How to quickly restore muscles after a workout. How to restore strength and energy: traditional methods and folk methods, the best tips

Many athletes and sports enthusiasts do not attach much importance to the recovery of the body after heavy physical exertion. And this is extremely wrong. To restore the body means to return the physical characteristics of a person to normal, to increase adaptive capabilities.

Bodybuilding aims to restore the main physical characteristics of a bodybuilder - endurance, strength, muscle volume. How to quickly recover after a workout? To do this, every athlete must be aware of the recovery phases.

Main phases

Fast phase
slow motion
over recovery,
Delayed phase.

These phases are characterized by different processes in human organisms. Influence on processes leads to faster and more complete recovery. Ignoring knowledge about the phases, you can easily overtrain.

The fast phase begins at the end of the training and lasts thirty minutes. During this period, the metabolism is rebuilt, the body rapidly restores homeostasis. The secretion of stress hormones is normalized, the cardiovascular system returns to normal and the blood vessel system receives anabolics.

The slow phase begins after the body reaches metabolic equilibrium. Protein synthesis occurs, amino acid and enzyme, water and electrolyte balance is restored, nutrients are quickly absorbed from the digestive system and go to repair damaged cells.

Super recovery occurs after physical exertion in two days, and its duration is five days. The phase of prolonged recovery is characterized by a complete return of all physical parameters.

Boxing athletes

An important part of a well-planned training program is the rest period. Unfortunately, the mistake of beginners is to work hard on the exercises and not care about recovery.

The body recovers up to forty-eight hours. Athletes - professionals do not practice the same tasks for two days in a row.

You can restore the body as much as possible if you follow the following rules:

Never overload the body during training,
It is advisable to reduce the pace of training, but not stop completely,
Loss of water during training should be replenished,
Nutrition. Eat a high-quality protein and complex carbohydrate meal an hour and a half after exercise.
Full body massage.
contrast douche,
Dream. During sleep, our body produces growth hormone, which is fully responsible for recovery and tissue growth.

Athletes in running

Loading the leg muscles is not tricky. It is more difficult to return to the initial state for the next workout. In the first minute after running, a recovery process is necessary. It doesn't matter what run you did right away, start stretching all muscle groups, especially the calves.

The next stage is drinking. Replenish the body with the fluid wasted during the run. Drink mineral sweet water without gas. The more the athlete sweats, the more liquid he should drink.

Water procedures and green tea.
Replenishment of carbohydrate food.
Good rest, the longer the better.

Football athletes

In the pre-competitive periods, footballers are content with such means of recovery as a sauna and massage. And this is not enough for an effective adaptation period.

The most important restorative aspects are considered to be the normalization of the water-salt balance of the body, energy resources.

The training process of football players requires means accelerating the recovery period. These include the following types:

Psychological and restorative means,
Pedagogical,
hygiene product,
medical plus biological,
Preventive.

If you take note of all these funds, then the recovery will be effective.

In the gym

The post-sport activities can determine whether your body has recovered well enough and whether it will be easy for you to train in the following days.

Inactivity after a working day will lead to injuries, lack of energy reserves, severe pain in muscle groups. A full recovery will make it possible to carry out the next workout with high quality.

To avoid stagnation, it is necessary to fulfill certain conditions during the recovery period:

Muscle growth happens best during sleep. Six hours of rest is not enough for muscle groups to rest. Naturally, there can be no question of any growth. Eight hours of sleep is ideal.
Balanced diet. This is a very important element during the conduct of the body back to normal. You need to eat five times a day, replenishing the reserves with carbohydrates and protein. Metabolism from six in the morning to twelve in the afternoon is maximum.
Performance can be improved by using additives.
whey protein,
The amino acid glitamine
Multivitamins.

Powerlifting and recovery process

In weightlifting, recovery comes first. Regular training requires alternating load and task emphasis between strength and endurance. It is necessary to conduct a high-quality recovery process, warm up, perform hitches and many other things this sport requires.

A large load during training forces muscle groups to work. The actions performed cause an anabolic process in the body, which helps in the growth of muscle tissue. But it is growth that takes place during rest. Therefore, athletes need a healthy sleep.

