Can you recall
one of those days on which evening moving would hurt? This happens when on an
intense workout day. If you want to stand in the gym the next day, you must
recover. What’s your remedy for an aching body? Popping an Advil and
sucking it, right? But if your goal is to build muscle mass, you have got to do
something else to boost the recovery and crush working out in the gym.
After all, you
can’t make the most of your workout if you don’t rest and treat your body well.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the tips to improve muscle recovery
after an intense workout:
Get to Sleep
Hands down, the
best way to recover from sore muscles is to get sleep. After a tough workout,
your body needs rest to recover and sleeping is the way thing you can do.
Getting enough sleep can also improve your athletic performance since your body
won’t be tired.
Eat the Right Food
Food has an
important role to play in muscle recovery. Your body needs protein and carbs.
Here is what your food intake should look like:
An intense
workout damages the proteins that make the muscle fibers. That’s why as soon as
you are done working out, you must consume protein. Your body needs it in raw
form in order to initiate muscle damage.
20 to 40 grams
of protein is enough for maximizing muscle growth.
It’s also
helpful to eat protein before the workout. This boosts the muscle protein
system. Taking 0.4 to 0.5 grams of protein of your body weight is recommended.
Muscles store
carbs in the form of glycogen for energy. During an intense workout, the
muscles use this glycogen as the primary form of energy.
Use a Foam Roller
The cause of
soreness after exercise is when your muscles and fascia (the connective tissue
running throughout the body) get knotted.
To get some relief, use a myofascial foam roller to reduce these knots. Get a semi-rigid roller to relieve the pain. It’s a great alternative when you need a massage badly but can’t afford one.
Take a Daytime Nap
A good old nap
doesn’t just take the blues away but it makes you alert and enhances
performance. Sleep does not have much effect on the strength but any tiredness
caused by sore muscles can be reduced by taking a short nap. Make sure it’s a
quick power nap, though.
Take a Day Off From Exercising
If you are too
tired or sore, it’s ok not to skip a workout day. Some people need more rest
and that’s totally fine. Factors such as your age and fitness level determine
how much rest you will need between workout sessions.
If you continue
to work out without giving a break, this can reduce your performance and might
as well cause an injury. Stay safe and rest if your body demands it.
Take a Cold Bath
Athletes and
bodybuilders take a cold bath after working out. It reduces inflammation and
soreness to a great extent.
Cold water
immersion sure is great when it comes to reducing inflammation in the muscles
but it is not as effective as active recovery. So don’t rely on it completely
but neglect it either.
Drink Tart Cherry Juice
When you are
stiff as a board, tart cherry juice is a supplement that will reduce the
swelling caused by damaged muscles. It will reduce the pain and help the body
recover faster.
Research has
shown that tart cherry juice can reduce inflammation and can help with DOMS
after exercise.
Drink Lots of Water
This shouldn’t
go without saying. Water is essential for fast recovery. It helps remove the
metabolic waste out of your body produced by a heavy workout.
One should drink
8 ounces of water 30 minutes after the workout and between 16 to 24 ounces of
every pound of your body weight lost during the workout session. You can loseup to 4 liters of water per hour in the heat so make sure to stay as much
hydrated as possible.
If it’s hard to
drink water, then get Gatorade.
Muscle Recovery Time – How Long Does it Take?
The time it
takes for muscles to recover after an intense workout depends on how fit you
are and the difficulty of the workout performed. The duration, intensity, and
volume of the exercise have a significant role to play in determining what your
body went through.
If it was a
light workout, it will take 24 hours for your muscles to recover. On the other
hand, if it was a challenging workout, it will take 2 to 3 days. In case the
workout was intense, the recovery might take a few more days.
These are some of
the factors that are likely to affect your recovery time:
You must give
your body the time to recover. During the recovery period, the muscles repair
themselves from the wear and tear after the exercise. The body must clear
lactic acid-producing during the strenuous workout. If you don’t give them the
rest and care they need to repair, you may end up injuring yourself. The pain
might as well keep on lingering for days and you won’t be able to continue
working out.
The Takeaway
After reading
the above, it is clear that if you fail to allow your muscles to fully recover,
you are putting yourself at risk of injuring.
Let’s say your
muscles feel sore and you are unable to see improvements in your fitness level.
This is a sign that you must spend more time recovering from your workout. if
you are training to stay in top shape, the best way of maximizing muscle
recovery is to get restful sleep and a healthy diet.
Also, follow the tips mentioned here to improve your muscle recovery time and you will be good.
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