Recovery and rest is an essential part of any workout regime as it directly affects your fitness and performance allowing you to train more effectively. Here are some tips and tricks to recover fast after an intense workout session.
Why after-workout recovery is important?
Experts explain recovery after a workout is important to tissue and muscle repair and strength building. Working it too soon again simply leads to muscle breakdown instead of building. Hence, it is important to know that never work for the same muscle groups on successive days when it comes to weight training. Recovery should essentially occur before growth can be made and it is crucial for having enduring consistent training, staying injury-free, and maxing out from time to time.
If you want to get the most out of your workout sessions, you need to prioritize post-workout recovery in the first place. Follow these tips to maximize recovery, ensure maximum gains, through remote control bullets and stay on top of your game.
#1 Eat Healthy Recovery Foods

If you want your body to recover after an intense workout, you need to refuel and recover the lost energy. Post-workout meals are crucial particularly if you haven’t eaten anything for hours. Protein shakes are common and you should consider having one. Ideally, you should try to eat within one-hour post-workout and make sure you include some complex carbohydrate and potassium as well. Potassium among other nutrients like calcium and sodium are unavoidably sapped from a hard gym session. These nutrients play a crucial role in muscle recovery and building.
#2 Replace Lost Fluid
Excess fluid is lost during exercise and it is advised to replace it during exercise, however, filling up on fluids after a workout is an easy way to boost recovery. Water and fluids rich in electrolytes support every metabolic function and nutrient transfer in the body; hence, consuming lots of fluids will improve every bodily function. The thumb rule says one liter of water for every 1000 calories burned. Large amounts of fluids are lost during hours of sweating and this could lead to dehydration. It can ultimately reduce the performance potential.
#3 Get Some Sleep

Lack of adequate sleep increase perception of fatigue, alter mood, decrease the reduce tolerance to training and negatively affect the psychosomatic mechanisms liable for adaptation from the pressures of training. When we sleep, our body secretes hormones that play a crucial role in recovery. In the end, the purpose of sleep is to encourage a state of recovery in the body. When we sleep, muscle-wasting hormone (catabolic) concentrations and activity decrease while muscle-building hormone (anabolic) concentrations and activity increases. Shortened or disrupted sleep will negatively influence the effects of these muscle-building hormones. Hence, it will ultimately influence your muscle recovery.
#4 Take an Ice Bath
Contrast water therapy (alternating cold and hot showers), ice massage, or ice baths are the most preferred ways to prevent injury, reduce muscle soreness, and recover faster. The concept behind this routine is that dilating and constricting blood vessels over and over again helps flush out waste products in the tissues. Fitness experts and some athletes advise while taking the post-workout shower, alternate 30 seconds of cold water with two minutes of hot water. Repeat this 4-5 times with a minute of moderate temperatures between every cold-hot spray.
#5 Don’t Skip Stretching

Stretching and warm-up is something that doesn’t sound necessary and most of the gym-goers skip this part and directly starts with weight training. When you all want is size, stretching plays a crucial role. Your muscles need to be flexible enough to grow. Having the necessary muscle pliability and flexibility reduces the stiffness and you will be able to move more freely. Pre and post-workout stretching is a great way to reduce muscle tension and downplay muscle soreness.
#6 Reduce your Stress
Stress from sources like inadequate sleep, work deadlines, and other personal stuff significantly influence how quickly recover and how you feel on a daily basis. Stress can drastically extend the recovery time between workouts. Hard gym sessions lead to overworked body and with stress accompanied; you are asking your body to eventually break down. Find ways to reduce your stress, do things you love, and make yourself laugh.
Final words
The most important thing you can do for a quick recovery is to listen to your body. If you notice decreased performance or feel sore or tired, you may need more recovery time. And if you feel stronger than ever the day after an intense workout, you don’t need to go slow. Pay attention to your body, it will let you know what it needs and when it needs.

Author's Bio: 

I am a writer and contributor for many years. Also, I am offering Travel Consultancy services.