If you want to strengthen and tone your muscles, using the right recovery techniques is just as important as the exercises you do. Recovery doesn’t mean spending three days doing nothing between workouts. Massage, swimming, good sleep, and a good diet can speed recovery and prepare you for your second workout. If you want to learn more about accelerating muscle recovery, keep reading.

Muscle Pain from Exercise

Massage is popular with professional athletes for its beneficial effects. A sports masseur or other good masseur will help your muscles recover faster by massaging your muscles and unclogging your joints.

• If you don’t want to make an appointment, ask your partner to massage you, or do it yourself. Rub your arms and legs with steady, deep movements.
• You can also use a massager or even a tennis ball to rub sore muscles.

Swimming is another form of muscle massage that provides gentle resistance and gives your sore areas a chance to stretch and move without fatigue. Don’t do a full swimming workout; simply swim in the pool for about 20 minutes. Use swimming techniques to mobilize painful muscle groups.

• Breaststroke is very effective for relieving muscle pain in the arms and legs. It can be combined with a backstroke to activate muscle groups throughout the body. Avoid more tiring swimming styles such as butterfly.
• Swimming in salt water can treat sore muscles, so if you live near the coast, head to the beach.

Use a foam roller. Use a foam roller to move your muscles to relieve muscle tension. It will unclog injured tissue and pain points, preventing your joints from aching and getting rid of the pain faster; you’ll get back to training faster this way.

• Roll the foam roller on each of your painful muscle groups for 30 to 60 seconds.
• Use a foam roller when you wake up in the morning, before going to bed, and whenever you have time during the day.

Stretch sore muscles. For example, if your legs become progressively sore after a workout, make sure you stretch those muscles thoroughly. Stretching helps relax muscle tension and subside the next day’s pain.

• Hold each stretch for at least 10 seconds. Start with shallow stretches and gradually increase time and intensity.

Relaxation between Workouts

Take regular breaks during exercise. Give your muscles enough time to recover from an intense workout, especially if you’re just starting to resume training. Not getting good, necessary rest for a day or two can lead to muscle strain, longer recovery times, or even recurring injuries.

• Apply hot and cold compresses to sore muscles. Heat can relieve pain, while cold temperatures can help reduce swelling and muscle inflammation.
• You can still exercise in areas that don’t hurt. For example, if you feel pain when sitting down while doing lunges and squats, exercise your arms instead. Perform a variety of heavy biceps and triceps exercises to strengthen and sculpt your arm muscles.

Lots of sleep. Getting the right sleep will help your muscles recover faster and get you in better shape next time you hit the gym. Aim to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Go to bed around the same time and wake up at the same time each day to make consistent, regular sleep possible.

Relax in the hot tub. In addition to soothing sore muscles, getting into a hot tub will relax muscle tissue and aid recovery. A sauna has the same effect, relaxing the body with hot steam. Use your gym’s hot tub or sauna once a week to help your muscles recover from an intense workout.

Diet Therapy to Rebuild Muscle Tissue

Eat lots of protein. This is the building block of muscle tissue, and when you’re in recovery, you’re going to need a lot of it. Eggs, lean meats, fish, beans, and leafy green vegetables are all good sources of protein. You need to consume 70-100 grams per day.

• Soybeans, cashews, pinto beans, and black beans are all good choices for lean protein.
• Make egg whites the centerpiece of every meal. Eat eggs, tuna, or chicken for breakfast, and beef or beans for dinner.

Eat vitamin C. This is essential for collagen rebuilding, helping to reorganize damaged muscle tissue. During recovery, add spinach, milk, and other good sources of vitamin C to your daily diet in addition to citrus fruits.

Consider magnesium supplementation. Magnesium helps muscles repair themselves and grow stronger. It helps relieve muscle cramps and speeds up the recovery process. The recommended daily intake is 300 mg.

• Magnesium is also found in seaweed, buckwheat, wheat germ and almonds.
• Magnesium is a great stress reliever and helps relax muscles during recovery.

Tips

• While you may not feel muscle pain immediately after a workout, you will notice it a day or two later. Scientists believe this swelling and stiffness are caused by biochemical changes in the body, which increase nerve sensitivity and cause muscle pain. The muscles will experience pain after this change.
• When stretching, it’s important to only stretch as far as is comfortable. When you start to feel any discomfort, stop and return to the starting position. Stretching too much can strain your ligaments, so use slow, controlled movements to prevent this from happening.