The rules for muscle recovery after a workout - Balkan Pharm
The higher the load, the more attention an athlete should pay to the quality of rest. Let's talk about what is essential for recovery after training and what rules you should follow to make your training sessions as practical and comfortable as possible.
Methods of muscle recovery after training
The leading cause of muscle pain after an intense workout is muscle tearing and lactic acid accumulation. Without a properly organized recovery process, an athlete's productivity can decrease — the correct training program and quality rehabilitation help to avoid this.
Fast muscle recovery after intensive training is ensured by:
- Warm-up and "hitch". Before training, it is vital to warm up muscles, and after it - to slow down the pace in a relaxed mode, walk on a treadmill, and do stretching to relax muscles, to normalize the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs.
- Sports massage. It normalizes blood circulation and metabolism, speeds up lymph flow, and relaxes muscles in high-load areas. In parallel, it improves hemodynamics. As a result, discomfort decreases, and athletes can get rid of accumulated lactic acid faster.
- Contrast shower. Another way to speed up the metabolism, speed up the cardiovascular system, and prevent muscle pain.
Effective muscle recovery after a workout also provides a visit to the bath and sauna and their variations. However, it is worth taking into account the restrictions set by the doctor. Some athletes may be contraindicated for water procedures and massage due to health conditions. Other recovery programs recommended by the doctor and coach are selected in this case.
Nutrition during recovery
The fitness industry talks about nutrition for gaining muscle mass and reducing body fat. Still, athletes do not pay enough attention to the nutrients needed to support recovery processes in the body. At intensive loads, an athlete's regular diet is not enough - it is vital to enrich, supplement, and revise it as the load grows. Let us tell you how to eat throughout the day and what to drink after training to restore the body.
Eating Throughout the Day
If the body gets all the necessary nutrients, it recovers faster, builds muscle mass, and supports metabolism. Your nutrition should be balanced throughout the day for quality recovery after a workout.
It is impossible to calculate conditional Calories as every athlete has different needs. Here are some examples of foods that you can consume before exercise:
- protein shake
- banana
- snacks
- ф sandwich with lean meat on wholemeal bread
- a mixture of nuts and dried fruit
Getting enough nutrients for exercise at this stage is essential - you are waiting for increased loads, which means the body needs energy. At the same time, nutrition should be balanced and have the optimum values of the FFA, taking into account the planned expenditures.
Nutrition after training
Here it is vital to replenish the spent energy, but not to overdo it. Protein is essential and should be taken immediately - it will help protect your muscles from injury. After about 40-60 minutes, you should take carbohydrates, ensuring glycogen replenishment.
- Nutrition for muscle recovery after a workout can include:
- protein shakes
- lean fish and meat
- omelets and boiled eggs
- nut-protein mixes
The optimal foods for recovery after a workout should be selected together with a nutritionist. It is essential to follow a nutrition program. Remember that a dietary-carbohydrate ratio and a diet for an experienced athlete lead beginners to obesity. Correctly calculate the number of nutrients and consult a nutritionist for a nutrition plan if necessary.
Warm-up and hitch
A proper warm-up before a workout is the key to effective and, most importantly, safe exercise. Preparing muscles and joints, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and respiratory organs is essential. This will allow the body to quickly engage in the work and increase the athlete's effectiveness. Without a warm-up, you should not start even exercises that seem easy.
A hitch, on the other hand, helps the muscles release hydrogen and recycle lactic acid. If you do it regularly and correctly, you will feel great even after a hard workout. Stretching exercises, short jogging, and walking in a relaxed mode are suitable for the hitch.
Sleep
It is impossible to recover from weight training at the gym without proper sleep. Allocate it at least 8 hours a day. Remember that this is the period when the most active recovery of the entire body takes place. Musculature in particular. Lack of sleep and rest is never good for the body and can worsen the sports results - you need much more time to achieve your goals.
Light reconditioning workout
It's not so much about winding down as it is about exercising some time after an intense workout. Walking or cycling, playing basketball, or volleyball can help your body process lactic acid more quickly and normalize blood flow and metabolic processes. As a result, your muscles will get back to normal much faster.
Massage
And now about how to speed up muscle recovery after a workout. Massage provides the fastest possible regeneration. But only if a competent specialist carries it out. Sports massage is aimed at speeding up blood circulation and relieving muscle tension. It promotes the regeneration of muscles and activates the recovery processes.
Professional massage also helps accelerate lymph flow and return mobility to the joints. It normalizes metabolism and eliminates swelling, even in deep tissues and muscles. No better tool has yet been devised for the emergency recovery process.
Temperature effect
Most fitness centers are equipped with saunas to make it easier for athletes to undergo recovery procedures. Proved that temperature exposure accelerates blood circulation. As a result, it normalizes metabolism and triggers the accelerated regeneration of damaged muscles. That is why athletes should use different types of temperature influence on the body.
Recovery in the bathtub
To reduce muscle recovery time after a workout, take a warm bath. It is important to do this no later than 3 hours after exercising. It is ideal if you work out in the evening and will take a water bath before going to bed.
Warm water will help relieve muscle tension and pain, speed up blood circulation and recycle lactic acid. After that, it is desirable to stay in the warmth and not strain the body anymore - it is important to exclude physical activity until the morning.
Sauna and Bath
Their main advantage is their high temperature. Its effect increases the heart rate, blood supply to the muscles, and more active breathing. All these factors combine to speed up the metabolism, recover damaged muscles faster and normalize the general condition.
Contrast shower
It has been scientifically proven to affect the cardiovascular system and connective tissues positively. A consecutive change in temperature leads to an alternating flux in the diameter of the blood vessels, which improves blood circulation and provides intensive tissue nutrition. The contrast shower also gives you a refreshing boost and is the perfect way to recover from your morning workouts.
What are vitamin and mineral complexes good for recovery?
Experts recommend athletes use vitamins for recovery after training. It is desirable to take complexes that also include minerals. They provide a faster absorption of nutrients, promote muscle growth and significantly increase endurance.
Athletes are recommended to take:
Also, do not forget magnesium and multivitamins, which are necessary to maintain metabolic processes. With regular exercise, it is important to use sports nutrition for recovery after training - in each case, the complex will be individual, depending on the diet of the individual athlete.
How to know if your muscles have recovered
If you feel a surge of strength, a significant decrease in discomfort, and experience an increased desire to be physically active, your muscles have surely recovered. But if you're tired and think exercising makes you dreamy, you should reconsider your recovery.
28.09.2022