Restoration of the body after physical activity (training). Recovery principles: how to quickly recover after physical activity

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Date of: 2017-12-11 Views: 4 287 Grade: 4.5

In this article we will discuss recovery after difficult training or competitions.

By heavy exercise I mean participating in a long triathlon, running or skiing marathon, as well as long swimming, that is, many hours of exercise at a high heart rate. In addition, many of the proposed tips are also suitable for those who are in the gym or have participated in other competitions.

The most important rule is that there must be recovery! Whatever goals you set for yourself in sports, lack of rest will stop progress or even cause a strong setback. Muscles grow while resting. Excessive arrogance and the illusion that there is no severe fatigue can result in injuries and overtraining. I’m telling you exactly - I did it myself)

1. First of all, immediately after exercise, restorative nutrition is necessary. There are ready-made drinks, such as recovery drink, but you can prepare it yourself. You definitely burned a lot of muscle and protein is needed for recovery, you also need to restore glycogen, for this we add carbohydrates, for example, from an isotonic drink, which will also make up for the lack of salts. It takes 2 days for complete restoration of electrolytes - this is the time when it is most important to pay attention to this.

Of course, for recovery it is best to eat more greens and fruits, but psychological fatigue also makes itself felt, so many people eat fast food, and this is not bad, when else can you afford it, if not after a competition? But in everything you need to know when to stop. Also, do not forget to drink enough liquid - at least three liters of water in the first day to speed up the removal of breakdown products.

In general, in trying to close the carbohydrate window, many athletes are very overzealous and not only do they eat, but also consume exclusively carbohydrates, while muscle restoration through protein is no less important than glycogen restoration.

2. The speed of recovery depends on age, sporting experience and general stress levels in daily life. And if we cannot influence age and experience at the moment, then we can and should fight stress to the best of our ability. For example, if the competition took place in another city, you should plan your trip home every other day in order to have time to rest. This will allow you to return to full training earlier.

3. It is important to remember that immunity is weakened during this period and to avoid the possibility of getting sick.

4. In the first days it is necessary to reduce the load. But this does not mean that you only need to eat and sleep for several days; on the contrary, walking and light running will help you quickly remove waste products and lactic acid from the body. Swimming at an easy pace, even feet first, or cycling in the lightest gears will give the same effect. Do not overdo it. The ideal workout duration the next day is 20-40 minutes. It is better to spend time in the fresh air - this way you will not only recover physically faster, but also reduce the chance of catching the virus.

5. Necessarily ! This way, you will reduce muscle tension and improve blood flow in damaged muscles.

6. List of actions to speed up the recovery process:

1. Massage
2. Sauna/bath
3. Contrast shower and ice bath
4. Pressotherapy

I’ll tell you separately about sleep. After competition, due to the release of adrenaline, it can be difficult to sleep and mood swings may occur. Many athletes recommend solving this problem with a glass of red wine or dark beer.

7. After 5-8 days, when the muscle pain passes and the pulse in the morning is at normal levels, you can begin to train according to the usual plan, gradually increasing the load.

Improper recovery can set you back for several months, so it is important to treat this period as responsibly as possible.

Rest and recovery is an integral part of any normal workout. Your recovery from routine exercise has a major impact on your appearance and fitness performance and allows you to train more effectively.

Unfortunately, most people do not have a recovery plan after exercise. Here are some tips on how to properly recover after exercise.

Why is post-workout recovery so important?

Recovery from exercise is particularly important for muscle and tissue repair. This is even more important after a hard strength training session. Muscles need 24 to 48 hours to recover, and overloading the same muscle group too quickly will cause muscle breakdown rather than growth. When developing a strength training plan, keep in mind that you should not work the same muscle groups two days in a row.

There are, of course, many more methods of recovery, but we will list only the most frequently recommended by experts.

1. Cooling

Cooling down simply means slowing down the activity (not stopping completely) after exercise. Continuing to move at a very low intensity for 5 to 10 minutes after exercise will help remove lactic acid from your muscles.

2. Fluid recovery

You lose a lot of fluid during exercise and, ideally, you should replace it during exercise, but replenishing after exercise is an easy way to enhance your recovery. Water supports all metabolic functions, delivers nutrients to the body and improves every function of the body. Adequate fluid replacement is even more important for athletes who lose large amounts of water within an hour.

