Friday, November 16, 2012

Fitness Friday: Five Recovery Tips

Anyone who engages in fitness has experienced the post workout soreness at some point. Pushing muscles beyond their normal threshold causes small muscle tears. Until our muscles adapt to the new type or level of workout, they will continue to need time to recover.

Here are some tips I have learned to help speed up the recovery process:

1. Compression gear - Invest in some good compression gear such as socks, sleeves, and shorts and put it on as soon as you finish an intense workout. The basic principle behind wearing compression gear is that it allows better blood flow to the muscles thereby helping to decrease muscle soreness.


Aspaeris, Zensah, Pro Compression, Feetures, Nike

2. Foam Roll/Stretch - Avoid letting muscles stiffen up by stretching or foam rolling after exercise when the muscles are still warm. Again this will help increase the blood flow and help get rid of any lactic acid build up which could contribute to muscle soreness.



3. Rest - After strenuous exercise your body will need, and deserve, a break. Muscles need time to repair and rebuild. It's good to schedule some down time. Most training schedules include a rest day for this reason.



4. Active Recovery - While giving your body some rest is important, it is also a good idea to keep moving. Take a walk, go for a casual bike ride, swim a little. Light activities that allow your muscles to move will help prevent tightness from setting in which can lead to increased muscle soreness.



5. Replenish - Drink plenty of water to rehydrate and eat protein and carbs to aid muscle recovery and replace nutrients lost during workouts. Not only will this replenish your body, but it will also help keep your muscles at peak performance for your next workout.





What is your favorite recovery technique?




9 comments:

  1. I usually take my dog (Yorkie) for a 15 minute walk after a run. It gives her some exercise and cools me down, a win win!

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  2. I usually chug NUUN when I get back from a long run. I need to be better about stretching and rolling!!

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  3. I need to get myself a foam roller. I'm putting that on my list of things to get b4 the new year!

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  4. Great tips, Amy! I love my compression gear... and refueling is always fun, too. :) As are rest days... hmm, I think I like all of them other than foam rolling and stretching. That's more of a chore!

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  5. It is...I could do so much better!

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  6. You'll be so glad that you have it!

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  7. My newest must have for recovery is compression! Love it! I'm searching for compression pants now! Any suggestions?

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  8. Ooh, good question Jill! I wear Aspaeris shorts, but would love some compression pants.

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