All those who train hard at the gym will be familiar with an intense muscle ache that they may feel the day after. While it’s good to push yourself during your workouts, they amount to nothing if you don’t allow your body to recover. This is true since when you’re lifting weights, you are damaging your muscle tissue, and it’s the time after your workout when they begin to grow. Various factors determine how effectively your muscles repair, but you can boost the recovery process in certain ways. Supplements like BCAA powder can help your body to recover fast by supplying it with essential amino acids. There are also other ways to recover quickly from your workout, from a sauna Sydney or cold therapy to increase blood flow to massage therapy, you can read about some of our favourites below.
1. Pay Attention to Your Macronutrient Intake
How your body looks after months of training is 80 per cent the result of your diet. When you exercise, anabolic responses get triggered in your body, which accounts for muscle growth. And what you eat after a workout can augment muscle recovery and growth.
So, your post-workout meal should have 20 to 30 per cent of calories from carbohydrate sources, and 25 to 50 grams of calories should come from protein. You also should keep the fat content in your meals under 10 grams, since if you increase fat, it will be difficult for your body to absorb carbohydrates and proteins quickly.
2. Use BCAAs
Your body recovers from a workout not just after it finishes but during the many hours after it. And because of this, BCAAs, when taken in between meals, aid your muscles in recovery. Moreover, you can consume BCAA powder along with your usual protein powder as they work optimally together. This powder can also be consumed both before and during the workout. Besides, studies have shown that women who took BCAAs prior to their training experienced less soreness afterwards, and their muscles also recovered much faster.
3. Spend Some Time to Cool Down
Apart from warmup, cooling your body down after an intense workout is also necessary to reduce soreness, but many people tend to ignore it. Even as little as a 5-minute slow walk or jog can enable your body to cool itself down after a HIIT session, and after your heart rate has come to normal, you can engage in some static stretching. This is important since it will enhance your range of motion and help you attain a good night’s sleep.
4. Do Foam Rolling
Foam rolling breaks up small muscle adhesions that can lead to muscle imbalances. It also boosts your flexibility and joint functions; hence engage in foam rolling both before and after a training session. It also flushes out toxins from your muscles, especially when you do it after your workout, so spend at least 15 minutes with a foam roller every day to keep yourself flexible and prevent any chances of injury.
5. Take Some Ice Baths
Many athletes jump right into ice baths after they finish an intense workout session, as it is especially effective in reducing inflammation in the body and fuelling the recovery process. It is also useful for those people who agitate some body parts during an exercise. So, all you need to do is fill a bathtub with ice-cold water and place some ice cubes in it, and then submerge yourself in the water for around 10 minutes. This way, you will undoubtedly experience a reduction in inflammation and not feel so sore afterwards.
Muscle recovery is indeed significant for you to attain your health and fitness goals. And without it, you cannot give your best in any workout session. So, make sure you implement some or all of the tips mentioned above if you are troubled by sore muscles post-workout.
