Get Better Results by Taking the Road of Recovery
With spring quickly approaching, it is the time of the year when people start to panic over their training schedules. The fear of not having that desired summer six-pack has set in and some of those missed sessions are now being to haunt workout participants. With so much focus on getting in shape and reaching those goals, it causes many people to over train in belief of a quick fix for faltering progress. As wise as it may seem – to put extra effort and sessions in – this often leads to people’s downfall.
Recovering after exercise is essential in maintaining quality performance, physically and mentally. It is the vital component for replenishing depleted energy stores and repairing damaged tissues. During exercise, the body experiences a lot of stress. As a result of this, the muscles need adequate time to rebuild and re-strengthen following the activity. The joints and ligaments of the body, which are more prone to injury, also need enough rest as these are the parts that take the brunt of the workout.
Despite knowing just how important recovery is, it still continues to be the most undervalued part of any training regime. People neglect their recovery periods for additional sessions and this is how they find themselves suffering from injuries and periods of absence.
Below is a six step breakdown of the areas of recovery you need to implement in order to keep you performing at peak levels and injury free.
The Six Steps to Recovery Success
Nutrition Is Key
Nutrition is arguably the most influential factor in fitness. When it comes to nutrition eating clean and balanced meals is the guaranteed way of staying healthy. If you’re wanting to build muscle or lose weight, your diet accounts for a large proportion of the results you want to see. Often people fail to eat enough and unintentionally skip meals due to their lifestyle but still think, as they’re working out it won’t matter. This couldn’t be anymore wrong. Food fuels the body so by not treating it as seriously as your program you will not develop. There are even vast amounts of protein powders which can be used as meal replacements and recovery aids to prevent this problem occurring.
Stay Hydrated
After any form of exercise, it is normal for your body to be dehydrated which is why it is critical to replace reduced hydration levels. Dehydration can limit muscle and energy recovery. The benefits of being aware this can have a large impact on your performance and if your body’s needs aren’t met, it will cause fatigue and hinder progress.
Embrace The Cold
Now this is a measure that will be carried out for the more serious performers and athletes.
By exposing the body to a ‘shock to the system’ with an ice bath, it helps your muscles recover quicker. A proven technique, when the body is exposed to freezing temperatures it affects the blood vessels and blood flow in the body. The end result of the ice shock see’s more oxygen returning to the muscles, helping the body recover at a fast rate.
Remember to Stretch
A big performance sustaining action that is widely disregarded is stretching. You need to be loose and flexible in order to move well during your activity. Dynamic stretching is best when executed before training as it is a more efficient way of warming up, whilst static stretching is most effective post exercise. By self-identifying and targeting the muscles that are used during your movement, you will remove tightness and reduce muscle soreness.
Respect Time
Time is an obvious measure for recovery but it is typically the one most overlooked. As mentioned above, people feel the need to skip resting periods in order to push on, which in turn means they’re not respecting its worth. The exact period of rest needed will of course depend on your training schedule but regardless of what that may be, you cannot cut short that time. If you don’t allow your body to rebuild, it will be overworked and won’t repair, which will simply deter any positive development.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep needs will vary based on lifestyle, occupation, and ones genetic makeup. Consistent levels of insufficient sleep cause subtle alterations in hormone levels, particularly those connected to stress and muscle recovery. If you don’t get enough sleep, your training efforts become wasted and you become heavily fatigued and unmotivated to exercise.
Parting Words
Respecting recovery gives you that edge in your workout routine. By taking on board these steps, it will give you a performance enhancing advantage, increasing your output and overall ability.
The key is to be smart, respect the fact that you cannot rush things and that your body needs time to recover. Feeling fresh and ready to go, will naturally give you the confidence to try harder and work at optimum levels, pushing yourself to progress each time.