Are you taking your workouts and training regimen seriously, but not seeing your desired results? You may be a hard worker at the gym who is looking to maximize the performance of your training, but perhaps you are experiencing lackluster results despite your spectacular efforts.
Like any normal human being, eventually, you start switching things up and changing your workout program, hoping this change will produce the results that have seemingly not been successful for you to this point. You may even be working out every day, but still finding yourself failing to achieve your expected results. The reason for this likely is not the byproduct of your workout, but rather your recovery.
Setting Up a Workout Recovery Routine
When you’re constructing a high-level fitness routine, it is important to focus on the Stress-Adaptation-Recovery.
The “stress” portion of this cycle is marked by the intense training you put in during your workout. But to complete the cycle, “Adaptation” and “Recovery” are necessary steps in the process. Adaptation and recovery have a big impact on your gains, efficiency, and overall performance. So here are some tips on how you can set up a routine to maximize your workout recovery.
- Drink Plenty of Water
When you are working out, you are sweating, which means you are losing a lot of hydration while you are active. And the best way to replace it is by drinking lots of water and fluids after your workout. Rehydrating your body acts as a stimulant to the recovery process.
While this tip sounds relatively simple, it’s one of the most overlooked elements of an effective recovery routine. Many people focus on drinking lots of water before their workout, but neglect to properly hydrate at the end of their routine. You must drink an adequate amount of water in order for your body to function normally – both in hydrating your body to optimize your workout and also to recover your lost fluids post-workout.
- Consume Enough Lean Protein
We all know the scene; the big, hulking bodybuilder walking around the free-weight rack, headphones on ears and protein shake in hand. But if you think that protein shakes are only for people who want to get big muscles, you would be grossly mistaken.
The fact is, protein is the number one muscle repairing micronutrient around, and it’s essential that you include the proper amount in your diet. By drinking a protein shake after a workout, you are actually supplying your muscles with amino acids, which will help your body in the recovery process.
Eating a small snack that has a lot of protein in it before going to sleep is also a good practice. Modest protein consumption before bed will allow your body to recover and repair itself while you are sleeping.
- Get a Good Night’s Sleep
As we have spoken about on multiple occasions, a good night’s sleep is the key to both your physical and mental health. But you may not be aware of the fact that sleep also has a huge impact on your body’s recovery process.
Some studies even show that not getting enough sleep for even short periods of time (2 weeks) can actually lower your body’s testosterone level by as much as 20%. This is a major issue in both the recovery and body improvement process, and it can dramatically slow down your workout recovery.
Getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night allows your body ample time to recover and repair your damaged and fatigued muscles.
- Use a Foam Roll on Your Tight Muscles
This is a popular method that has been growing in usage in recent years, and for good reason; because it works.
Foam rollers are basically exactly what they sound like – foam cylinders that are small in size and allow you to massage yourself on different body areas. You can massage your calves, back, neck muscles, quads, etc.
Foam rolling actually offers multiple benefits: better, faster recovery, and also improved performance. If you do it daily, foam rolling can help you a lot in your progression.