Rested muscle groups are ready to work again, muscles that have not received normal recovery create an injury risk.

It is no less dangerous for an athlete to overtrain. During this period, the desire to conduct high-quality training disappears, a person forces himself to work.

Such a psychological attitude should make you think about the reason for the current situation and make a thorough analysis of it.

Pulse. Deviation and norm

An important informative indicator of the fitness of an athlete and a person in general is the pulse reading. It will tell you if the load during the workout is low or if you are close to overtraining. By the pulse, you can determine the result of training.

The normal pulse rate for a person at rest is from 60 to 80 beats per minute. Athletes who train constantly have heart rate readings at rest - from 60 to 40 beats per minute. Power sports athletes have a reading of at least seventy strokes in sixty seconds.

With increasing fitness, resting heart rate decreases. A slow recovery period or a reduction in pulse beats indicates a physical overload of the body during training. An excellent indicator is the pulse at rest.

How to quickly recover after a workout, we figured it out in detail. You need to take the recovery period very seriously and fulfill all the conditions of the process.

0 7987 2 years ago

Full recovery after training is a factor no less important for achieving the desired result than the training itself. Without understanding the basics of the process, it is impossible to progress. Neither competent nutrition, nor vitamins with sports nutrition, nor even drugs will help. This article is about how to properly recover and steadily increase physical performance.

Theoretical Foundations of Recovery

The human body is a complex self-healing and self-sustaining system. At rest, all subsystems are at a point of equilibrium - the processes proceed at the usual pace for a particular organism. Going beyond the stable state provokes the body to turn to reserves. As a result of active physical activity and recovery, the adaptive capabilities of a person increase.

Serious sports results are unattainable without powerful training. The recovery phase must be adequate to the loads. The body must “understand” that it cannot survive without adapting to new realities. But he also needs the opportunity to find the strength to adapt to stress - an increase in performance occurs during this period. One without the other makes no sense.

If you neglect muscle recovery after training, you can very quickly come to a training plateau (stagnation). Least. In the worst case, the athlete is expected to overtrain. And hence the drop in results and health problems.

There are 4 main recovery phases:

Fast recovery after training. It starts immediately after the end of the workout and lasts about 30 minutes. At this time, the body is in a "panic" and seeks to make up for losses as quickly as possible. It is very important to restore the balance of nutrients.
Slow. After achieving metabolic balance, the body begins to heal damaged tissues and cells. In this phase, protein, amino acid and enzyme synthesis is activated, the water-electrolyte balance returns to normal, the digestive system actively absorbs substances that serve as a building material for muscles.
Supercompensation. The phase that occurs 2-3 days after heavy loads. The duration of the period is up to 5 days. Super recovery resembles a slow phase, but the difference lies in the fact that at this time there is an increase in physical performance. The next workout must be done before the body leaves the supercompensation stage, otherwise the training will turn into marking time.
Delayed. If you skip workouts, you can achieve a good recovery, but without increasing athletic performance. This stage takes place if the previous one is delayed.

How long does it take for muscles to recover?

The specified duration of the third phase of recovery after a hard workout is somewhat arbitrary. Training to complete muscle failure may require more time to compensate for the loss. Theorists and practitioners of bodybuilding (for example, M. Mentzer), using the examples of their students, demonstrate the need for a longer rest to achieve serious results.

The ability to recover is individual and, moreover, depends on the presence or absence of pharmaceutical support. Personal parameters can only be found experimentally.

The table shows the average muscle recovery time after a workout.

Recovery rates

It's not just muscles that recover. It is important to know about the indicators of recovery of the body after training in general and the time required to bring biochemical processes back to normal.

Recovery rates:

increase in results - only with the complete completion of the recovery processes;
well-being - with a lack of recovery, the athlete may feel unwell, the desire to train may disappear, there is a decline in volitional indicators;
sleep - recovering correctly, the athlete has the right to count on a healthy and productive sleep; otherwise, a constant feeling of drowsiness (especially in the morning) and problems with falling asleep are in the order of things;
pulse - normal - 75 beats / min a couple of hours after training; with a higher heart rate, you need to think either about the presence of overtraining, or about deeper problems (for example, with the heart).

