Rest and recovery is an integral part of any regular workout. Your recovery from planned exercise has a big impact on your appearance and fitness performance and allows you to train more effectively. Unfortunately, most people do not have a recovery plan after exercise. Here are some tips on how to properly recover from physical exertion.

Why is post-workout recovery so important?

Recovery after exercise is of particular importance for muscle and tissue repair. This is even more important after a hard strength training session. Muscle needs 24 to 48 hours to recover, and loading the same muscle group too quickly will result in muscle breakdown rather than growth. When developing a strength training plan, keep in mind that two days in a row should not work the same muscle groups.

Recovery methods.

There are, of course, many more recovery methods, but we will give only the most frequently recommended by experts.

1. Cooling.

Cooling down simply means slowing down (not stopping completely) after a workout. Continuing to move at a very low intensity for 5 to 10 minutes after your workout will help remove lactic acid from your muscles.

2. Fluid recovery.

You lose a lot of fluid during exercise and, ideally, you should regain it during your workout, but replenishing after your workout is an easy way to boost your recovery. Water supports all metabolic functions, delivers nutrients to the body and improves every bodily function. Adequate fluid replacement is even more important for athletes who lose large amounts of water within an hour.

3. Eat right.

After depleting your energy reserves through exercise, you need to eat right to maintain tissue repair, get stronger, and be ready for your next workout. This is even more important if you are doing endurance exercises day after day and trying to build muscle. Ideally, you should aim to eat within 60 minutes of finishing your workout, and make sure you include a certain amount of high quality protein and complex carbohydrates in your diet.

4. Stretching exercises.

After a hard workout, you can perform a couple of stretching exercises. This is an easy and fast way to help your muscles recover.

5. Rest.

Time is one of the best ways to recover from any illness or injury, and it also works after a hard workout. Your body has an amazing ability to take care of itself if you give it some time. Resting after a hard workout allows muscles to recover at a natural pace. It’s not the only thing you can or should do to promote recovery, but sometimes doing nothing is the easiest thing to do.

6. Perform an active restore.

Light, gentle movements improve blood circulation, which helps deliver nutrients throughout the body. In theory, this helps muscles recover faster and gain strength faster.

7. Massage.

Massage makes you feel good and improves blood circulation, allowing you to completely relax.

8. Take an ice bath.

Some athletes resort to this method, they take ice baths, ice massage or take a contrast shower, which helps to recover faster, reduce muscle soreness and prevent injury. The essence of this method is that the blood vessels are forcibly compressed and expanded several times under the influence of temperatures, which in turn helps to remove (or flush) toxins in the tissues. Scientists have concluded that this method is effective in reducing krepatura.

9. Good sleep.

While you sleep, amazing things happen in your body. Optimal sleep is essential for those who exercise regularly. During sleep, your body produces growth hormone, which is largely responsible for tissue growth and repair.

10. Avoid overtraining.

One of the easiest ways to recover quickly is to plan your workouts first. Excessive exercise, heavy training in every session, or no days off will limit your progress from exercise, fitness and undermine your recovery efforts.
The most important thing you can do for a quick recovery is to listen to your body. If you feel tired, in pain, or have decreased performance, you can leave more time to recover and rest.