Everything that you do inside the gym is as important as the things that you have to do outside of it.
Every inch of effort that you put into working out with weights or doing vigorous exercises in the gym has to be equally balanced with the amount of efforts that you put in for the post workout recovery.
Post workout recovery has to be your priority if you are willing to make the most out of each and every workout sessions. Remember the muscle growth begins just after you stop lifting weights and if you fail to follow proper ways for faster post workout recovery you cannot benefit from it.
Muscle repair is important if you are looking to build muscles i.e. the faster you recover, the faster you can join the gym for more workout. Here are 8 best tips for faster post workout recovery, follow it and be at the best of your game and make sure that you reap the most out of it.
1. Eating Food containing Potassium
After going through vigorous workout sessions, our body does get completely drained out of potassium and other minerals.
Potassium along with minerals like sodium and calcium plays an important role in supplying energy to the muscles. Therefore make sure you add sources of potassium to your diet, eating smashed potatoes can be a great option.
You can also prefer adding banana to your diet, as it is considered as one of the premium sources of potassium.
2. Having a diet full of protein and nutrients
Having a protein shake is considered to be the most preferable drink after heavy workouts. It is an essential part of the post workout recovery and necessary fuel for muscle growth and repair.
People often prefer consuming protein supplements such as whey protein as it offers rapid absorption rate, which apparently works best post workout sessions.
It becomes essential to consume around 1 to 1.5 grams or protein every kilogram of body weight per day, depending on the amount of training you do daily. Apart from nutrients and proteins, it is also important to have fair amount of carbohydrates. It is the source of energy for the muscles and has to be consumed to refuel the glycogen stores that you used up during the training.
Make sure you have a post workout snack or shake with added protein to ensure speedy recovery and rebuilding process.
3. Get hydrated(drink lots of water)
One of the major reasons behind cramps and muscle soreness is alack of water in the body. Dehydration leads to increase in lactic acid in the muscles that cause soreness.
Water has direct effects on the post workout recovery; it helps you to get rid of toxins from the muscles. Dehydration cannot only decrease the performance level but also hinder the recovery process.
Water clearly plays an important role as loss of water causes loss of energy and strength. Also drinking water keeps your joints lubricated and increases mobility.
Note : Doing exercises increases your metabolic rates and body demands more water to cope up with the energy released, therefore the need for water increases. Consuming at least 4 litres or water every day is recommended.
4. Having proper sleep
People who lack proper sleep are known to have decreased tolerance towards training, they undergo mood alterations and also so signs of regular fatigue.
This definitely harms the physiological mechanisms that help the body to recover from the stress of training.
Our body is completely at rest while we are asleep. Hormones secreted while sleeping are essential to trigger the state of recovery in the body.
Muscle building or anabolic hormones secretion increases during our sleep and the muscle wasting or catabolic activities decreases, which is why sleeping becomes necessary.
Note: Disturbance in sleep routine can cause negative effects to the anabolic hormones, which might hinder the muscle recovery.
5. Breaks between workout schedules
Especially for individuals that have intense workout sessions in the gym, it becomes necessary for them to take rest between long training sessions, allowing their body time to recover.
Muscle soreness is one of the most frequent side effects that come with training or workouts. There are individuals that measure the effectiveness of the training based on the soreness in their muscles. This is definitely a wrong presumption to be made.
Onset muscle soreness can be referred to as stiffness in the muscles, tenderness and decreased range of joint mobility, reduced muscle flexibility and a decrease in force production. This starts in about 24 hours after you have had your training sessions.
Without proper rest the chances of muscle fiber damage increases and thus you become more prone to injuries, needing the help of physiotherapy.
Note: Make sure you have rest for at least 24 to 72 hours after you have intense training sessions which involve the same muscle group.
6. Taking BCAA supplements
Recovery does not just begin after a workout, but it starts hours before and after workout sessions.
BCAA supplements have become one of the essentials for muscles recovery. They are consumed along with meals for better results.
BCAA or branched-chain amino acids especially (Decaduro) have been found to stimulate protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is an important process required for proper muscle recovery and BCAA supplements enhance the process in compared to normal proteins.
Decaduro is one of the popular bodybuilding supplement available in the market. Also known as Deca-Durabolin is known for its anabolic formula that increases nitrogen retention, protein synthesis, and RBCs production. This not only helps you to increase your strength and muscle gains but also helps you recover from ache and muscle soreness.
It also works to enhance the collagen synthesis that helps you to have strong tendons and ligaments. This has an important aspect in relieving joint pains that are caused due to intense workout sessions.
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One of the best ways to relax, release muscle tension and also reduce the muscle soreness post workout is stretching.
Stretching is the key towards muscle growth as it induces flexibility and muscle pliability, which shall help you in gaining muscles when you choose to do compound lifting. Without proper stretching, you want to be able to do proper pull-ups and squats, and it won’t be as beneficial as it should be.
When you continue stretching with regular exercise along with proper diet, it does help you to reduce calories and also prevents stiffness in the arteries. This also performs and important part in the post-workout recovery process.
Note- It is recommended to do at least 15 minutes of stretching after doing workout to cool down your muscles. Make sure you make it a routine of doing stretching post workout, as it is something that easily gets ignored.
8. Massage
There are several ways that you can use to get a massage, either from a massage therapist or make use of foam rolls, baseball or even a massage stick.
Doing massage is important as it helps to get relieved from muscle stiffness, increases blood circulation and allows the muscles to get relaxed after an intense workout.
If you are using foam or massage stick to doing the massage yourself, try doing it on the night of the workout. This will ensure you generate adhesion in the muscles, reduce scar tissue and decrease the generation of the connective tissue that binds the body muscles.
Use foam roll or massage stick to roll over the muscles, until you find a sensitive point. Put pressure in the area till you start feeling the pain getting reduced. This is definitely going to help you in the recovery process, as your muscles get relaxed. Moreover, it also makes you feel better.