3. Eat right

After depleting your energy reserves through exercise, you need to eat properly to ensure proper tissue repair, get stronger and be ready for the next workout. This is even more important if you perform endurance exercises day after day and are trying to build muscle mass. Ideally, you should try to eat within 60 minutes of finishing your workout, and make sure you include some high-quality protein and complex carbohydrates in your diet.

4. Stretching exercises

After a hard workout, you can perform a couple of stretching exercises. This is an easy and fast way to help your muscles recover.

5. Rest

Time is one of the best ways to recover from any illness or injury, and it also works after a hard workout. Your body has an amazing ability to take care of itself if you give it some time. Rest after a hard workout allows your muscles to recover at a natural pace. This isn't the only thing you can or should do to promote recovery, but sometimes doing nothing is the easiest thing to do.

6. Perform an active restore

Easy, gentle movements improve blood circulation, which helps transport nutrients throughout the body. In theory, this helps muscles recover faster and gain strength faster.

7. Massage

Massage makes you feel good and improves blood circulation, allowing you to completely relax.

8. Take an ice bath

Some athletes resort to this method by taking ice baths, ice massages or contrast showers, which helps speed up recovery, reduce muscle soreness and prevent injury. The essence of this method is that the blood vessels are forced to contract and expand several times under the influence of temperatures, which in turn helps to remove (or flush) waste in the tissues. Scientists have concluded that this method is effective in reducing krepatura.

9. Good sleep

While you sleep, amazing things happen in your body. Optimal sleep is essential for those who regularly exercise. While you sleep, your body produces growth hormone, which is largely responsible for tissue growth and repair.

10. Avoid overtraining

One easy way to recover quickly is to plan your workouts first. Excessive exercise, training hard every session, or not taking rest days will limit your gains from exercise, fitness, and undermine your recovery efforts.

The most important thing you can do for a quick recovery is to listen to your body. If you feel tired, sore or have decreased performance, you can leave more time for recovery and rest.

The main mistake of beginners and people who dream of losing weight in a short time or, conversely, building muscle mass, is neglecting the recovery procedure. Many are sure that rest significantly delays the process of obtaining the desired results, and continuous and intense training gives a slender body with six-pack abs breaking through the shirt faster. In reality everything is different! During training, muscles undergo stress and, accordingly, are damaged. The lack of a recovery period further aggravates the situation, because the muscles are subject to destruction, in addition, they lose the ability to withstand a more intense load, which makes training ineffective and unsafe.

Method 1. Do not neglect the hitch

The cool-down is an integral part of the workout, occurring at the last stage. It is designed to soothe the muscles and involves low-intensity exercise such as walking, jogging, exercise on an exercise bike or foam roller. The duration depends solely on the intensity of the workout; the greater it is, the longer the cool-down should be. Even if you feel extremely tired or are in a hurry to leave the gym, dedicate at least 5 minutes to a cool-down.

Physical activity involves active loss of fluid. And, naturally, it needs to be replenished. This same action increases the body's recovery rate after exercise because it supports nutrient delivery and improves metabolism. You should drink especially plenty of fluids after training in hot weather.

It is advisable to drink acidified drinks, for example, still mineral water with lemon or lime juice and the addition of stevia powder (a natural sweetener). You can also resort to isotonic drinks. These are fluids that provide a person with water and electrolytes, which leave the body through sweat.

Isotonic drinks are presented on the market in two forms - dry concentrate in cans and liquid concentrate in bottles. The taste can be very diverse - from wild cherry to exotic passion fruit. The main thing is to pay attention to the composition when choosing; it should not contain acesulfate and saccharin. These are cheap sweeteners that do not make the composition balanced, moreover, they are dangerous to health. It is better to opt for drinks that contain salts, glucose polymers, dietary supplements and vitamins.

Method 3. Massage regularly

Massage improves blood circulation, which means it relieves muscle pain and speeds up the recovery process. Massage also minimizes the risk of injury. Massage manipulations can be carried out manually, using natural vegetable oil, or using a hand roller. The optimal massage time is 20 minutes.

Method 4: Take a cool bath

Staying in a cool bath or taking a contrast shower is an equally effective way to quickly recover after a workout. Cool water significantly reduces soreness in trained muscles. Take a bath for no more than 10 minutes. And to calm and prepare for bed, you can add a little of your favorite essential oil to the water.

If you have an unfortunate twisting of your leg or a bruise during a workout, resort to a cold compress or apply a bag filled with ice cubes to the sore spot.

In addition to cool baths, on the way to recovery after intense training, you can turn to the sauna or steam bath. These establishments are a great place to relax and maintain health. Don't forget about hot wraps, they also have a beneficial effect on the muscles and also improve the condition of the skin - moisturize, nourish and tighten.

