To avoid burnout or overtraining , be aware of telltale signs like poor sleep, fatigue, lowered immunity or constant achy muscles. Feeling rested, recovered and ready to get back into it?

Check out our trainers' top workout tips. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine.

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Login with Facebook. Log In or Sign Up. Sweat App Logout. Pick a username Username is invalid or already taken. Save Changes. Home Blog fitness How To Speed Up Muscle Recovery: 14 Proven Ways Home Blog Fitness How To Speed Up Muscle Recovery: 14 Proven Ways.

Sweat - sweat. How to speed up muscle recovery The Sweat trainers often receive questions from the Sweat Community about how to relieve sore muscles after a workout. Hydrate Drinking water is essential for your overall health and post-workout recovery, including muscle repair.

What about supplements? Warm up before your workouts According to Mayo Clinic , taking the time to complete an effective warm-up may help to reduce muscle soreness and risk of injury. Make time to cool down Alongside a warm-up, the Mayo Clinic recommends including cool-down exercises after your workout to allow your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure to gradually recover from a tough workout or HIIT session.

Foam roll A meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery found that foam rolling before and after a workout can also help improve performance while also promoting flexibility. Take a cool bath or shower Post-workout soreness is usually caused by micro-tears in your muscles - a normal process that occurs as your muscles adapt to the workload and become stronger.

Keep moving Light movement in between your workouts, such as walking and stretching, can help to promote blood flow, bringing nutrients to repair the muscles and assisting with the removal of metabolic waste.

Wear compression tights Research from on the effects of compression garments on recovery observed significant positive effects on performance, with the researchers recommending athletes wear compression tights immediately after intense exercise based on these results.

Reduce stress Did you know your emotional and mental wellbeing can affect your muscle recovery? It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Author Rory Donnelly. Published August 27 For many people, the gym is the place where the real magic happens.

But in fact, the real magic does not happen in the gym but out of it. When you workout, your body breaks down physically — it breaks the muscle fibers, the connective tissues, and also your immune system.

But when you rest, your body recovers and repairs all those damaged muscle tissues and ensures you come back stronger than ever before. How to speed up post workout recovery?

Adopt these ten habits for post-workout recovery to benefit more from your workouts and kick your fitness up a notch: Wear Compression Clothing Compression clothing can be worn during your workout to prevent rashes and chafing.

Recent Blog. What is a Perfect Towel Size: Your Guide to February 14, How to Towel Dry Hair Without the Damage February 14, How Many Towels Do I Need? January 24, How Antimicrobial Gym Towels Keep You Fresh, December 19, December 04, Popular Products. Regular price £ Anti-Microbial Copper Compression Full Finger Gloves Destroys After a workout, your body immediately goes into repair mode, as it is rebuilding muscle tissue and replenishing depleted glycogen stores.

To do this, it needs carbohydrates, protein, and fluids, so here are some tips to help you optimize your post-workout nutrition.

Carbohydrates replenish depleted muscle and liver glycogen stores. Dietary protein jumpstarts muscle protein synthesis MPS. Interestingly, research shows that post-workout protein intake g within two hours of finishing a workout stimulates robust increases in MPS that can benefit both recovery and future performance [ 5.

The more active you are, the more protein and carbohydrates you will need to support the physical demands of training and recovery. Evidence has shownthat a post workout recovery supplement like protein powder can boost physical performance and recovery and increase lean body mass, muscle hypertrophy, and strength [ 9.

Personalized protein supplements, like Elo Smart Protein. Getting enough carbs and protein is top priority, but evidence suggests pairing carbs and protein in a to ratio may further enhance protein synthesis [ 5.

Fluids are vital for maintaining normal body function, delivering key nutrients to tired muscles, and removing metabolic byproducts and toxins from the body [ 5. After prioritizing carbs, protein, and fluids, you may wonder what else you can include in your post-workout nutrition plan to optimize recovery.

As it turns out, a handful of supplements may have some post-workout perks. Here are some supplements for workout recovery. Tart cherries are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. A growing body of research shows that tart cherry juice can improve performance, reduce pain, soreness, and inflammation, and accelerate strength recovery after both strength and endurance exercises [ Most studies that have shown benefits have used ounces 1 ounce if in concentrate form twice a day, days leading up to an event or strenuous exercise, and days after to promote recovery [ Like creatine, glutamine is a naturally occurring amino acid naturally found in muscles.