The following table shows the time it takes the body to complete the recovery biochemical processes after active physical activity.

Recovery techniques after fatigue

You can recover in different ways. Better - in a complex, using various techniques. The greater the load on the body and the factors that negatively affect the ability to recover, the more attention should be paid to rehabilitation aspects. Approximately half of sports success depends on how competent recovery after training is. If the results are not encouraging, you need to look for the cause not only in the imperfection of the training approach, but also in problems regarding the opposite phase. Further - how to reduce the time of rehabilitation and increase athletic performance.

Active Recovery

Lactic acid will leave the muscles faster if moderate aerobic exercise helps it. A 10-minute run helps to accelerate the removal of decay products - during this time, about 60% of the acid is removed. The next 10 minutes of easy running equals about 25% more lactic acid. Conclusion - after heavy training, aerobic exercise is useful. A 20-minute jog will help to significantly increase the rate of elimination of unwanted substances from the muscles.

Complete rest or passive rest

The fundamental need of the human body and the athlete in particular. Intense training forces athletes to sleep at least 8-10 hours a day. This time includes 1-2 short phases of daytime sleep. By stealing sleep from himself, the athlete deprives himself of the hope of revealing his physical potential.

Quality is just as important as quantity. Certain aspects must be followed, including:

Regime compliance. You need to get up and go to bed at the same time.
Sleep continuity. You can’t sleep in fits and starts - 3 “approaches” of 3 hours are by no means equal to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Maintain a small interval between training and sleep. The body needs at least 30-40 minutes to prepare for sleep.
Comfort. The process should not cause inconvenience even at a subconscious level. It is recommended to sleep on an orthopedic bed in a room with optimal temperature and other conditions.

Massage

(and one of its options - recovery) - a prerequisite for the training of professional athletes. The effect of working with soft tissues is achieved through mechanical and sensory stimulation.

The mechanical effect is expressed in:

reduced swelling of muscle tissue;
relief of muscle fatigue;
improvement of lymph and blood circulation;
removal of muscle spasms;
saturation of tissues with oxygen;
accelerate the elimination of metabolic products from tissues.

The sensory effect is relatively unexplored. "Massage" recovery after strength training helps to reduce pain. This is achieved through a gradual increase in sensory input to the CNS. In order to achieve such a result, the damaged (actively participating in the training process) muscle groups should be massaged slowly and gently.

Light stimulation of the skin promotes short-term capillary expansion. More intense exposure leads to a lasting effect.

Restorative massage is performed 10-15 minutes after the end of the workout. This is one of the differences between this type of mechanical tissue stimulation and others. The interval can be increased, but it is not recommended to tighten it too much.

The average duration of a session is 15-20 minutes. An hour after the procedure, it is desirable to repeat it, but in a truncated form - no more than 5 minutes. First of all, the “working” muscles are massaged. If training involves a load on the whole body, all muscle groups are “processed”. But at the same time, a little more attention to large muscles that require more recovery time.

Heat and cold therapy

The massage is perfectly complemented by thermotherapy – sauna with a bath, steam baths, hot wrap. Thermal procedures well prepare the body for mechanical stimulation.

If a bath with a sauna is not always available, then it is not necessary to deprive yourself of a wrap. Although the procedure has a beneficial effect primarily on the skin, there is also a considerable overall effect. If you act on the body for 20-30 minutes, the blood will begin to circulate in the muscles much more actively. But sometimes the heating of the skin is excessive, while the useful heat does not have time to reach the soft tissues. Therefore, wrapping is best viewed as a means to relax athletes and quickly increase body surface temperature.

How to speed up recovery after a workout? Low temperature is also helpful. Cold therapy helps to reduce muscle swelling and has an overall positive physical effect. Therapy may include:

cold wrap - 10-15 minutes;
ice baths - 5-10 minutes;
rubbing the muscles with ice.

The most powerful effect of ice is achieved during the procedure performed immediately after the end of the workout.

