Post-Workout Recovery – This Is What You Need To Be Doing

Working out can be tough enough, without having to content with aching limbs and sore muscles at the start. But how can you prevent the effects of a previous workout limiting the impact of your next? Recover right and you’ll reap the rewards, that’s what the experts say. Here are their top tips for recovering fully, and making the most of your exercise regime.

Cool Down

Finding the time for a trip to the gym or peloton session can be hard enough, without wasting time winding down after, right? Wrong! Laura Eaton from PureGym Sheffield tells Belle: “After any exercise at a high intensity it is beneficial to take five to ten minutes for a cool down activity. Great emphasis is often placed on the warm-up before exercise to steadily increase the heart rate and prepare the muscles, but the cool down is often forgotten.

“Allowing a cool down period such as walking on the treadmill and slowly decreasing the speed allows the heart rate to steadily decrease to a resting level, avoiding a sudden blood pressure drop and preventing the likelihood of feeling light-headed and dizzy.”

Stretch

Laura says that after the cool down period, when the heart rate has steadily decreased to a resting level, it is beneficial to perform static, developmental stretches while the muscles are still warm.

She says: “Static stretches should be performed by moving the muscle as far into the stretch as possible, without being in pain. Stretching for muscle fibre lengthening – and thereby increasing flexibility – may cause slight discomfort but shouldn’t cause pain. Each stretch should be held for between 30 – 45 seconds, before moving on.”

Laura’s tips for stretching include:
– Slowly sink down into the stretch, especially for lower body stretches, moving deeper into the stretch throughout the duration
– Avoid pulling or pushing on the body part being stretched to avoid overstretching, which could cause injury.

Personal Trainer Tanya Miller talked Belle through her recommended stretches. She says: “Start on all fours and come into a Child’s Pose – bum back to your heals and arms stretched out in front of you. After this come back up to a box and thread one arm through the other, relaxing your shoulder on the floor and repeat on the other side. I always stretch out my legs and hips by bringing one foot and leg round, bent, in front and to the side of the other leg and rolling onto the front of the stretched out leg and stretch your chest and head up like a seal.

“To stretch out your quads, roll onto your side towards the bent leg and hold the opposite foot bending that leg and stretching your quadriceps. Repeat on the other side and then come back to a box. Turn your toes under and walk your hands back to your feet. Slowly roll up halfway, letting your head and arms hang and then continue rolling up fully, leaving your head to be the last part of your body to come up. Roll your arms back four times and open up your chest, stretching your arms out either side of you, so that you are open and ready for the rest of your day.”

Hydrate

Yes, yes, yes, drink plenty of water. That’s the rule for everything, but it’s especially key when it comes to recovery. Dehydrated muscles can cramp and spasm, and lack of fluids can lead to dizzy spells or even fainting. Make sure you drink during exercise, and always after. And if you’ve had a particularly gruelling session look to add electrolytes to your water to replenish lost minerals.

Personal Trainer and functional medicine practitioner, Danny Ly, tells Belle: “The most practical thing to do as soon as possible after exercising is just to make sure you are replenishing lost electrolytes from sweating through your diet – especially during the summer. This comes from foods that are high in potassium which include avocados, beetroot, bananas, potatoes, green veg, melons. Hydration is also important and depending on body weight, roughly 0.4-0.8L of water should be consumed for every one hour of exercise.”

Massage

As boxer Anthony Joshua says, recovery is everything, no matter what your level of fitness. “When you train or work out, recovery is crucial at all levels, not just for professional athletes,” says the two-time World Heavyweight Champion. So dedicated is AJ to post-training massage, he’s even designed his own sports massage gun in association with leading massage gun brand Pulseroll. The limited edition Ignite range features a removable boxing glove head, designed to aid muscle recovery post-workout.

AJ adds: “Pulseroll is a global brand that is the ‘Best of British.’ After getting involved in the business last year, I was keen to share my insights as an athlete and help make the products even better for all users. “Now the new Ignite range packs even more power.

“I’ve been using Pulseroll products every day for almost five years now – they are key to my preparation and recovery routine which helps improve my overall performance.”

If it’s good enough for world champions, it’s good enough for us! Shop the Pulseroll range here.

Take a cold shower

Tanya Miller swears by a cold shower post-workout, the colder the better! She says: “If you can face it, a freezing cold shower or bath is one of the best ways to recover your muscles.”

Replenish

In order to build muscle strength you need to pay close attention to the foods you eat after exercise, and aim to consume something within an hour of completing your workout.

Danny says: “Ensuring adequate protein intake across the day is also vital to help with muscle recovery. 1.6g per kg of bodyweight is a good entry point, especially if weight training.”

A balance of healthy carbs, lean protein, and healthy fat is also recommended – all of which help facilitate the changes your body needs to make physical progress. For example, a slice of seeded bread with peanut butter and sliced bananas, or a cup of Greek yogurt with fresh berries is ideal after a session in the gym or pounding the pavement.

Rest

Rest days are essential, says Danny. And it’s all about knowing your body and knowing when to take one.

“Prioritising your rest days is something that many of us could be better at,” he says. “If you are noticing a lack of intensity during your sessions and feeling more fatigued – this is a sign that your body needs rest. You cannot progress in your fitness goals if you are training at a very low intensity.

Ultimately, you have to think quality over quantity of sessions. For most of us, two to three rest days a week is adequate and helps give your body time to repair when you are feeling sore. This can only happen if you are keep your nervous system happy!”

Refuel

You also need to keep an eye on what you consume between workouts. Healthy carbs and grains can help you carb-load before a long session or distance race, and protein helps repair muscles. But don’t forget to treat yourself too!

Sleep!

Fitnes guru Joe Wicks says sleep is an essential part of keeping fit and healthy. He told The Guardian: “People underestimate the impact of lack of sleep; not only will the intensity of your workouts suffer, but you are likely to crave sugary foods the next day. My top tips for deep sleep are to switch off your laptop and mobile at least 30 minutes before bed and leave them in another room. Ditch the bedroom TV; listen to music instead. Get a comfortable eye mask. It takes getting used to, but trust me, it will allow you to sleep deeper and longer.”

And Tanya backs this up. She says: “Getting sleep can be hard for a lot of us with busy lives, but nothing can compete with a good night’s sleep to help with muscle recovery.”