Tips for Speedy Recovery After Intense Muscle Training

If you’ve invested in some home strength training equipment, you might feel some serious aches and pains in your muscles after working out a few days. Worry not; this is a natural part of exercising. But we know it can feel discouraging to you. To help you get back on track and making the most of your equipment, here are some tips for speedy recovery after intense muscle training.

Keep Yourself Hydrated

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Even once you’ve finished your workout, you need to keep drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated during the muscle recovery period. This will provide your muscles with plenty of oxygen and prevent them from cramping up. In addition to water, something like a post-workout fruit smoothie or milk will help rebalance the electrolytes necessary for a healthy nervous system. Muscle contractions deplete these electrolytes, and thus, you need to replenish them after a long workout.

Don’t Skip the Cool Down

Like the warmup routine beforehand, it’s equally important that you take the time to go through a cool-down period. Many people make the mistake of simply stopping the moment they’ve completed their routine. However, slamming on the breaks like that can lead to more aches and pains later on. A five- to 10-minute jog or short walk is enough to allow your body to slow down your blood flow and reduce your heart rate. Doing some static stretching—the kind where you hold a position—after your jog or walk will also help improve your range of motion while mitigating the aches and pains.

Make Use of Your Rest Days

The best tip for a speedy recovery after intense muscle training will always be to leverage your rest days. Many beginners to fitness will be hesitant to take rest days because they fear that this will kill their motivation. But these days are vital for keeping yourself committed to exercising. Additionally, they allow your body to recover. In fact, it’s during this downtime that your hard work pays off the most, as your muscles rebuild themselves bigger and better than before. Skipping your rest days will only overwork your muscles and exacerbate the pain. So, take a day off. You deserve it.