5 Tips for Muscle Recovery After a Gym Workout
As restrictions are slowly lifting, we are excited to see the return of gyms! Many of us who are working out at home will soon have the opportunity to return to the gym floor, but with that comes the adjustment of larger weights and sophisticated machines targeting more muscles than your at home gym. As such, we thought it was timely to write about our Top 5 Tips for muscle recovery you can implement after hitting the gym.
1) Stretching
Stretching for a workout has a myriad of benefits. Before a workout, stretching can warm the muscles to improve flexibility and efficiency, this in turn reduces your chances of injury such as muscle pull. After a workout stretching can also facilitate muscle recovery by reducing lactic acid and improving circulation. If you are unsure about how to stretch, utilising Yoga and Pilates techniques can be a great way to learn and get into the habit of stretching.
2) Healthy Food
Reaching your fitness goals goes beyond exercise as food is just as important! The right food combination can be used to build muscle, lose fat and provide energy. Eating protein can assist with muscle build during your recovery, and carbohydrates can assist with the much-needed energy before a workout. Speaking to a dietician about your body’s needs is recommended to ensure that you are fuelling yourself with the right food and correct portions.
3) Hydration
Before, during, and after exercise drinking water is crucial. Have a couple of glasses two hours before your workout, and drink during your workout to keep your muscles well hydrated. The hydration will help facilitate the removal of toxins from your body and in turn speed up the recovery time after your workout. Further, drinking water can assist with maintaining lubricated joints to ensure you don’t feel joint pain during and after the workout.
4) Good Sleep
Sleep is a time of recovery for your body, and a lack of sleep can impair your workout intensity and its recovery. You can improve your sleep in a number of ways, this can include reducing phone time directly before bed, sleeping on a comfortable mattress and pillow, and ensuring the temperature and lighting of the room is perfect for a tranquil sleep. The use of apps such as Calm or Headspace may also assist with those who have trouble falling to sleep in the first place.
5) Massage
Sports massage is a form of treatment specifically designed for soft tissues injuries. It can be performed by one of our qualified massage therapists. The treatments generally applied use the hands, other body parts, such as the elbows and forearms to apply the right pressure to your body. This in turn relieves tension in your muscles, flushes toxins from your body and puts you in an all-round relaxed state.
Sports massage can also be utilised before and during a workout. There is a pre-event sports massage done within an hour before a game or activity that is usually followed by an inter-event massage for those who need to rest in between games. A post-event massage, on the other hand, is done when the athlete cools down while a restorative sports massage is performed during rest days.
And that’s our Top 5 Muscle Recovery Tips! We hope you are just as excited to get back onto the treadmill as we are. Be sure to check your local gym for its reopening day, and please let us know if you have any further questions about your gym recovery.
For all your myotherapy questions and concerns, contact us at 03 9078 9953 or you may book now for an online appointment.
