Proper nutrition is essential if you want to achieve the body you desire. Of course, you don’t have to trust us, you can ask around the gym or speak with the leanest people you know. They will tell you this, eat properly and relax after an intense workout. You should know that you do not have to compete in the Olympics to be an athlete, if you train thoroughly on the regular and have a stable plan for things such as races, you should definitely consider yourself one.
The recovery doctor for Team USA in Rio, Ralph Reiff has claimed that because the muscles are getting rid of fat and waste products, it’s inevitable that the following day you will feel muscle soreness and stiffness. This is why you need to relax them through different methods in order to continue. Below are some tips which will help you with recovery:
Ice-cold bath
There is no secret that absolutely all athletes have a cold bath after a gruelling workout. They really do work because it cools down muscle inflammation by bringing down your body temperature. This will have a positive effect on your recovery because your muscles will get relaxed. You do not need specific times or a plan to do this. When you feel that your muscles are getting stiff, you can have an ice-cold bath. Here are some guidelines:
- Estimate your body temperature and how cold the water should be
- Fill the bathtub with ice or cold water and submerge inside
- If you do not own a bathtub, take an ice-cold shower making sure that your body is getting an equal water distribution
- Focus on the muscles behind your legs and underneath your arms
Infrared Sauna
If you are serious about keeping muscle and getting rid of fat, you should try out this technique which professional athletes swear by. An infrared therapy has many benefits which many people do not know. The technique uses infrared heaters which get absorbed through your skin. Through this, you will sweat and get rid of the toxins that your body carries around. In addition to this, you can burn calories because you will sweat intensively. A study created in America has suggested that a person can sweat around 500 grams and burn around 600 calories. This is equivalent to running around 2 miles. You will be relaxing and burning calories. What more can you possibly want?
Relax
A good night sleep is beneficial for many more other things, not just recovery. After an intense workout, you already feel your muscles weaker as they begin to relax. Great athletes have suggested that if the schedule is relaxed, you should definitely have micro-naps around 20 minutes per day. The more sleep you get, the faster you will get back to work. It’s a known fact that our bodies get repaired whilst you sleep. Furthermore, you may think that training thoroughly for weeks on end, you will develop strong muscles. This is false information. A good personal trainer should have advised you to develop a plan where you workout intensely for 4 weeks and you take a week out where you only do around 50% of the workouts. This will allow your body to recover and you will inevitably come back stronger. Here are some tips:
- Include light training for a short period of time
- Do not force your muscles if you think they can’t handle it
- Sleep
- Help your muscles to relax and do not overdrive them
Post-workout nutrition
It’s known that what you eat after you workout is the most important thing because it can have an impact on your muscle growth. Even if you believe that you are eating the right carbs you should know that it’s important to evaluate how much you have of them. By having a balanced diet overall, you will provide your body with the right nutrition in order for your muscles to recover. Try to have a diet which is high in protein and low in carbs (nothing above 200 calories) and drink a lot of water. It’s important to your body is properly hydrated because the body needs to refill its energy properly. Below are some more tips to do with nutrition:
- Re-hydrate straight after your workout
- Feed your body within an hour post-workout
- Have a snack which is high in protein
- Have a balanced diet
To wrap it up
There are many tips which you can follow that will help you to perform better or recover faster. Remember the saying, sore today but strong tomorrow. As well as, by putting your muscles into overdrive does not mean you will necessarily develop strong muscles, you will be risking hurting yourself and never properly recover.
