Muscle Recovery Tips

Exercising daily puts your body in a lot of stress. When you are performing an intense activity, your muscle tissues actually break down. A lot of people are actually surprised by this because all this time they've thought that when they are in the gym and work out, their muscles are growing, and not breaking down. In reality, your muscles will grow once you are resting after your workout. If you do not let your body rest after a workout, there will be no time for the rebuilding of the muscles and your muscles will be further damaged on your next workout session, only compounding the problem. This is a very bad news if you are trying to build your muscles and develop strength.

Your muscles need to rest adequately so they can rebuild and become ready for the next training session. After you workout, giving your body 24-48 hours of rest before working the same set of muscles again is very important. Here are a few suggestions for muscle recovery:

Muscle Recovery Tips

Get Enough Sleep. Getting 8 hours of sleep each night is very important. For an effective muscle recovery and repair, you need human growth hormones, which are mainly produced when you sleep. If you want to have a better physique, you should give your body this enough amount of sleep every night, without fail.

Listen To Your Body. If you notice that you are becoming tired, achy, or performing less than you expect your body to, your body must be telling you to rest. If you already feel strong and ready to go, you probably do not need more than a day's rest. Never ignore what your body is telling you because it is usually right. You should listen to it more than what any other fitness guru tells you to do. Remember, nobody knows your body better than you do.

Rest and Relax. Your body has the capability to repair on its own, so you just have to give it some time. Usually, 24-48 hours will do. You may find it frustrating not being able to do exercise during this span of time but this rest time is very important. Make sure to let this short span of time pass before you start working out again on the same body parts.

Drink Water. And lots of it. You should think of water for your body as the same with oil for your car. Your car can perform effectively if it has enough oil. This holds true for your body, too. Keep your body always hydrated to make it easier for the metabolic process to push through, which is essential for muscle recovery. The findings in the latest research indicate that women should have at least 2.7 liters (90 ounces) of water daily, while men should have at least 3.7 liters (125 ounces) of water daily.

Cool Down. When you are done with your workout, just keep going a little bit but lessen the intensity. Doing this extra period of low intensity for 5-10 minutes after your workout will help reduce the buildup of lactic acid in your muscles, which also reduces muscle stiffness after a workout.

Eat. After an hour of working out is the best time for your body to fully recover. After a long bout of intense exercise, your body is eager to replenish all the lost energy. You should give your body the nutrition it needs to help it recover and rebuild your muscles.

Stretch. You can help your muscles to relax through stretching after you exercise. Give the PNF stretching routine a try.

Have an Ice Bath. When you exercise, your body experiences muscle breakdown. This leads to delayed soreness and muscle pain. You should have an ice bath (12-15 degrees Celcius) to help your body's blood vessels constrict. This ice bath flushes wastes, such as lactic acid, from your tissues, minimizes the swelling and tissue breakdown, and shortens the amount of recovery time.