Hot wraps have a number of contraindications. They are not recommended for oncology, diseases of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, lymphovascular diseases, pregnancy, gynecological diseases, as well as in the presence of cuts, wounds and other injuries on the skin.

Post-workout nutrition depends solely on the purpose of your workout. If the goal is weight loss, experts recommend turning to foods that contain a high amount of protein or a minimal amount of carbohydrates, for example, boiled skinless chicken breast or steamed pollock.

If the goal of training is to gain muscle mass, you need to combine proteins and carbohydrates in a ratio of 1:4. However, the exact numbers depend on the intensity of the workout and the time spent on it, and, of course, health. This ratio is appropriate for absolutely healthy people who train intensively for an hour.

If you decide to resort to sports nutrition, consult your doctor first, because it has a number of side effects. Nowadays, there are three types of sports supplements - for building muscle mass, burning fat and recovering from physical activity. Also on sale you can find multicomponent complexes aimed at solving several problems, and pre-workout complexes of amino acids and vitamins designed to increase endurance, speed up metabolic processes and maintain hormonal levels.

Roskontrol experts assure that there is no universal recommendation for choosing sports nutrition. When purchasing, it is important to focus on the training program, the goal you want to achieve, and the recommendations of the trainer. You should also remember that you cannot base your diet on sports nutrition; they are only a supplement that affects metabolic processes. It is imperative to replenish reserves of all vital substances by eating meat, fish, poultry, cottage cheese, cereals, vegetables and fruits.

Method 7: Do stretching exercises

Stretching exercises are necessary for all trainees - no matter whether they are a professional athlete or a beginner trying to lose extra pounds. But special attention should be paid to exercises for people with joint problems. For example, knee lift steps, step steps, and arm rotations will increase joint mobility and minimize muscle imbalances. There is no need to overload yourself with stretching exercises; it is enough to devote 10 minutes a day to the process.

Doing nothing and lying on the couch after training is the easiest way, but this method will not relieve muscle pain, and it will reduce the effectiveness of training. When going home from the gym, walk or ride a bike, leave public transport and your personal car alone. Low-intensity movements also promote quick recovery, especially if they involve fresh air.

Method 9. Get enough sleep

Sleep is an equally important aspect of rapid recovery. After all, a healthy sleep of 7-8 hours activates protein synthesis and growth hormone, and also improves the proper functioning of the brain. Lack of sleep has an extremely detrimental effect on the results of any training, as it reduces their effectiveness several times.

This is interesting!

It has been noticed that people who neglect healthy sleep often break down by eating high-calorie foods. Indeed, lack of sleep provokes appetite. In addition, lack of sleep leads to a deterioration in attention and reaction speed, which is simply unacceptable during intense training, especially with the participation of heavy sports equipment.

Method 10. Plan your workouts

For training to be successful, it is necessary to clearly define the goal and, accordingly, develop a rational action plan that will allow you to achieve the desired results faster. It is quite difficult to draw up a training plan on your own, especially for a beginner, so at the first stage you should contact a specialist with a specialized education who has extensive experience in sports. Only regular and systematic training will make your dream come true, but never overwork and lack of a plan!

In order for physical activity to be as effective as possible, it is important not only to carry it out correctly and systematically, but also to make efforts to restore the body after training. Both the quality and quantity of muscle tissue and muscle strength depend on proper rest. Adequate rest will give you the opportunity to train more and more often, and will also increase the effectiveness of such exercises. And insufficiently correct relaxation will set you back and harm your health. We have already written about. Excessive zeal is not the best way to “help” in achieving results. Let's talk about what the body's recovery should be like after physical activity (namely after training).

Stretching for muscle recovery

You can quickly improve your body’s condition after training with the help of. Its usefulness has been confirmed by many scientific experiments. Stretching allows you to significantly speed up the process of removing aggressive waste products from the muscles. It has a positive effect on muscle elasticity, which stimulates the acceleration of its hypertrophy processes due to greater stretching during physical activity. It is extremely important to stretch working muscle groups soon after training them.

Contrast shower after training

Separately, it is worth highlighting recovery methods such as an ice bath. A contrast shower has an excellent hardening effect and will help quickly remove decay products from the muscles. To achieve the maximum positive effect, you need to take a contrast shower, adhering to the following scheme: thirty seconds hot water and thirty seconds cold water. Repeat this cycle several times.

