Continuing with our blog series, this month we are covering muscle recovery and how to speed up this process. If you frequently workout and have been training hard, you may have experienced delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), that crippling muscle ache in the days after a tough workout. While a fitness hangover can cramp your style, you don’t have to suffer if you’ve pushed yourself in your workouts.
Keep reading to find out some tips from our experts on how to speed up muscle recovery and how to keep working towards your health & fitness goals.
Hydrate & eat well
Drinking water is essential for post workout recovery when you’ve completed a high-intensity workout or if it’s a hot day, you also need to consider rebalancing your electrolytes.
Electrolytes include minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium, and are found in most foods. These minerals are important for your nervous system and they also get used up during muscle contraction. You can get enough electrolytes for muscle recovery by implementing healthy eating habits and including plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Ensuring that you drink enough water during the day is a great way to speed up muscle recovery as it is a simple and effective way of looking after your muscles and your body.
Grab a post-workout snack
After a workout, a snack containing both carbohydrates and protein can help your muscles to recover more quickly by providing the nutrients your muscle tissue needs to begin repairing.
You could try a coffee smoothie after a morning workout to start your day or prepare fruit with yoghurt. The options for quick, healthy snacks are endless — just make sure that you include both protein and some healthy carbohydrate. If you follow a plant-based diet, eating almonds, tofu, chickpeas and other high-protein foods can give your muscles the nutrients they need to repair. A high-protein snack in the evening can also aid muscle repair overnight.
Eating the correct foods to provide your body with the nutrients it needs is a great way to help your body through the recovery process.
Warm up before training
Taking five minutes to complete an effective warm up can help to minimise delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and decrease any risk of injury. A proper warmup is especially important before exercises like deadlifts, pull-ups or single-arm rows.
Muscle recovery equipment
Recovery after a workout is key, especially when your muscles are aching!
Our range of muscle recovery equipment is ideal for after workout out recovery to ease next day muscle soreness. All products, such as the foam roller and massage gun, use vibration technology which allows you to experience a deep tissue massage from the comfort of your own home! These products are scientifically proven and increase blood flow and flush away lactic acid.
Head over to our muscle recovery hub to find out more about our range of products and how they can help you.
