When you step into the gym and start pressing weights, the only thing on your mind might be to break a personal best on the bench press. Although this takes hard work, discipline and dedicated effort, recovery often is overlooked. Working out excessively will not only compromise your goal achievement, but it will open you up for injury. Overtraining also is often accompanied with fatigue, altered sleep patterns, irritability and even depression. Make a few adjustments to speed up your recovery between workouts while preventing unwanted side effects.
Step 1
Rest your muscles between workouts. It is OK to train on consecutive days, but never work the same muscle on consecutive days. Take at least one day off before targeting the same muscle groups to allow them time to heal.
Step 2
Stretch after all of your training sessions. Walking away from a tough workout without stretching puts you at risk of developing tight muscles and soreness. Spend five to 10 minutes at the end of your workouts doing static stretches for all of your major muscle groups. Static means the stretch is held for an extended period. Hold each stretch for at least 10 seconds.
Step 3
Drink plenty of water. Start drinking water as soon as you wake up and continue to drink it during and after your workouts. If you exercise longer than 60 minutes, The University of Illinois McKinley Health Center recommends using a carb and electrolyte drink.
Step 4
Consume a post-workout shake after heavy weight training sessions. The shake should include a fast-absorbing source of protein and carbohydrates. Whey is a good protein option and maltodextrin is a good carb choice. Protein is an important nutrient to help repair damaged muscle fibers and carbs help restock used up glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrate used for energy. Mix the ingredients in a shaker cup that you can conveniently take to the gym.
Step 5
Get enough sleep every night. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Follow these guidelines as closely as possible.
Tips and Warnings
- Maltodextrin is a powder that you can find at a local supplement store or online. You also have the option of using grape juice in your shake, which also is absorbed quickly. To get a full-body flexibility session, go to a yoga class one or two days a week. Do this on your off days of training.
- If you do not get enough rest each night, you will be exhausted in your workouts and not be able to push hard. Your muscles also will not get the proper amount of rest they need for recovery. It is during sleep that key muscle-building hormones like testosterone and human growth hormone are being released.
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