How do you optimally recover from a workout?

Whether you are a top athlete or only occasionally at the gym, recovering well from a workout is extremely important.

When you recover well and optimally, you promote muscle growth, contribute to sufficient nutrients, and are quickly ready for the next effort.

Rest and relaxation are of course important for recovery, but your diet and sleep patterns are also important. Additionally, you can actively promote recovery by doing light exercise on a cross trainer or enjoying a massage with a massage gun.

Healthy nutrition contributes to good recovery

Many athletes use dietary supplements to promote recovery (1). Most dietary supplements are based on whey proteins and creatine or caffeine.

These substances ensure that your muscles receive enough nutrients so your body can recover optimally. Moreover, creatine increases your explosiveness and helps your body absorb vitamins faster from your daily diet (2). 

For athletes, B vitamins, magnesium, amino acids, and co-enzymes are especially important.

These vitamins and minerals provide energy to your body, allowing you to replenish your energy levels after intense exertion. Nutrition is therefore one of the most important factors determining your sports performance and enabling you to perform optimally and recover optimally (3).

Ensure sufficient sleep and avoid stress

If you exercise regularly, you benefit from a good sleep pattern. A single night of poor sleep will not directly affect your performance, but if you chronically suffer from sleep deprivation, the effects will certainly be noticeable (4).

Although little research has been done on the relationship between sleep and physical exertion, these two factors can strongly influence each other. Do you want to optimize your sports performance and get the best out of yourself? Then maintain a healthy sleep pattern with a good day and night rhythm.

A healthy sleep pattern also prevents stress, which in turn affects good muscle recovery. When you have too much stress, you produce too much stress hormone (cortisol), which actually counteracts muscle recovery and promotes muscle breakdown.

So, do you want to recover optimally after a workout? Then avoid stress and try to relax well so your muscles also have time to recover.

Relax your muscles with light exercise, massage, or yoga.

It can happen that you have muscle soreness or feel tired after your workout. It is then very tempting to sit on the couch and do nothing.

However, it is more pleasant for your muscles to recover actively with, for example, a walk or light training. This provides your muscles with more oxygen, which will promote muscle recovery.

The same applies to a light massage that optimizes oxygen uptake by the muscles. Your massage does not have to be a sports massage; light pressure with, for example, a massage gun is sufficient.

Waste products are then removed faster, which promotes muscle recovery. Make sure the massage does not cause pain. That is neither necessary nor effective. The massage should feel pleasant and give you a relaxed feeling.

If you have never done Yoga and have no idea why it is good for you, check out this article which highlights 12 reasons why Yoga is good for you.

So, are you curious about ways to optimally recover from your training or competition? Then consider the following points:

• Aim for a healthy diet with sufficient protein
• Ensure a good day and night rhythm
• Avoid stress
• Give your muscles active rest with light exercise or a pleasant massage

Have you maintained a healthy diet and taken enough rest between workouts? Then nothing will stand in the way of optimal muscle recovery.

Sources:
(1) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-313-8808-0_520
(2) https://www.ivg-info.nl/nieuws/voedingssupplementen-voor-topsporters/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm49U74a7eAXfQXsEWREu7NKVqJUcIc1Dr417EbiyK4pDbdMwib7Szg8aAoK1EALw_wcB
(3) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-313-6521-0_17
(4) https://www.allesoversport.nl/thema/topsport/de-invloed-van-slaap-op-inspanning-en-omgekeerd