Getting to the gym and killing it with your workout is one thing, but sustaining your efforts outside of the gym, in the long run, is another. When it comes to recovering in-between your training sessions you will need to ensure that you have a number of different factors dialled in.
You could make it to the gym seven days a week and still not see the results that you deserve if you are not giving your body the chance it needs to recover and grow.
There are many things that you can adopt in your weekly workout schedule in order to improve the repair process in your muscles and give you the results that you want.
Your muscles are worked hard when you are training to improve in a given sport or in the gym. It is important that you are giving your muscles what they need in order to recover and grow. When your muscles are sore after exercise you will need to get them prepared for your next session with proper sleep and nutrition.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the factors that influence your body’s ability to recover.
This will help to inform you on how to give your muscles the rest that they deserve and assist you in accomplishing the goals that you set out for yourself at the beginning of your fitness journey.
How you can improve your muscle recovery:
- After your workout, grab a shake or a snack. A snack containing both carbohydrates and protein can help improve your muscle recovery time.
- Also remember to foam roll and stretch when you are finished with your exercises.
- It is also essential that your body gets the rest that it needs between your training sessions, so don't skip rest days.
- Reducing stress can also do a lot for the rate your muscle repairs.
We all know just how difficult it can be to stay motivated with our workouts.
Maximising your muscle recovery
The number of calories that you are consuming over the course of a week will have a significant impact on your body’s ability to recover in between your sessions. Of course, it will also matter what these calories are comprised of.
Of course you will also need to reach your macronutrient count each day or at least meet an average amount each week.
While a calorie is a calorie when it comes to gaining or losing weight, whether that calorie comes from proteins, fats or carbs will also play a role in determining the speed of your overall muscle recovery and growth.
There are countless supplements for muscle recovery that might also help your body to recover at a faster rate. Muscle recovery supplements can be quite expensive, so make sure that you have your sleep and nutrition nailed down before you spend any money.
Your proteins, fats and carbs will need to be consumed in a certain ratio, this will depend on your gender, age, activity level and training goals. Don’t worry there are plenty of macronutrient counters available online that can get you started.
Without getting too much into the nitty gritty of nutrition, with recovery in mind you will likely need to focus primarily on your protein consumption. This is important in order to ensure you are getting the recovery that your body needs.
The most well-known help for recuperation after exercise may be proteins. Protein is present in every human cell. It is continually being produced and degraded in various parts of the body because its primary function in the body is to repair cells and damaged tissue.
Because it is primarily used for building and repair rather than as an energy source, proteins are kept in the muscles and organs as opposed to fats and carbs. However, as was already stated, it should only be used as a last resort.
In the end, protein helps repair the muscles torn apart during exercise by binding them together.
So whether that means that you need to cook yourself an extra nutritious meal when you get back from your personal training session or you need to pack a protein shake with you in your gym bag, make sure that your body is getting what it needs for strenuous gym sessions.
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Getting the right amount of recovery
If you are looking to maximise your performance in the gym then you will need to consider the amount of recovery that you allow yourself between each session.
This will depend on the intensity of your workouts and how often you are training the respective muscle group a week.
These are considerations that you will need to make of your plan on training upwards of three or four times a week.
If your primary goal is muscle growth then you might want to split your workouts so that you target different muscle groups between your sessions. This is known as your workout split. This process ensures that the muscles you are training are cycled, optimising the amount of rest you are giving your body.
You can look at it as actively resting while you are still going to the gym in the meantime.
The frequency with which you decide to train your muscles will again depend on your goals as well as the level that you are at with your training level.
Most experienced lifters that are concerned primarily with muscle growth aim to train each muscle group at least twice a week. The number of days that they manage to accomplish this will depend on how they structure their personal training or private gym sessions.
For a marathon runner who training for a big race, they might find that two major sessions per week are optimal given the amount of energy that is expended in each run.
They might wish to incorporate some low intensity running sessions into their workout routine in-between in order to ensure that their body is adequately recovered while ensuring that they stay on track with their training.
Listening to your body and giving it the time that it deserves is pivotal when trying to maximise muscle recovery, though this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to remain on the couch and can be integrated into your personal training routine.
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Other factors affecting muscle recovery
There are many more factors that will influence your body’s ability to recover while you are working out. There is no getting around the importance of hydration when you are training.
The amount of stress that you are under can impact how much recovery your muscles get. If you are studying for exams or have a strenuous workload at work you might find that you are less prepared to step foot in the gym after your previous workouts.
Though your age will also play a big part in this, you will likely find your body becoming less forgiving with time. So make sure to adhere to a program that allows your body the rest that it needs in order to ensure that your muscles are fully recovered before you start training again.
Stress has a more negative impact on us as we become older, and we don't bounce back as quickly. A 20-year-old who is primarily concerned with getting to class, working out five days a week, and recovering from extracurricular activities can handle a lot of pressure.
If you are much older than that on the other hand and have adolescent children at home, a full-time job, and financial difficulties, you will of course require additional recovery time.
You will need to take your age and capacity for recovery, primary exercise objective and life stresses into account when creating a weekly schedule for your personal training sessions.
Most lifters find that 2-4 sessions per week are more than enough when looking to achieve their goals in the gym, though this will of course depend on what your respective goals are. Training for professional competition in sports will need a higher level of fitness than trying to shed a few unwanted pounds before a family holiday.
Senior lifters should also consider limiting the exercises that they carry out in their programme. This will help to make sure that their body fully recovered between sessions so that they can train more frequently. This is likely to benefit them more in the long term, provided their schedule allows for more gym sessions of course!
Make the right changes to maximise your muscle recovery.
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