Workout Recovery

To achieve a fit and buffed body, workout is one of the key components as well as proper recovery which is also necessary to avoid the overtraining syndrome.  People who disregard the importance of proper recovery could endanger their health and even delay muscle-building efforts.

There should be a balance between a good workout and sufficient recovery as it will be counterproductive to disregard both.  Here are ways to ensure proper recovery is attained.

1. Get a Massage

 

Intense workout can result to painful and sore muscles which can also reduce the effectivity of your workout and energy output.  Another benefit of a massage post workout is its way of improving circulation of blood and nutrients thus resulting to better health of the body’s internal tissues.  At the same time, toxins are also removed in the process.  There are various strokes utilized to achieve this.  The circulatory system benefits most from long stroking movements while tension and pressure buildup is released by the muscle fibers through stretching of the tissues.

2. Consume Creatine

Creatine which is a nitrogenous organic stored in muscle cells as energy reserves is one of the most studied chemicals in the world of sports.  This is due to it as being  an extra source of phosphate that enhances ATP(ATP is an abbreviation for adenosine triphosphate, a complex molecule that contains the nucleoside adenosine and a tail consisting of three phosphates.) which is the primary energy currency of all organisms.

When one exercises intensively, it can cause fatigue and leave you feeling drained of energy as some stored creatine are also depleted.  By refueling creatine storage, this could result to faster recovery between sets and gives you extra reserve for the next workout.  By supplementing creatine through meat and fish consumption and sports supplements, recovery time is also cut down significantly.

3. Hit the Sack

Enough sleep is vital for the body’s recovery.  Sleep process can affect hormonal metabolic process thus making it necessary.  Rest days should be properly utilized in between workouts schedule.  Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, efforts should be done to avoid sleep interruption such as excessive fluid intake before bedtime as this may cause you frequent trips to the bathroom and poor sleep quality.  Additional tip is to turn off your gadgets at night to help you catch up with your much needed rest.

4. Increase Protein and BCAA Intake

 

The building blocks in Protein and BCAA can repair damaged muscles, promote protein integration, and reduce the effect of delayed onset muscle soreness.  Making these two, fundamental to recovery.

Excellent source of Protein and BCAA can include meats, poultry and fish.  Sports supplements such as whey protein powder could provide protein and additional nutrients to help improve recovery time.  Protein powder could also be a more practical choice than expensive meat sources.

5. Drink Electrolytes

Electrolytes according to Medline Plus, are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge.  It can affect bodily functions, including: amount of water in the body, acidity of your blood (pH), muscle function and other important processes.

When a body is dehydrated, it hinders a person’s performance.  Electrolytes can help recover important nutrients and replenish sweat losses without having the need to eat loads of solid food.

6. Establish a Routine

An established workout routine is better than having an irregular one.  Once exercise has become a consistent regime, your body can easily adjust to the physical strains of anaerobic and aerobic activity.  Furthermore, the wider the gap between inactivity the greater the chance of risking injury to one’s self.

7. Drink Chocolate Milk

Aside from chocolate milk having protein it can also be a good source of carbohydrates, which can replenish muscle glycogen (is a polysaccharide molecule stored in animal cells along with water and used as a source of energy) storages after workout.

Protein and carbohydrate-rich sources that is ingested by the body improves the recovery period and overcome performance plateaus while building up muscle and endurance in a more positive way.