POST EXERCISE RECOVERY

If you want the best results fromyour exercise program, then it is important to have a specific strategy for what you do after your workouts to help ensure that the stimulus has the desired effect. Yes, high intensity exercise can help burn more calories and heavy resistance training can provide significant benefits like burning fats or increasing strength but doing too much high intensity exercise too frequently will not allow the proper time for your body to rest, recover and replace spent energy or rebuild new muscle tissue.

Too much exercise and not enough rest or proper recovery strategies could lead to over-training. If you have ever experienced a lingering illness, an injury that would not heal or cannot fall asleep even after a hard workout then chances are you might be experiencing the results of too much exercise; having the proper recovery strategies can help you avoid these issues and keep you on the road for getting results.

Just like an exercise program is specific to the individual, a recovery program should be designed to meet the needs of your workouts. It is important to note that recovery does not just mean taking time off to rest.  Following a high-intensity training day with a low-intensity workout can actually help the body recover quicker from the hard workout.  Specific recovery strategies include:

Hot and Cold Treatments.

There is a reason why many health clubs have saunas and whirlpools, the heat from these relaxing environments can actually help promote post-exercise tissue recovery. The heat from a sauna or hot tub increases the body’s circulation which removes metabolic waste products such as hydrogen ions while carrying oxygen and other nutrients necessary to help repair tissue used during the workout.

Another less comfortable but extremely effective option is the use of cold treatments. Ice baths, ice packs, cooling vests or special chairs with pockets for ice packs are all examples of different options available for applying cold treatment. One benefit of cold treatment is it can help cool down the body’s core temperature which is essential when exercising in hot weather or when playing in tournaments that will have multiple competitions on the same day. A second benefit is that it can reduce inflammation and promote healing in tissue that was used during the workout. The cold from the application of ice to a sore muscle or joint brings more blood to the area which brings nutrients and oxygen to help promote healing. Heat or cold, which ever you prefer, can each be used to help promote recovery from a strenuous workout. 

Post workout nutrition.

Proper timing of nutrient intake relative to exercise can promote glycogen replacement and protein re-synthesis. When you exercise, especially high intensity interval training or heavy resistance training, your muscles expend energy and experience physical damage to protein filaments of the muscle fibres. Recent research in the field of nutrient timing suggests that when nutrition is consumed relative to exercise may be more important than what is consumed.

After exercise the body needs to replenish energy with carbohydrates and repair tissue with protein. Having a post-workout snack or drink with a proper ratio of carbohydrates to protein can help with both needs. The carbohydrates will refuel energy needs as well as increase insulin levels which helps to promote the post-exercise utilization of protein for muscle repair. The proper nutrition is especially important after high intensity exercise which can promote the release of the muscle-building hormones. Refueling your body with the recommended nutrition within the recommended time frame will help your body to effectively use the hormones to repair and build new muscle tissue. Research indicates that having a snack or drink with a 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio within thirty-to-forty-five minutes post exercise can help you recover from the day’s activity and get ready for tomorrow’s workout.

Sleeping.

Your body produces most of the cells needed for tissue repair during the deep sleep. If you are planning a high intensity workout then it is important that you have the ability to get a full night’s sleep to allow your neuroendocrine system to play its role in the recovery process. If you have a busy period of work, travel or family obligations then you should adjust your exercise program accordingly and do low-to-moderate intensity workouts until you can return to your normal sleep patterns which can support higher-intensity exercise stimulus. If you normally love hard-charging workouts then the short-term drop in intensity might not feel like you are really exercising but your body will appreciate your lowering the physical stress-load. The danger of too much exercise without proper rest and recovery can lead to injury or illness both of which could keep you out of the gymnasium for lengthy periods of time.

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