What should you do (and not do) after exercising and you want to optimize muscle recovery?

MUSCLE SORENESS

First of all: in this article, muscle soreness refers to both acute soreness and delayed soreness. Delayed soreness pain usually occurs within 24 hours of exercise and can last up to seven days. Acute soreness occurs during or immediately after exercise.

Early or late soreness means you did something your body is not used to, like a new exercise or much more volume (sets) than normal. It is not a reliable indicator of good training or future gains.

WHAT HELPS?

What helps are the things that are usually recommended to do after training. According to coach Mike Matthews, these are:

• Stay slightly active (cooling down);
• Eat enough protein (around 30 grams per serving);
• Take creatine;
• Get enough sleep (at least 7 hours per night);
• Getting a massage.

STAY SLIGHTLY ACTIVE

A cool-down improves your blood circulation and your body slowly comes to rest. Walking is a good cool-down.

PROTEIN

Yes, consuming protein around training is important, both for muscle growth and recovery. But that does not mean that you should consume a shake or something else immediately after training. After all, it takes time for the proteins to be absorbed into the body. Therefore, eat a protein-rich meal one to two hours before training. The next protein-rich meal that you eat is one to two hours after. In short, you ‘sandwich’ your training between two protein-rich meals. Two meals each contain around 30 grams.

CREATINE

Creatine may be the only strength supplement that can actually help improve exercise performance and muscle growth. Research suggests that creatine reduces the breakdown of proteins, which helps you recover better.

SLEEP

Getting enough good sleep promotes your body’s ability to recover. Sleep at least seven hours a night.

MASSAGE

You wouldn’t think so, but of all the remedies mentioned, massage is the most effective – according to a meta-analysis of 99 studies. More effective than other methods that are sometimes recommended, such as ice baths and stretching.

Unfortunately, it is not that easy to always get a massage after exercising. However, some gyms, including some Basic-Fits, offer massage chairs. These are equipped with sensors and rollers that imitate the movements of a professional masseur and adapt the massage to your body. As you can now understand, it can be worth it.

CONCLUSION

The best ways to reduce muscle soreness after a workout are the basics: stay lightly active for hours afterward, eat enough protein, take creatine, and get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Massage can also be very effective.