not possible, a warm bath will do. For complete relaxation and recovery, you can add special salt to the water.
- Sufficient amount of water
Hydration after exercise is another additional factor to recovery. Without enough water in your body, you won’t be able to fully reap the benefits of all that hard work you just put in. Why is that? Water is important to the body because it transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and regulates body temperature. Without proper hydration, it is difficult to normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular and other important systems of the body. You will only see the full results of your hard workout when you drink water.
- Massage
Helps increase blood circulation in muscles and internal organs, relax overstrained and relieve pain in damaged muscles, improve muscle regeneration and recovery processes, enhance lymph flow, activate metabolic processes and eliminate congestion in tissues. There are 3 options that you can use: self-massage, special massage machines or the hands of a specialist.
- Cold and hot shower
Has a stimulating effect on tired muscles. Due to changes in water temperature, blood vessels narrow and expand in a short period, changing the heart rate. Such procedures are sometimes used by professional athletes to relieve muscle pain.
Remember the main factors of recovery: a nutritious diet and good sleep. The better the recovery, the greater the chance of turning everything gained through hard training into an excellent result. Not only the building of your body but also your health and safety in sports depends on this.
