The Best Workout Recovery Tips You Want To Try
Listen as an audio post:
The Best Workout Recovery Tips You Want To Try
Do you wish you could recover quickly from exercise so you can stay on track with your fitness goals?
The steps you take after your workout are just as important as what you do during your workout session. By adding in a few simple changes, you could enhance your recovery and your results.
Follow a balanced workout program
Working out is about pushing past the comfort zone to achieve your intended outcome. You won’t get results if you’re doing the same exercises with the same weights forever – you need to challenge yourself.
However, this can be a double-edged sword. Some people push their limits too far, too often and end up fatiguing. Overexercising can hamper your recovery and can even set you back fitness-wise.
You need to make sure your program is appropriate for your muscles, joints and nervous system. This can include using exercise variations, deload weeks and other aspects of periodisation. Structuring your training program correctly will help to manage stress and fatigue, boost your performance and reduce your risk of injury.
Need some guidance when it comes to a balanced training program? Check out my 8 Week Transformation Challenge right here.
Nail your nutrition
Your food choices can make a big impact on how well you recover from your workouts. You want to ensure that you are appropriately fuelling your body for exercise, and then providing it with the nutrients it needs to recover afterwards.
When it comes to macros, my rule of thumb is:
Before a workout – a good amount of carbs, moderate protein, lower in fat
After a workout – high in carbs, moderate protein, lower in fat
These macros help to give my muscles the fuel it needs to work out, and then replenish my glycogen and support muscle recovery once I’m done.
You also want to make sure you’re getting plenty of the micronutrients into your diet. B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, omega 3s, sodium and potassium are all needed in the process of recovery. Antioxidants can also play a role in supporting recovery. That’s why I focus on including plenty of wholefoods in my diet, particularly pre and post-workout.
Add magnesium
If you are going to choose one supplement to support your recovery, I would go for magnesium. Magnesium is known as the relaxation mineral, and is essential for not only muscle health, but also nervous system function and energy production.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t consume sufficient magnesium through the diet alone. If this is the case for you, you can consider a supplement – either oral or topical.
The latest research into magnesium has shown that taking 350mg/day orally can reduce muscle soreness and improve recovery from exercise. If you prefer, you could opt for Epsom salt baths or using magnesium oil on your skin to increase your levels naturally.
Get plenty of rest
Sleep is one of the most critical pillars for optimal recovery. When you sleep, your body repairs your tissues, rebuilds muscles and reboots the nervous system. If you’re not getting enough sleep for your body to complete these processes, you’re likely to be sore and feel too fatigued to work out.
The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night. However, if you are doing intense exercise, you may need more to allow the body do recover fully. The goal for your ideal sleep time is to sleep until you wake naturally, feeling refreshed.
Manage your stress
Another overlooked factor when it comes to recovery is your stress levels. Chronic stress can not only hinder your mindset around exercise, but also your physical recovery.
When we exercise, the body produces cortisol in response. In small, acute doses, this is good for recovery – it increases blood sugar levels to fuel the muscles and limits inflammation. But if you don’t allow your levels to drop down before your next workout, you can have chronically elevated levels. This leads to the breakdown of muscle tissue (catabolism) and puts you at risk of insulin resistance.
So what does this have to do with stress? If you aren’t managing your stress outside of the gym, your levels will tend to be higher at baseline. This can hinder your recovery from training.
Need some help with managing your stress? I share some of my best tips here.
Roll it out
Foam rolling and self-massage are another great option for supporting optimal recovery. It can help to increase flexibility and reduce muscle soreness, and may even help to calm the nervous system. This helps to enhance your recovery and could also reduce your risk of injury long-term.
For maximum benefits, you might like to add in a professional massage every 4-6 weeks. Professionals such as myotherapists, osteopaths, physiotherapists and remedial massage therapists can help to identify potential injury risks as well, so it’s a worthwhile investment.
Include active recovery days
You’ve likely heard of ‘active recovery days’, but what does this actually mean? This is when you engage in light activity on your rest days or after your workouts. The goal is to support a healthy blood flow, get your lymphatic system moving and speed up your recovery.
The ideal active recovery depends on your workout style. Studies show that doing a lighter version of a similar activity can improve your recovery from that type of exercise. So for example, if you’ve done weighted squats during your workout, you might do some bodyweight-only squats as part of your active recovery.
However, you can also opt for gentle movement such as going for a walk or doing a yoga session, particularly if you’re feeling sore. As long as you’re moving your body at a lower intensity, you’re helping your body to bounce back.
Are you ready to take your training to the next level?
My Premium Coaching option might be for you. It includes a tailored workout program, along with meal plans, mindset techniques and accountability to keep you on track with your goals.
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of medical advice.