Speeding Up Your Muscle Recovery: Post-Workout Recovery Tips

Whether you are an athlete or simply want to stay fit, exercise is paramount to achieving your fitness goals. However, we often underestimate the toll that working out can have on our bodies, and, unfortunately, doing so can lead to unnecessary injuries.

That’s why finding ways to help our bodies recover is just as important as finding ways to push them to the limit. If you’re looking to speed up your muscle recovery, these post-workout recovery tips are the way to do it.

Cool Down

Most of us have heard personal trainers and health professionals alike extol the importance of cooling down after workouts. However, because many of us have never learned why they’re so important, we tend to skip the cooldown when we’re running low on time.

Cooldowns help return your body’s blood pressure and internal temperature to normal levels. But it also helps kick-start the body’s repair process. The best way to do this is through active cooldowns, such as slowly lowering the intensity of your workout while incorporating stretches.

Rehydrate

If there’s one factor that contributes to all aspects of recovery—blood pressure, temperature, and muscle regeneration—it’s hydration. Without it, you will feel hot and fatigued, and your muscles will have trouble removing toxins and fighting soreness.

Rehydration starts with drinking sufficient water, but it doesn’t end there. You will also need to consume electrolytes, such as:

• Sodium
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Magnesium

That’s why, along with water, you should also have a small, healthy snack or drink a smoothie following your workout.

Balance Work With Rest

As important as it is to push your body when you’re striving for muscle growth, it’s also essential that your body has time to rest. This is when your muscles will regenerate, grow stronger, and recover from any possible injuries.

To that end, it’s a good idea to take a rest day at least once every 7–10 days and get sufficient sleep in the meantime. Additionally, you can enhance your rest day with restorative activities like a bath in Epsom salts or a sports massage.

Try a TENS Treatment

Speaking of restorative activities, doing a TENS treatment is one of the more helpful ways to speed up post-workout muscle recovery. During a TENS treatment, users attach electrodes to their skin that send gentle electric signals to the affected muscles.

As the signals travel to the muscles, they contract and release. This helps improve blood flow to promote muscle recovery.

At TENS Units, we care about your fitness regimen from warm-up to recovery. That’s why we provide TENS electrode pads and units to help you meet your exercise goals.