The Best Workout Recovery Strategies
Your workout doesn’t finish in the gym- what you do after is just as important. Recovery isn’t just about resting and taking a break, but instead it's about providing your body with the adequate nutrients and mechanics it needs for muscle growth and repair. Recovery is often overlooked despite its important role in fitness progress and muscle gains. So much goes into what makes a recovery efficient, but research has concluded the most effective recovery routines include proper nutrition, adequate hydration, and techniques like active recovery and massage therapy.
Protein: Repair & Rebuild
Protein plays a crucial role in muscle recovery because it supplies the amino acids that are needed for muscle protein synthesis and repair. One study found that consuming 20-40g of high-quality protein after exercise maximized protein synthesis for several hours following the athletes workout. But what does 20-40g of protein actually look like? A serving of 20 grams could be 1 cup of non-fat greek yogurt, 3 oz of lean meat or 3 large eggs. Don’t worry about trying to shovel protein down immediately after a workout, research actually found that it's more important to focus on meeting your protein needs consistently throughout the day rather than immediately after your training window.
Carbohydrates: Refuel
When we eat carbohydrates, we are consuming macromolecules that can be broken down into glucose, which provides energy for activity and can be stored in our muscles as glycogen for later activity. Working out depletes our glycogen stores, so after an intense training session we need to replenish our stores through the consumption of more carbohydrates! This is especially important after long and intense sessions or races where we need to recover quickly. For rapid recovery, researchers recommend incorporating 1-1.2 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour for roughly 4 hours after your workout. Examples of 30 grams of carbohydrates are 1 large banana, 1 cup of rice/pasta or 2 slices of whole-wheat bread. Then, depending on your body weight, you can multiply by 1.5, 2 or 3 to meet your individual carbohydrate needs. Don’t forget about packing snacks in your gym bag as well because adequate carb fueling during your workout will also help with better recovery.
Fighting inflammation
Intense exercise increases oxidative stress and inflammation, which is normal but may contribute to muscle soreness and damage. However, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory food may help manage this oxidative stress. For example, tart cherry juice is rich in anthocyanins and other polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and so researchers tested the effects of the juice on muscle recovery for athletes. They found that 30mL of tart cherry concentrate twice daily before exercise led to a reduction in reported muscle soreness. Omega 3 fatty acids are also famous for regulating inflammation so another group of researchers tested the effects of a high dosage of 4g daily intake of EPA and DHA on athletes and found that their muscle recovery improved. Throughout the day think about including salmon, walnuts, sardines, or flaxseeds into your meals to feel the benefits of antioxidant rich foods.
Hydration: Replenishing
Exercise also leads to substantial fluid and electrolyte losses, especially during long, intense workouts. Significant dehydration can interfere with processes involved in glycogen and muscle protein recovery. Depending on how much you sweat, research recommends drinking 1.25-1.5x the amount you sweat out. You can track your fluid loss by weighing yourself before and after your workout but, as long as you are drinking water consistently throughout the day and your urine is a pale yellow color- you should be hydrated.
Restorative Therapy Techniques: Active Recovery and Massage
Recovery isn’t all about what we are putting into our body but also your post workout movement. Active recovery or gentle massages can help reduce muscle soreness without adding significant stress to the body. Researchers compared seven recovery strategies such as active recovery, stretching, massage, compression garments, immersion, cryotherapy, and contrast water therapy. They found that active recovery and massages led to the most significant reduction in reported muscle soreness when compared to the other therapies mentioned. So after your next workout try engaging in low intensity exercise, such as a light walk, or maybe take a few minutes to massage out your muscles to reduce soreness.
Conclusion
Recovery does not have to be complicated and it does not have to take over your entire day. Small yet intentional choices that you implement into your routine can make a huge difference in your athletic progress. Prioritizing hydration and choosing meals that support the repair of your muscles as well as fight inflammation may help you reach your strength and endurance goals. Also engaging in low intensity movement or giving your muscles a loving massage could help relieve soreness. Keeping these things in mind will have you walking into your next training session feeling rejuvenated and stronger than ever rather than fatigued and sore.
Written By Lillian Graham, Nutrition Intern
Sources
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Dupuy, O., Douzi, W., Theurot, D., Bosquet, L., & Dugué, B. (2018). An Evidence-Based
Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in physiology, 9, 403. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403
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