Diet and nutritional supplements

Nutrition is the most important factor that determines the adaptive capacity of the organism. It is important to understand how and what to take for post-workout recovery. The general rule of nutrition implies that the intake of nutrients should approximately equal their consumption. When mass gaining, they proceed from a larger “income”, during a fat race, from greater energy losses.

Diet is extremely important. In addition to the main building blocks - proteins, the body is in dire need of carbohydrates. If the intake of the latter is not enough, recovery is much slower.

The timing of meals is also important. The classic three meals a day scheme is less effective than the model, which implies a more fractional diet. Meals should be at least four times a day. Recommended ratio of meals (% of the daily diet):

breakfast - 20-25;
second breakfast - 15-20;
lunch - 30-35;
dinner - 20-25.

At the same time, the interval between approaches to the table is a maximum of 4 hours, and between extreme methods - no more than 12 hours. Just before training, do not fill your stomach. After training, it is advisable to refrain from poorly digested food - at this time, gastric juice is not enough for its effective splitting.

A balanced diet for athletes who regularly train hard is not enough. Vitamin and mineral supplements cannot be ignored. In most cases, we can talk about the lack of the entire vitamin complex. The only exception is vitamin A, which can be fully obtained from ordinary food.

The amount of supplementation depends on the training phase. Stages of lower intensity are not as demanding on the intake of minerals and vitamins as periods of powerful preparation for competitions.

Be sure to satisfy the body's need for fluid. During training, athletes need to compensate for the lack of water by drinking the latter in small sips. It must be remembered that drinking after a workout for recovery - a lot and often - is no less important than following a proper diet.

Psychological recovery

The intensity of training is determined by both physical and psychological well-being. Overtraining inevitably leads to a drop in motivation. And this is necessarily followed by problems with strong-willed qualities. The brain loses the ability to concentrate - the body receives less load.

But it is not enough to rest as much as you need. Problems outside of sports affect the body in a similar way. Therefore, it is extremely important to learn to resist emotional discomfort. The first assistant in this is regular relaxation. Meditation and physical relaxation will help to adequately respond to circumstances and avoid negative psychological outbursts.

How to understand that the muscles have recovered?

Lack of muscle pain, high motivation, a surge of strength are signs that it's time to go back to the gym. But it is not always possible to believe the obvious "signs". The most important feature is a combination of these factors with regular progress. The absence of the latter may also indicate an illiterate approach to training. But if you know that everything is in order with the training scheme, and there is no end to stagnation, you need to think hard.

Training requires constant introspection. This is the only way to get a relatively complete picture of the training and individual characteristics.

