As you make your way through your fitness program, remember the importance of recovery. If you want to ensure positive results from your exercise sessions, there are actions you can take to significantly increase the rate of recovery between workouts.

Exercise stresses the body. When lifting weights, your muscle fibers break down. According to the principle of adaptation, when we undergo the stress of physical exercise, our body adapts and becomes more efficient. You gain strength through the rebuilding process that your muscles undergo to adapt to increased resistance.

If you want to see optimal results from your workout, a rapid recovery rate is imperative. Without adequate recovery between workouts, you will end up breaking your tissues down further and moving away from your goals rather than closer towards them.

Let’s take a look at a few of the top recovery strategies that you can begin to utilize.

Active Recovery

Active recovery refers to engaging in low-intensity activity after exercise. An example of an active recovery movement is walking to recover after sprinting. Active recovery movements can be done throughout a workout, during the cool-down phase of a session, or during the days following a challenging workout. Engaging in active recovery movements helps rid the muscles of lactic acid, which causes soreness and fatigue.

Proper Nutrition and Plenty of Water

It’s vital to replenish energy stores and fluids lost during exercise. Optimize your protein synthesis by eating the right foods in your post-exercise meal. Increasing the protein content of muscle cells prevents muscle breakdown and increases muscle size.

Massage

Massage is brilliant for more rapid recovery because it improves circulation of blood and nutrients, while simultaneously removing toxins. Increasing the blood and oxygen supply helps repair damaged muscles by allowing more fluids and nutrients to flow through the tissue.

Hot Baths

Hot baths are great because they relax the body and help to increase blood circulation throughout the cells. This can help to bring more nutrients and oxygen to the muscle tissues, improving the repair process.

In addition, most people find that a hot bath really helps ease tension in sore muscles.

Stretching

Stretching is another great technique for reducing post-workout muscle soreness. It has been proven to help increase blood flow to the muscles. This increase in flow brings a greater nutrient supply to muscles, thereby reducing muscle soreness and helping to speed recovery from muscle and joint injuries. 

As an added benefit, stretching improves flexibility and range of motion. A lack of flexibility can cause movement to become slower and less fluid, making you more susceptible to muscle strains or other soft tissue injuries.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release, is excellent for releasing muscle tightness or trigger points. It allows you to control the healing and recovery process by applying pressure in precise locations.

Foam rolling smooths and lengthens your muscles. The targeted pressure can also break up adhesions and scar tissue. Foam rolling also helps your muscles relax by activating the sensory receptors connecting your muscle fibers to your tendons. By improving blood circulation, rolling speeds workout recovery and improves your range of motion, which means you get to work muscles more thoroughly on lifting days.

So there you have a few great techniques that will help you see optimal results from your workout.  Try these recovery methods to deduce down time and the possibility of injury, to improve range of motion, and to generally get the most out of your workouts.