Research shows supplementation with glutamine can reduce strength loss, accelerate strength recovery, and reduce muscle soreness more quickly than a placebo [ Glutamine supplements, also commonly labeled as L-glutamine, are available in powder and capsule form. Daily dosages ranging from 0.

Omega-3 fatty acids specifically DHA and EPA have anti-inflammatory benefits that may reduce soreness, enhance recovery and repair from muscle-damaging exercise, and help with injury prevention [ Curcumin, the main compound in turmeric. Studies indicate that , mg of turmeric per day may improve post-exercise recovery and reduce muscle soreness.

One study found that ingestion before exercise could attenuate acute inflammation, and after exercise, it could reduce muscle damage and facilitate faster recovery [ In addition to personalized protein.

Cold water immersion CWI is a popular recovery strategy among athletes aimed at enhancing recovery from strenuous exercise. CWI is associated with several short-term benefits related to post-exercise recovery, including reduced muscle soreness, perception of fatigue, and markers of inflammation and muscle damage after strenuous exercise, as well as faster recovery of muscle strength [ Studies also show that reductions in muscle soreness, inflammation, and pain from cold water immersion can lead to improved sleep quality, another key factor in workout recovery [ Many athletes make massage part of their regular recovery regimen —and for good reason.

Evidence shows massage decreases DOMS and promotes small but significant improvements in flexibility [ Research shows daily foam rolling can also be effective in reducing soreness and increasing the range of motion in athletes [ The increase in range of motion in the foam rolling group also lasted significantly longer than the almost negligible increase in the control group [ The importance of sleep and taking rest days cannot be overemphasized when it comes to recovery and improving performance.

Poor sleep quality is associated with poor mood, impaired motor skills, decreased alertness, pre-training fatigue, impaired performance, prolonged recovery, and increased perceived exertion during exercise [ In studies, sleep-deprived athletes had significantly reduced levels of human growth hormone HGH , a hormone that stimulates muscle growth and repair, as well as bone building and fat burning.

On the contrary, deep sleep and longer sleep seem to encourage more HGH production. For optimal performance and recovery, experts recommend getting between hours of sleep nightly [ If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, here are some safe sleep supplements. Adequate rest days are also key for recovery as they give your muscles time to heal, get stronger, and help prevent injury.

Signs you might need more rest days include persistent muscle soreness, difficulty completing a workout, frequent feelings of sluggishness following exercise, reduced weight loss or muscle gain from working out, and increased irritability, insomnia, or mood swings [ A rest day can be a day of complete relaxation or a lightly active day that incorporates gentle movement such as walking, yoga, or housework.

While exercise is predominantly good for our mental health, it can also have a negative effect. From overcoming injury to managing performance anxiety and expectations, mental health struggles are common and enduring among athletes and everyday exercisers alike.

Sports psychology can help you improve mental toughness, reduce fatigue, cope with the pressures of competition, stick with an exercise program, and even overcome injuries — all of which may correlate with better performance and recovery [ A sports psychologist can help you improve your psychological and physical health, and may use techniques like visualization, goal-setting, positive self-talk, attentional focus, relaxation, motivation, and team building to help individuals cope with mental stressors associated with exercise and athletic competition [ The ultimate guide to post-workout nutrition.

The best muscle recovery supplements, according to science. The best pre- and post-workout strategies for cyclists. Working out is tough on the body and can leave you feeling sore, low on energy, and make you more susceptible to getting sick.

Science shows the best way to recover from workouts is to prioritize post-workout nutrition and supplements and incorporate cold water immersion, rest, massage, and sports psychology into your recovery routine.

Learn more about how Elo Health. Disclaimer: The text, images, videos, and other media on this page are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to treat, diagnose or replace personalized medical care.

After a workout, aim to get g of protein, g of carbs, and cups of fluid per pound of body weight lost within 60 minutes of finishing your workout. Supplements like creatine, tart cherry, glutamine, curcumin, and omega-3s may provide added benefits when it comes to recovery.

Sports psychology, cold water immersion, massage or foam rolling and making sleep and rest days a priority in your routine are other ways you can boost post workout recovery.

Murray, B. Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes.

Workouts deplete your energy. If you expect your body to recover faster, you need to replenish the lost energy. Try to eat high-protein foods and carbohydrates within 60 minutes of the end of your workout.

