We all know the
feeling about 1 day after a solid workout session, where the muscle aches
and stiffness starts to kick in, and you find yourself waddling around like a
penguin after leg day, or need a helping hand to rip off your sports bra
after training upper body. The struggle is all too real.
Even if you’re not
overly sore as such (which, is not a great indicator of the quality
of your workout anyway), it’s not uncommon to feel a bit rundown between
sessions if you’re not dedicating enough time to recovery.
What does insufficient recovery look like?
The main signs of insufficient recovery include, ongoing soreness,
fatigue, irritability and agitation, having problems sleeping, compromised
performance, and a resulting lack of motivation to continue with your fitness
plan.
If you're familiar with these symptoms, it's important to take a step back and
give your body time to repair and recover so you can bounce back feeling
stronger.
By taking the time
to understand the most effective recovery strategies for your body and
implementing them into your routine, you can train much harder, more
effectively, and most importantly – with a higher degree of consistency.
How to recover wisely
Numerous methods have been used for decades in hopes to accelerate recovery between workouts and reduce the discomfort of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Exercise essentially induces a number of stressors, damage, and inflammatory responses in the muscle. Research shows that all these stressors play a very important role in the reaction of muscle tissue and the remodeling process that occurs in the critical hours after the session is finished.
Because of that,
although this may seem counter-intuitive, we don’t actually want to overuse
recovery methods that blunt this essential stress-response – as this is
detrimental for exercise adaptation, meaning you get less out of your session.
So,
recovery methods can be broken down into separate categories: those you can
implement right after the session, and those that are best left for at least a
few hours after.
After your session
Here are a few
recovery methods that you can apply immediately after exercise, without
worrying about interfering with exercise adaptation:
· Keep your body moving.
Active recovery means
performing low-intensity exercise following a strenuous workout. It sounds
fancy, but is basically all about moving your body as opposed to doing your
best impression of a couch potato after a challenging session. Some examples of
active recovery include walking, gentle yoga, or leisurely swimming.
· Getting a massage can really boost your recovery.
In a recent analysis of 1700 studies, massage was deemed the
most effective strategy compared to stretching, self-myofascial release,
compression garments, and many other techniques (although all demonstrated good
results).
· Stretching is a great way to enhance
recovery and improve your flexibility.
· Foam rolling is another beneficial
recovery technique that can help to reduce DOMS and stimulate blood flow to the
muscles you just trained. Foam rolling will help alleviate tightness, tension
and reduce inflammation of muscle tissues, as well as help to increase your
range of motion.
· And last but not least, your post-workout nutrition can
also play an important role in recovery. Research shows that rehydration,
protein, and carbohydrates together all improve both recovery and adaptation to
exercise.
Post workout hydration & nutrition
Guidelines for post
workout hydration recommend replacing 150% of the water weight lost during your
training session in the hours after training. So, if you see people at the gym
weighing themselves before and after a session, that's most likely to estimate how
much fluid they’ve lost to replenish it accordingly. Unless you perform very
intense workouts and/or train outdoors in hot weather, this level of precision
may not be required, but definitely always remember to drink plenty of fluids
after exercising.
With regards to macronutrient intake, recent research shows that unless you’re
a professional athlete or perform multiple training sessions each day, the most
important factor is hitting your overall daily nutrition targets.
If you’re someone who prefers to follow nutrient timing, you can definitely try
consuming more protein and carbs around your workout and see if it makes a
difference. For protein, well-accepted recommendations suggest having around
0.4g of protein per kg of body mass after exercise and a similar amount several
hours later.
Research also suggests that the addition of having carbohydrates with the
protein may provide additional benefits to just eating protein alone. Consuming
around 1.2 g total carbohydrates per kg of body weight soon after training is a
good place to start, although you can have a bit more or less, depending on
your overall targets.
Remember though that these are just guidelines, and individualised approach may vary.
A few words on sleep
Having a good sleep
routine is such a simple yet under-appreciated aspect of recovery. Sports and
exercise sleep experts advocate for 8-9 hours of sleep each night.
If your lifestyle permits, adding a short nap in the day can provide additional
benefits for recovery but understandably it's not feasible for everyone. So don't be discouraged if you're
experiencing muscle soreness after some tough training. Implement some of these
strategies to aid your recovery and allow your body the time it needs
before getting back into your routine.
As always, pay attention to your body and choose the movement and recovery strategies that suit you.
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