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When it comes to workout gains, much of your focus will likely be on what you do in the gym. But how you spend your time when not working out can be just as important. Today we’re talking about the recovery element of working out.
Recovery isn’t just about taking a day off. The art of recovery is actually a combination of key areas that work together to promote healing and strength. Executing your recovery correctly will allow you to avoid injuries and help you to get the most out of your workouts.
Key areas of recovery include sleep, nutrition, hydration, stretching and rest. This article will break down the different areas and outline how each one plays a crucial role in recovery.
Sleep
Sleep is your body’s time to repair, and increasing the length of time you are asleep subsequently increases the amount of time your body has to repair your damaged muscles and tissues.
Muscle soreness is common after exercise, and this is caused by microscopic tears in your muscles. A lack of sleep won’t allow your body to repair these damages. For those who partake in strength training, this is particularly important as repairing these tears is how muscle growth occurs.
It’s important to note that adequate sleep won’t just improve your recovery, but also your overall performance as sleep is proven to increase focus and reaction time. Overall, sleep will leave you in a better place both physically and mentally when it comes to future workouts.
Tips for improving sleep include:
– Ensuring your bedroom is at the optimal temperature
– Eliminating caffeine after the morning
– Limiting screen time in the evening
Nutrition
Whether you are an elite athlete or just someone trying to stay in decent shape later in life, your nutrition is just as important as your workouts when it comes to your fitness journey. Protein especially plays a key role when it comes to muscle repair and recovery.
Similarly, carbohydrates can help with replenishing glycogen stores while healthy fats become an important energy source during recovery. You’ll also want to ensure your body is receiving the right amount of micronutrients including essential vitamins and minerals.
Many people can find the nutrition side of exercise overwhelming at first. If you are just starting to pay more attention to how you fuel your body for exercise and recovery, focus on the first meals you eat after exercise. These should be high in protein to give your muscles a helping hand when they most need it.
If you’re struggling to hit the recommended intake of nutrients, consider using products such as vitamin supplements and protein shakes.
Hydration
It could be argued that hydration is somewhat of an unsung hero when it comes to recovery. The benefits are sometimes unnoticed and, a lot of the time, a well-hydrated body is able to more efficiently complete internal bodily functions that we take for granted.
This can include areas such as nutrient transport and waste removal, as well as muscle recovery. All in all, you’ll find that your body is functioning at its optimum when correctly hydrated.
We’ve all experienced feeling dehydrated, whether it’s through not drinking enough on a hot day or waking up with a hangover after consuming too much alcohol the night before. The groggy, energy-lacking state that we find ourselves in when dehydrated wouldn’t lend itself well to a workout. That’s why it’s important to consider hydration both pre, during and post workout.
Stretching
Stretching is another underrated part of recovery, and it becomes increasingly important the older we get. Stretching before a workout helps to avoid injuries, while stretching after a workout is an important part of recovery as it reduces aches and pains the following day.
Stretching before a workout should come in the form of dynamic stretching, these are movements that incorporate stretching to increase blood flow. Static stretching, on the other hand, is when you hold a certain position to loosen up a particular muscle and should be performed after exercise.
A simple, quick stretching routine after exercising will go a long way to reducing soreness and stiffness. In addition, regular stretching will have positive long-term impacts on your body’s flexibility and performance.
Rest
There are two forms of rest: active rest and complete rest. The latter is exactly what you’d expect, completely resting which could mean throwing on a men’s full tracksuit and treating yourself to a duvet day. Active rest includes combining rest with light activities such as walking, swimming or stretching.
Knowing when to take a rest day is about getting to know your body. Everyone has different boundaries and limitations, and the need to rest is dependent on factors such as age, weight, athletic ability and training type. For example, a novice marathon runner will need more rest days than a professional baseball player.
When it comes to rest, the benefits aren’t just physical. Rest can also play an important role in avoiding stress while also helping to keep motivation levels high. While it may sound counterintuitive to suggest that taking more time out from training can improve performance, you’ll find that the physical and mental benefits of a rest day will contribute to a higher standard of workouts in the long term.
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