Here’s exactly how to optimize muscle recovery, relieve muscle soreness, and get rid of tight muscles after working out.
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#1 GET MORE SLEEP
Sleep is the number one thing you need to prioritize to optimize muscle recovery. Your body heals itself while you sleep, repairing the damaged muscle fibers from your workout.
Vigorous workouts tend to do more damage to the muscle fibers. If you partake in vigorous exercise such as heavy lifting, you might find you require more sleep to feel well rested and restored than someone who does less strenuous workouts such as yoga or walking.
The more vigorous the exercise, the more strain you put on your joints and muscles, which means more sleep is needed to recover. Do yourself a favor and get an adequate amount of shut eye each night, especially after a difficult workout.
Usually 7-9.5 hours is enough, but listen to your body and see what works best for you to feel your most rested.
#2 HYDRATE
Listen up. You do not want to skip this step. Hydration is key to optimize muscle recovery. When you perform strenuous exercise, your body will likely produce lactic acid which can lead to soreness.
Soreness certainly isn’t the most comfortable thing to deal with. In fact, when you suffer from delayed onset muscle soreness, you may feel more rundown and have less motivation to move throughout the day which will only make the soreness last longer.
In order to flush out the lactic acid from your system and make sure your body can properly repair your muscle fibers, make sure to sip water throughout the day and drink plenty of electrolytes to stay sufficiently hydrated.
#3 MOVE YOUR BODY
Moving may be the last thing you want to do the day after a difficult workout or when you’re suffering from muscle soreness. It seems counterintuitive, but doing light, gentle movements can actually help relieve a lot of the discomfort related to soreness.
Moving your body the day after a difficult workout can increase blood flow to your muscles which can help flush out lactic acid.
In addition, the increased blood flow to the muscles can aid the repair of muscle fibers. Try some light aerobic exercise such as a walk, light jogging, or yoga. Forms of exercise that get your heart rate up but do not put added strain on the damaged muscles will be best to optimize muscle recovery.
#4 STRETCH
After increasing your heart rate and warming up with some gentle movement, it’s time to stretch. After a tough workout your muscles are likely a bit sore and you may experience some discomfort as a result.
When this happens, stretching can be beneficial. But, it’s important to note that not all stretching is created equal. When there’s micro-tears in your muscle fibers from a tough workout, static stretching can actually increase micro-tears in the already damaged muscle fibers and connective tissue. Because of this, dynamic stretching is often preferred over static stretching.
Dynamic stretching will help lengthen the muscles, increase blood flow, and help relieve any tightness you may be experiencing in your joints and muscles as a result of your workout.
#5 ROLL OUT
I know. Foam rolling definitely isn’t on anyone’s list of favorite things to do. It can be tedious and uncomfortable, but it’s important to know that it’s extremely beneficial to muscle recovery.
Most of the time, much of the soreness you experience after exercise is attributed to the build up of lactic acid and damage to your muscles and connective tissue. Rolling out can help release any knots and tightness in the connective tissue.
Think about a tight rubber band. Pretend this is your muscle. When you pull it without warming it up or preparing it to move in any way (aka static stretching) the rubber band simply gets tighter. When you roll out, you’re able to loosen the knots in your muscles without lengthening the tears in your muscle fibers.
Rolling out is also an easy way to release tight connective tissue without causing further strain or damage to the muscle fibers. It may be uncomfortable, but the more you roll out the loser you’ll feel.
Use these links to purchase a quality foam roller to relieve tight muscles…
- Amazon Basics High-Density Round Foam Roller
- Back Foam Roller Set – Trigger Point Foam Roller, Massage Muscle Roller Stick, Spiky Massage Ball
#6 PRIORITIZE PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATES
Protein and carbohydrates are the building blocks to muscle growth. The amino acids found in protein provide your muscles with essential nutrients to grow back bigger and stronger.
Additionally, when you perform a strenuous workout, you’ll likely deplete the glycogen stores your muscles use for energy. Refueling your body with carbohydrates can ensure your muscles properly recover by replenishing their glycogen stores.
Making sure to get an adequate amount of both these macronutrients after a workout will allow your muscles to repair themselves and in turn, optimize muscle recovery.
#7 AVOID ALCOHOL
If you want to optimize muscle recovery, avoiding alcohol should be a given. We already went over that hydration is a key component to muscle recovery.
Since alcohol is a diuretic, it can lead to dehydration. In addition, when you’ve done damage to your muscle fibers as a result of working out, those micro-tears and soreness come with inflammation.
Alcohol can make this inflammation in your muscles worse, causing the soreness and tightness to last longer. Instead of prioritizing muscle recovery, your body will prioritize flushing out the toxins from the alcohol which can prolong the muscles healing process.
#8 SPACE OUT YOUR WORKOUTS
When trying to lose weight, build muscle, or reach your fitness goals, you may try to do too much. You may not listen to your body and ignore the signs it gives you to take a break.
Soreness and tightness after a workout are signs you’ve done damage to your muscle fibers and they need time to recover and rest in order to grow back stronger.
Listen to your body and don’t try to train or lift heavy despite having very sore muscles or feeling fatigued. You don’t need to overdue it to grow your muscles or reach your fitness goals.
If you try to train the same muscle group back to back you risk injury and further damage to the muscle fibers which may result in more soreness and inadequate muscle recovery. In order to ensure this doesn’t happen, space out your workouts.
Don’t train specific muscle groups back to back days. For example, if you train legs one day, train upper body or do abs and cardio the next. This allows your muscles time to rest and repair which will optimize recovery.
#9 TRY A WARM SHOWER OR BATH
Heat can be an amazing way to relax your muscles and improve muscle recovery. When you apply heat to your muscles through a heating pad, a warm shower, or a bath, it increases blood flow to the muscles.
Increasing blood flow to the areas that are tight and sore can help relieve tension and reduce tightness which can optimize muscle recovery.
#10 EAT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS
When you do a vigorous workout it can damage the muscle fibers. These micro-tears aren’t a bad thing. That’s how your muscles grow back stronger. The problem is, when we work out hard, it can cause inflammation in our muscles and joints which can lead to tightness.
To counteract this inflammation, it’s important to fuel your body with anti-inflammatory foods. Often you can find these anti-inflammatory properties in foods that are high in micronutrients.
Fruits and vegetables are a great source of micronutrients with many anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids have tons of anti-inflammatory properties and are great for joint health. Fatty fish such as salmon and nuts are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. If you want to learn more about what foods have the most anti-inflammatory effects check out Harvard Health.
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