Whether you are a top athlete or only occasionally at the gym, optimal recovery from training is extremely important.
When you recover well and optimally, you promote muscle growth, contribute to sufficient nutrients, and are quickly ready for the next effort.
Rest and relaxation are of course important for recovery, but your diet and sleep pattern are also important. Additionally, you can promote active recovery by performing light exercise on a cross trainer or enjoying a massage with a massage gun.
Healthy nutrition contributes to good recovery
Many athletes use dietary supplements to promote recovery (1). Most dietary supplements are based on whey proteins and creatine or caffeine.
These substances ensure your muscles receive enough nutrients so your body can recover optimally. Moreover, creatine increases your explosiveness and helps your body absorb vitamins faster from your daily diet (2).
For athletes, especially B vitamins, magnesium, amino acids, and coenzymes are important.
These vitamins and minerals provide energy to your body, allowing you to replenish your energy levels after intense exertion. Nutrition is therefore one of the most important factors determining your sports performance and can help you perform optimally and recover fully (3).
Ensure sufficient sleep and avoid stress
If you exercise regularly, you benefit from a good sleep pattern. A night of poor sleep will not immediately affect your performance, but when you chronically suffer from sleep deprivation, the effects will certainly be noticeable (4).
Although little research has been done on the relationship between sleep and physical exercise, these two factors can significantly influence each other. Do you want to make the most of your sports performance and get the best out of yourself? Then ensure a healthy sleep pattern that maintains a good day and night rhythm.
A healthy sleep pattern also prevents stress, which in turn affects good muscle recovery. When you have too much stress, you produce too much stress hormone (cortisol), which actually counteracts muscle recovery and promotes muscle breakdown.
So if you want to recover optimally after a workout, avoid stress and try to relax well so your muscles also have time to recover.
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Let your muscles relax with light training, massage, or yoga.
It can happen that you have muscle soreness or are tired after your training. It is then very tempting to sit on the couch and do nothing.
However, it is more pleasant for your muscles to recover actively with, for example, a walk or light training. This gives your muscles more oxygen, which will promote muscle recovery.
The same applies to a light massage with which you optimize the oxygen uptake of the muscles. Your massage does not have to be a sports massage; light pressure with, for example, a massage gun is sufficient.
Waste products are then removed faster, which promotes the recovery of your muscles. Make sure the massage does not cause pain. That is not necessary and also not effective. The massage should feel pleasant and give you a relaxed feeling.
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So, are you curious about ways to optimally recover from your training or competition? Then consider the following points:
- Aim for a healthy diet with sufficient protein
- Ensure a good day and night rhythm
- Avoid stress
- Give your muscles active rest with light training or a pleasant massage
Have you maintained a healthy diet and taken enough rest between training sessions? Then nothing will stand in the way of optimal muscle recovery.
Sources:
(1) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-313-8808-0_520
(2) https://www.ivg-info.nl/nieuws/voedingssupplementen-voor-topsporters/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm49U74a7eAXfQXsEWREu7NKVqJUcIc1Dr417EbiyK4pDbdMwib7Szg8aAoK1EALw_wcB
(3) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-313-6521-0_17
(4) https://www.allesoversport.nl/thema/topsport