An ice bath is a much less pleasant recovery method, but it also shouldn't be discounted. Fill the bath with water, the temperature of which is twelve to fifteen degrees, and soak it for about five minutes. When immersed in cold water, you will start the process of cleansing the body through blood vessels and improve regeneration (healing) processes. It is worth noting that the effect of water procedures on the body may differ, depending on individual characteristics.

You can go to the sauna after your workout!

Warming up in a bathhouse or sauna optimizes the process of blood circulation in the muscles, which allows you to speed up the removal of metabolic end products from them - etc. Thanks to the high temperature, you can forget about the unpleasant sensations in the muscles, achieve a feeling of relaxation and rest. Systematic visits to the bathhouse or sauna help over time to reduce the period of fatigue and increase strength. So, all qualified trainers advise their clients to carry out such procedures two to seven times a week. An excellent effect comes from visiting the sauna immediately after training – literally for five to ten minutes.

Massage for muscle recovery

Massage is an excellent restorative tool that is universal. Such procedures perfectly improve muscle tone and provide emotional relief. Massages benefit the muscles, skin, and nervous system.

This pleasure is quite expensive, but at the same time very useful. In such a chamber, increased pressure is exerted on the body, due to which tissues and cells are saturated with oxygen. A visit to the pressure chamber will help speed up recovery, activate the renewal of red blood cells and the renewal of cellular mitochondria. In addition, this procedure perfectly increases endurance and the amount of ATP in the cells.

Restoring the nervous system after training

Continue your body's recovery after training through controlled relaxation of your body. Meditation will help you with this. Full restoration of the nervous system plays a vital role in optimizing a person’s condition after training. Frequent and heavy physical activity puts a lot of stress on the nervous system, which can lead to general discomfort, headaches, lethargy and drowsiness. Heavy workload can also cause irritability and insomnia.

Systematic overload is fraught with a decrease or increase in blood pressure, arrhythmia, an increase in the concentration of lactic acid and serious impairment of respiratory processes. Of course, disruption of the nervous system negatively affects general well-being, performance, and training results.

To avoid such problems, you don’t need to push yourself to a critical state. Consider the abilities of your own body, listen to yourself and, if necessary, cancel training.

Sleep to restore strength

Plays an extremely important role for successful recovery after physical activity. If you sleep less than eight hours a night, your workouts will be ineffective. It wouldn’t hurt to go to bed for an hour during the day.

Post-workout recovery nutrition

In order for recovery after training to be truly successful, you need to provide yourself with competent and nutritious nutrition. Your diet should contain a sufficient amount of proteins and... The menu must be filled with fruits and vegetables; it is best to eat them fresh. It is also extremely important to consume a sufficient amount of liquid - ordinary clean water, freshly squeezed juices and fruit drinks.

Active recovery

To effectively recover from physical activity, you can conduct a workout whose duration and load will be thirty to fifty percent of normal. Light training promotes effective regeneration of muscle cells, they restore and maintain the energy potential of the muscles. By increasing blood flow, a little physical activity helps to quickly remove toxins from the muscles and saturate them with nutrients for growth.

Additional Information

If you need to recover after physical activity, turn to traditional medicine recipes. Such methods help to cope with muscle pain and remove waste products from the body as soon as possible.

Soothing pine baths

Baths, in particular taking, provide excellent recovery of the body after training loads. To prepare them, you can stock up on pine needle extract in briquettes (sixty grams for one procedure), dry pine needles (700g), fresh pine needles (500g), pine extract in tablets (a couple of pieces) or liquid pine extract (100ml).

Dry raw materials need to be poured with a liter of boiling water and boiled over low heat for half an hour. Leave the prepared broth covered for twelve hours, then add it to the bath. Pine extract in tablets or liquid form can be dissolved in prepared hot water.

The duration of such a bath is twenty minutes.

Bay leaf

You can cope with muscle pain using products based on. So you can finely chop three tablespoons of dry raw materials and combine them with two hundred milliliters of vegetable oil. Leave for one and a half weeks, then use it to rub into sore areas.

Green tea medicine

In order to restore the body's strength and prepare for the next physical activity, you can prepare a medicine based on green tea. Brew fifty grams of dry raw materials with seven hundred and fifty milliliters of boiling water. Leave for five minutes, then strain, combine with three hundred milliliters of boiling milk, a teaspoon of melted butter and the same amount of barley flour. Pour into a thermos and drink throughout the day, adding salt to taste.

borage

To quickly remove toxins and breakdown products from the muscles, you need to prepare a teaspoon of dried borage flowers and a couple of teaspoons of dry leaves of this plant. Brew the prepared raw materials with a glass of boiling water. Leave covered for five hours and take a tablespoon six times a day.