Hello do4a.net visitors!
Experienced athletes know that muscles and their performance increase during rest. To gain muscle mass, I believe that recovery should be prioritized over building the training process. In this article, I want to make my TOP 10 reducers. So, let's get down to business.
10th place Restoration of the nervous system
In addition to muscle recovery, the athlete also needs to restore their nervous system. From frequent training in a heavy style, whether it's constant work to failure or working with limit weights, they put a lot of stress on our nervous system. Such an overload can lead to general discomfort, headaches, lethargy, drowsiness, irritability, as well as to more serious consequences, such as a decrease or increase in pressure, arrhythmia, an increase in the concentration of lactic acid, and respiratory disorders. I think it’s a no brainer that all this negatively affects the results of the athlete.
I think the best solution to the problem is adequate rest. Do not drive your body to such a critical state. Here it is worth considering the fact that everyone has different capabilities of the body. Therefore, you need to listen to your condition, and if something is not in order, it is better to skip the workout.
9th place Water procedures
Water treatments such as a contrast shower and an ice bath stand apart. A contrast shower will harden your body, increase blood flow, which will lead to a faster removal of decay products from the muscle. Experts advise taking a contrast shower according to the following scheme: 30 seconds hot water, 30 seconds cold water. Repeat this cycle several times. I think this is one of the most affordable recovery tools. I hope each of you has showers and hot water at home. Definitely an ice bath is a less pleasant way, but this method of muscle recovery after training also exists. A cold bath reduces muscle pain, inflammation and tension (water temperature approx. 12-15°C). In cold water, the blood vessels will better cleanse the body of the "waste" after training and the healing processes are significantly improved. Some people say that it really works, others call it complete nonsense, but each body reacts differently, so try and choose what is right for you.
8th place Bath and sauna
Exposure to high temperatures improves blood circulation in the muscles, so that end products of metabolism, such as lactic acid, are removed from them faster. The result is the cessation of discomfort in the muscles, a feeling of relaxation and rest. If you regularly arrange such a workout in the sauna for your muscles, you can achieve a decrease in the period of fatigue. According to research, after a steam room, the strength measured on a dynamometer and a bicycle ergometer increases.
Bath procedures also have a very beneficial effect on the joints, increasing their mobility. The elasticity of the connective tissue also increases. The bath is very important in the issue of prevention and rehabilitation after injuries in athletes. Bruises and sprains are best and fastest treated in the steam room.
7th place Massage
This is a wonderful universal restorative remedy, one of the best, and quickly restores both muscle tone after training, and relieves emotionally after a nervous and emotionally stressful working day. Massage is useful for both muscles and skin, and the general emotional state. So strain your phyton so that she crushes something for you.
6th place Pressure chamber
The pressure chamber is, of course, an expensive pleasure, but extremely useful. Due to the increased pressure in the chamber, the body is saturated with oxygen, which in turn leads to accelerated recovery, renewal of red blood cells, renewal of mitochondria in cells, improves endurance, and increases the amount of ATP in the muscles. In short, if there is an opportunity, you need to use it.
5th place Stretching
Stretching is extremely beneficial. To that confirmation of many scientific experiments. In addition to the fact that stretching accelerates the removal of decay products from the muscle, it also affects the elasticity of the muscles, which leads to a faster process of hypertrophy due to greater stretching during work. It is recommended to stretch the working muscle group after its training.
4th place Active Recovery
By active recovery, it is customary to mean a workout with a duration and with a load of 30-50% of the usual one - if you do an hour, then 20-30 minutes are needed in this case, if you squat from 80 kg, then 25-40 kg are acceptable in such a workout. I think most people are familiar with such a thing as "Periodization of loads." Light training allows, while muscle cells are being restored, to restore and maintain the energy potential of the muscle. Due to the increased blood flow, light training on recovery days helps to quickly remove accumulated toxins in the muscles. In addition, using light weights is a good opportunity to work on exercise technique.
Another plus of active recovery is providing the muscles with nutrients for growth. Relatively speaking, performing exercises with a large number of repetitions will wake up “hunger” in the muscles, and they will ask the body for additional nutrition.
So if you have the opportunity to do a light workout on your rest day or just take a walk, do not waste this opportunity!
3rd place Pharmacology
Thought I'd put it first? But no ... To pharmacology, I will include AAS, somatotropic hormone, peptides, insulin and all kinds of pharmacy pharmaceutical support, such as riboxin and potassium orotate. Who, if not the guys from Dochi, know how artificial hormones affect the muscles and their performance. It's no secret that pharmacological preparations work wonders - they speed up metabolism, protein synthesis and much, much more. Proper use of them will allow you to gain the desired volume and strength in a much shorter time than without using them. But I put pharmacology only in 3rd place and here's why ...
2nd place Dream
No sleep anywhere. During sleep, most body systems are restored. No wonder it is called one of the best medicines for all diseases. At least eat all the packs of methane on the planet, if you don’t sleep, you won’t grow! It is recommended to sleep at least 8 hours. It will also be just fine if you take another hour of nap during the day. So after reading the article, go to bed.
1 place Nutrition
I think you can't sleep well. But you can't miss! You can sacrifice a couple of hours of sleep due to the increased calorie content. Also, pharmacological drugs simply simply will not bring you any benefit if you do not eat right, whether it is a set of muscle mass or a cut of fat reserves.
This is where I will end my story. If you have any objections or additions, write in the comments. All anabolism!

A process that should be perceived as a natural necessity. Muscles begin to grow only after it ends. In order for this process to go much faster and without consequences, it is important to be able to properly relax and restore your strength necessary for the next workout.

