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5 Optimal Workout Recovery Tips After Training

5 Optimal Workout Recovery Tips After Training

The original publishing date of today’s article was back on July 9, 2018.

With summer pretty much here you need to start getting on track with your training. This includes you understanding what you need to do for optimal workout recovery.

If your recovery strategy sucks then you can forget about improving your lean muscle, strength, and performance. The whole point of training involves the biological model of stress and adaptation. If all you’re doing is stressing and inhibiting your adaptation then you might as well not be training. Today’s article should be a valuable resource to you. Read and apply!

  1. Are you interested in learning about how you can speed up your recovery time?
  2. Are you in need of some tips to help you bounce back faster after a tough day’s training?
  3. Do you currently have an effective post workout recovery strategy to get you ready for the next day’s training?

Your results come depending on what you do after your training for workout recovery. If you are not doing the right things then you’re not opitmizing your fitness and strength program to yield optimal results. Optimal recovery will yield optimal results. Today I will offer some tips for you to get you on track with doing the right things to kick your training into high gear.

Optimal Workout Recovery

Hydrate: Fluid intake is crucial for your workout recovery. I would recommend getting about 32 oz. a day regularly, but if you are training hard and sweating out a lot of fluid you’re going to need more. Make sure that you keep a large water bottle with you throughout the day especially if you are vigorously active.

Dehydration will inhibit your results. Too little fluid will cause cramping, increased muscle soreness, and a decrease in performance. Make sure that you keep the fluids in your body as you up your activity.

Brandon Richey performing squats after a few days on workout recovery

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Question: Coach is there a good water addition I can add to help with electrolytes and performance.

Answer: Yes, I use Relive Innergize to optimize electrolytes and to enhance energy absorption for performance.

Eat Clean: This should go without saying, but if you expect to get results from your training and to speed up that recovery you’ve got to have a clean nutrition plan. This means staying away from cheeseburgers, pizza, and alcohol.

Sure a treat every now and then is fine. However if you’re serious about results you can’t put junk into your body on a regular basis. Your body is designed for survival first so it’s only going to absorb nutrients it needs and the rest will only slow you down. When you eat lean foods such as fish, chicken, and greens you’re optimizing the performance of your body.

Think of your body like a race car. If you put cheap fuel in it you’re going to cause it to sputter and slow down. Your engine is isn’t going to burn optimally because you’re gumming it up with crap. You’ve got to put clean fuel in to make the engine run fast.

Brandon performing a cossack squat to stretch the inner thighs and adductors.

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Stretch: Unless you happen to have hypermobility you need to take the time stretch before and after your workouts. Stretching can be done a number of different ways. Yoga and movement preparation before an intense strength training session can be a huge benefit to you and getting your muscles to move in a more complete range of motion (ROM).

Listen to your body. If you’re more susceptible to stiffness then you will need to stretch more often. Effective stretching can lower your stress level, help the muscles to elongate, and clean out excess toxins from your body. I prefer stretching 15 to 20 minutes prior to going to bed and I sleep much better. This will enhance your rest which will in turn speed up your recovery.

Sleep: The truth is many of us don’t get enough sleep. If you’re shortchanging your sleep it will not only impede your performance as an athlete, but it can also cause many other health problems. Your body does a lot of repairs to itself when you’re sleeping.

You need to shoot for getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night especially if you are training hard. Turn off the TV earlier and shoot for squeezing in that extra 1 to 2 hours if you’re only hovering around a 6 hour sleep cycle.

I personally will listen to white noise, or ASMR soft sound video on my phone in order to relax my mind to put me to sleep. To shut your mind off and fall into a quality sleep these are great methods to get your body relaxed.

A big red kettlebell with scuff marks.

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Active Recovery: When it comes to your given weekly training cycle I’m sure you’re like me in that you’ve got your consistent training days checked off. With that being said I know you have your consistent off days too.

When it comes to off days it’s ok to just do nothing from time to time if you really feel you need that. However on your off days I strongly recommend an active recovery involving some combination of Yoga (or stretching) and maybe a good long walk, or hike.

This has a far greater impact on your recovery and it will help you to clear your mind while also keeping some light movement mixed into your training to keep your body sharp and to maintain momentum.

Question: Coach I’ve had to deal with a knee injury and had to have arthroscopic surgery to clean out some cartilage. I’m much better, but how should I start back my training to avoid injuring my knee again?

Answer: Great question. I have also had both knees reconstructed so I totally understand the process involved with building back up your body after a knee injury.

The key is to start out progressing slowly. Gauge your intensity based on how the joint feels and make sure you spend time stretching your ankles, hips, and hamstrings regularly to optimize your mobility. For additional help with that check out this article here.

Be careful with lateral movement (side to side) if you have any instability in that knee. If your knee is stable in terms of still having strong ligaments then you can start incorporating some lateral movement, but just do so carefully and slowly. Make sure that you’re strong with squats, lunges, and deadlift variations first.

Question: I was told I couldn’t do a lot of weight bearing exercise for the next few weeks because of a hairline fracture in my foot. What can I do to stay fit because I don’t just want to sit around doing nothing? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Answer: Laura I appreciate you reaching out to me. I’m sorry to hear about your injury. The good news is that you can still keep your body sharp until you get cleared from your doctor.

If you can’t do any load bearing movement on your feet then perhaps you can consider some strength work related to your upper body. I would normally say to never skip leg day, but in your case here we may have an exception.

You can definitely continue to strengthen your body by doing some push-ups, pull-ups, and presses. In addition to this if you want to get in some low impact work for your legs without hurting your foot you can always find a pool and get in some swimming. The change up will probably end up being a big benefit to your body anyways.

Workout Recovery: The Takeaway

Remember when it comes to getting results you start building building lean muscle the moment you leave the gym. You need to apply these 5 steps to optimize your recovery and to get the results you want most.

What recovery techniques do you use? 

Are you doing enough to improve your recovery? 

Post up and share here in the comments below. 

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Thai Fighter Jeff Perry delivering a knee strike

 

 

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Brandon

I'm a Certified Strength And Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and author. I have had over 17 years experience in MMA fitness, strength and conditoning, and athletic performance for most every sport. As an author and specialist I've written close to a million words on fitness and strength. I'm also a Muay Thai practictioner and enjoy helping others to reach their peak potential through fitness and performance.

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