A body with a low level of magnesium experiences cramping, spasms, and muscle tension. Take magnesium supplements to speed up the recovery process by promoting proper muscle and nerve function.

The muscle recovery phase is important because it is during this time; your body will rebuild and re-energize your muscles. Stretching is one of the best muscle recovery tips to follow to prevent future injuries.

Your muscle tightens as you exercise. Stretching every day, relaxes the muscle stiffness and decreases its soreness the next day. After an intense workout, have cold water or an ice bath.

It instantly reduces muscle soreness and inflammation and helps you recover faster. Massaging the sore muscles not only improves blood circulation but also makes you feel good. Foam rollers can be a great help here. Run the foam rollers over your sore muscles when you wake up, before going to bed and before your workout.

The rollers increase the blood flow, relax the muscle tension, reduce inflammation, and break up scar tissue and knots. Add a few light resistance exercises, such as yoga, walking, swimming, etc. to the end of your workout. This increases your blood flow and the nutrients to the muscles after the training session.

It helps remove waste products like lactic acid that can prolong the muscle recovery process, repair the muscles, and refuel faster.

If you pay close attention to your body, it will let you what it needs and when it needs it to recover faster. Get compression clothing for faster post-workout muscle recovery from Copper Clothing. Explore your options here. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Author Rory Donnelly. Published August 27 For many people, the gym is the place where the real magic happens. But in fact, the real magic does not happen in the gym but out of it. When you workout, your body breaks down physically — it breaks the muscle fibers, the connective tissues, and also your immune system.

But when you rest, your body recovers and repairs all those damaged muscle tissues and ensures you come back stronger than ever before. How to speed up post workout recovery?

Your body can only repair the damage caused by exercise if you provide it with the building blocks it needs. These include protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals and vitamins. Exercise nutrition is a complex field and there is no one-size-fits-all. What you need and when you need it will all depend on your own body, the type of exercise you do and what your aims are.

Your total calorie consumption is very important, but not for the reasons you may think. This is often most relevant for athletes who do high volumes of training e.

endurance athletes and triathletes. Protein is the main building block for muscles. Did you know that protein can also help endurance? Research has found that eating protein after exercise increases your mitochondrial proteins in your cells. Read more about how to best use protein here. Carbohydrate intake during and after sports has become a hotly debated subject over the last few years with some athletes preferring to follow very low carb and high fat diets while others are sticking to more traditional higher carb diets.

From what I could find by looking at the current research it still looks as if the quickest way to restore your muscle energy stores is still by eating a carbohydrate rich meal after exercise.

How much do you need? That will vary depending on your body size, training session and ultimate goals. In general I'll advise that you steer clear of any refined carbohydrates unless you have to compete again in a couple of hours.

In summary: Make sure that you eat a balanced diet and time at least one of your meals within 2 hours after your training session. It should be clear by now that your body needs rest after exercise in order to restore itself.

Plan your days. Several studies in the last few years have shown that getting enough quality sleep is a very important part of recovery. This is the time that your body uses to repair. Not only does a lack of sleep affect your mood and brain function, but some studies have shown direct links between lack of sleep and an increased risk of getting injured.

Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. The problem is that hard training can affect the quality of your sleep. There are plenty of things that could help you sleep better e. limiting screen time, watching how much caffeine you use, not eating too late at night etc.

Compression socks: They can help recovery by improving circulation and lymph drainage. Ice baths: Yes and No. These can be useful depending on your specific goals for that day.

Food: Eating a balanced meal within 2 hours of exercise will give you best recovery results. How much you need of what will depend on your body, training type and goals. Active recovery: This can help your lungs and heart recover quicker. Stretching: This can help you regain your flexibility and range of motion.

It does not have any effect on DOMS. Need more help with your injury? Maryke Louw is a chartered physiotherapist with more than 15 years' experience and a Masters Degree in Sports Injury Management.

Follow her on LinkedIn or ReasearchGate. Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SH, et al. Carbohydrates for training and competition. Journal of sports sciences ;29 sup1 :SS Diet And Stress Fractures In Male Athletes — Has The Research Finally Caught Up? Do compression socks work?

Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, et al. 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 ; Ice Baths for Recovery- Black, white or somewhere in between? Is your spiky ball or foam roller as effective as a sports massage?

Simpson, N. and Matheson, G. Scand J Med Sci Sports,