What do you need to know about training?

Proper physical activity is a guarantee that recovery after a workout will be quick and painless. The basic rules for playing sports include:

Limiting the duration of one workout to one and a half hours.
One day a week you need to give the muscles a rest.
Alternatively, a minimum load is allowed on this day.
Every day it is necessary to give the body a rest, not only at night, but also during the day. One hour of sleep at lunchtime will be enough.

Rehabilitation after training

How to properly restore the body after a workout? The main means of rehabilitation include the following:

passive rest;
well-chosen diet;
massage;
bath;
water treatments.

Massage for athletes is one of the most effective recovery methods. Due to the removal of decay products from the muscles during this procedure, they become more elastic. The result is an increase in their performance.

You should also pay attention to such a tool as a steam bath. It promotes muscle relaxation, which is achieved by increasing thermoregulation and activating sweating.

When visiting, you should follow some rules. For example, while in it, it is unacceptable to pour cold water on it. This procedure should be done after the end of the session.

Passive rest is a normal night's sleep. Its duration should not be less than eight hours. This time is enough for muscle recovery.

With water therapy, it is easy to relax the muscles. In addition, it relieves muscle tension. The most effective is to visit the pool.

Post-Workout Recovery: Nutrition

Among the products that have a positive effect on the recovery of the body after sports training, one should highlight such as:

Eggs. They will always be number one on the athlete's menu. Their protein has the highest value compared to other foods that must be present on the table during the recovery period.
Salmon. Due to the proteins and omega-3 fatty acids contained in salmon, the recovery process is much faster. This is due to a decrease in protein breakdown products in the muscles.
Water. Violation of the fluid balance in the body is fraught with a decrease in the rate of muscle recovery.
Beef. It is a great alternative to creatine. Meat contains a large amount of iron and zinc.
Yogurt. This is a product that combines proteins and carbohydrates. For quick muscle recovery after a workout, this is the best solution.
Almond. It contains a large amount of alpha-tocopherol. It is a form of vitamin E.

Preparations for recovery after training

The leading position among drugs that promote muscle recovery is occupied by antioxidants. They are responsible for the suppression of free radicals. Thus, muscle pain is reduced and the development of inflammatory processes is suppressed. Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E and others.

You should also pay due attention to amino acids. The body itself does not produce them, so it needs help. Amino acids are presented in the form of "L-isoleucine", "L-valine" and other substances. Thanks to these supplements, the immune system will always be protected.

Another drug that promotes rapid regeneration is Inosine. It removes lactic acid from the body, which in turn contributes to muscle fatigue.

How else can you stimulate recovery after a workout? Immediately after its completion, it is recommended to take up to 5 grams of "BCAA". This complex stimulates production. In addition, it inhibits catabolic processes.

You also need to take 3 grams of creatine and the same amount of glutamine. Creatine will restore the lack of energy, and glutamine will increase the production of growth hormone.

It is equally important to drink at least a liter of pure non-carbonated water immediately after training. It will help restore water balance.

Additional Information

Each workout should end with a mandatory hitch (light exercises). In addition, special attention should be paid to professional massage. Due to the stimulation of blood and lymph flow, a quick recovery after a workout is possible.

Taking anabolic steroids will have a positive effect on the general condition of the body.

How to define recovery?

Two hours after training, you need to measure the pulse. If the indicator is less than 75 beats / min, then the recovery process has been successfully completed. An indicator of more than 75 beats / min is a signal of the body about overtraining or about the occurrence of problems in the cardiovascular system.

Sound sleep speaks of the activation of the process of restoring vitality. If an athlete is accompanied by disturbing dreams, as well as morning and afternoon sleepiness, then the training regimen should be adjusted.

Pain in the chest area is a signal that the body has not yet completed the recovery processes after past workouts.

The speed of muscle recovery directly depends on the degree of load, so it may not be the same on different days. If the load was insignificant, the muscles will recover in a day. In order for them to recover after a moderate load, it will take two days.

Full recovery after training is possible only after a week. In some cases - two weeks after a lot of physical activity.