6 Best & Easiest Ways to Recover After a Workout

You’ve done it. You’ve broken personal bests, and have gone further than before in the gym.

The hard workout is over. But what is the best way to recover from an intense workout?

While the hardest work when working out is done in the workout itself, we should not forget the benefits and gains we get when paying attention to recovering from said workouts. Proper workout recovery should maximise the benefits we derive from working out, while also ensuring our bodies are sufficiently recovered for the next workout session.

There are many methods for workout recovery, but some of the best ways to recover from a workout are stretching, massage, sleep, and active recovery.

1. Do Stretching (and do it well)

If you’ve ever come into contact with exercise before, you should know the importance of stretching. Stretching before a workout helps warm the body up, thus decreasing the risk of injury and muscle soreness.

Stretching helps you maximise your performance by increasing your flexibility and joint motion range, allowing you to go deep enough into certain exercises (such as squats) to reap their full benefits. Stretching helps you to recover by improving your circulation, better blood flow means that your muscles can be properly nourished and waste byproducts can be flushed.

Here are some tips for proper stretching:

• Warm up first: stretching while your muscles are cold can actually end up hurting you. Warm up a little first with, perhaps, a light walk.
• Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds
• Use pain-free stretches: Most people feel that the stretch needs to hurt. This is wrong. If you feel pain as you stretch, you are going too far. Back off until you don’t feel any pain.
• Stretch pre- and post- workout: do some light stretches after your warm up, and then do a more intense stretching session after your workout to get the maximum benefits from stretching.

Related: Best Stretches to kill your Lower Back Pain (Sciatica)

2. Get a Good Massage

Massages aren’t just for rest and relaxation, they are also a great method of recovery after a workout. Getting a massage after an intense workout can reduce muscle soreness and relieve tension. When you workout, your muscle tissues become deprived of blood. A massage increases the blood flow to your muscle tissue, supplying the nutrients your muscles need to recover. A deep muscle massage also rids your muscles of lactic acid and  pushes out wastes.A deep muscle massage also rids your muscles of lactic acid and  pushes out wastes.

There are two ways of getting a massage, either a paid massage therapist or giving yourself a massage. There is more information in this link here about the benefits of massages.

Related: 5 Ways Massage can make You more Flexible and Athletic

3. Use an Electronic Massager

If hiring a personal massage therapist sounds too expensive, or you don’t really have the time to go get a massage, don’t worry, you can do it at home! A growing amount of people are practicing massage at home or even in their office or car, with our personal Electronic Massagers such as the Handheld massager, the Naipo Cordless Shoulder Massager, or the Naipo Neck and Back Massager. We are giving a huge discount for the 3 products below (valid until November 30, 2017), just copy the code and past it at the check out on Amazon.com.

If you wish to get more discounts on our Personal Massagers, visit our Crazy Massager Deals page!

4. Get a Good Sleep

As simple as it might be, one of the best workout recoveries is simply a good night’s rest. Even though getting a good nights sleep seems simple and easy, many people will tell you they get less than 6 hours sleep.

It is not just for relaxing, sleep is also necessary for your body to properly restore and repair itself. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep is ideal, while sacrificing your sleep instead can leave you mentally weak and have a negative impact on your workouts. Some tips for getting more hours of sleep would be to go to bed earlier by not touching any sort of technology after a certain time. If you are into body building and fitness, you should know how to create better bedtime habits.

5. Active Recovery

Light exercise after an intense training session stimulates blood flow and improves circulation, helping to relieve soreness. This light exercise can be in the form of an easy bike ride or a walk to the store, and is known as “active recovery”. So next time you have a rest day, why not take some time to do some light movement and get up and about.

6. Eat these Post-Workout Foods

These foods help you recover from your intense workout sessions by preventing cramps, keeping you hydrated, boosting your metabolism, activating weight loss and giving you the right amount of energy.

• Bananas: contains good carbs and sugars that will help restore  your body’s levels of glycogen, which helps rebuild damaged muscles and is high in potassium.
• Salmon: rich in proteins and anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fat.
• Blueberries contain a huge amount of antioxidants, studies say that these little berries can help you recover up to 3 times faster.
• Dried Fruits and Nuts are very rich in proteins and “good” carbs that help you build muscles faster.
• Pineapple is one of the best foods to eat after a workout as it contains a lot bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory that’s been proven to heal bruises, sprains, and swelling.
• Water, yes, a lot of water! Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated at every time. Especially if you are making use of supplements as whey proteins, creatine, fat burners etc.

Related: 5 Reasons to Start Cooking Immediately

We hope that we’ve given you enough tips on recovering from a workout. Now get out there and train, but don’t forget to also focus on your recovery which you now know how to get the most out of.