Birch leaves

To quickly cleanse the body (and muscle tissue), you can also prepare an infusion based on birch leaves. Brew a couple of tablespoons of fresh raw materials with half a liter of boiling water. Leave in a thermos for an hour, then strain throughout the day.

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Proper physical activity is the key to faster recovery of almost all muscles after training. Although behavior during a break from classes is no less important. You can’t completely neglect them, otherwise the result will be only chronic fatigue and stress for the body. Find out more about how to recover muscles after a workout below.

Muscle recovery after training

The workout itself is stressful for the muscles. During the exercise, they get micro-tears and sprains. Their body begins to gradually heal. In general, muscle recovery after training occurs in four stages:

1. Fast. Continues for half an hour after training. During this period, the heart rate will be restored. The levels of stress hormones such as insulin, adrenaline, and cortisol become normal. The reserves of fast “energy drinks” used up during training - ATP, creatine phosphate, glycogen - are also replenished.
2. Slow, or compensation. Repair of damaged cells and tissues begins. Here protein is synthesized with amino acids and enzymes. It is very important that these nutrients come from outside, so at this stage they consume carbohydrate foods and use sports nutrition to restore strength.
3. Super compensation, or super recovery. It occurs 2-3 days after the last workout and lasts about 5 days. In many ways, it is similar to the previous phase, but here the muscle fibers thicken in order to be able to withstand the volume of load the next time. During this period there should be the next workout, because after it the body returns to its original state.
4. Delayed recovery after exercise. If there is no new load, then all the previous work was done in vain. The muscles will return to their pre-training level of development, which is typical for their usual lifestyle without the gym.

Muscle recovery time after training

There is a direct relationship linking the speed of muscle recovery with their size. The supercompensation period may vary. For example, biceps recover in 48 hours. The muscles of the chest, on the other hand, require 3 days, and the back or legs - as much as 5 days. The calculation of the terms of supercompensation is individual. It is impossible to give an exact answer to the question of how long muscles recover after training. If they hurt, then the recovery phase has not yet ended. The indicator here is the increase in working weight. In the absence of progress, the rest is extended by 1-2 days.

Nutrition for Muscle Recovery

One of the important criteria for successful muscle recovery is a balanced diet. It can be represented simply by a well-composed daily diet, although in bodybuilding they often additionally use professional sports nutrition. Products for muscle recovery should be predominantly protein, and of animal origin. Carbohydrates are also important at this time - without them, you will feel much worse after training.

Water is also needed. It reduces the load on the heart and the muscles themselves. In addition, it reduces the temperature, which is important for recovery. In this case, green tea, enriched with antioxidants, is very useful. You need to use the following products:

• fruits, vegetables, berries;
• fats from whole sources, such as nuts or avocados, fish, vegetable or flaxseed oils;
• Potassium-enriched foods - potatoes, bananas.

Ointment for muscle recovery

Very often, many athletes use ointment to restore muscles. Its effect is to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and reduce swelling. There are ointments with a warming or, conversely, cooling effect. Among the most effective are the following:

• Apizartron;
• Viprosal;
• Sanitas balm;
• Heparin ointment;
• Heparoid;
• Efkamon;
• Nicoflex.

Muscle recovery drugs

There are different drugs for muscle recovery. Three main groups can be distinguished:

1. Plastic. They help speed up protein synthesis and cell rehabilitation, and prevent overtraining. These include the drugs Carnitine, Lipocerebrin, Cobamamide, Potassium Orotate.
2. Adaptogens and general tonics. Promotes resistance to sudden physical stress, increases performance.
3. Energy. Accelerates the replenishment of spent resources. These are Methionine, Glutamic acid, Panangin, Asparkam.

How to understand that muscles have recovered

Only sensations help to accurately understand that the muscles have recovered. The pain may not be felt on the first day, but often becomes severe on the second. At this time, the body is just gathering strength. The next day, the discomfort decreases again, but is still felt when tense. When it practically ceases to be felt, the recovery is almost complete.

Restoring breathing after physical activity

The permissible heart rate is 75 beats per minute a couple of hours after exercise. How can you reduce it immediately after training or when resting between exercises? It is recommended to inhale and exhale slowly in a position with your hands resting on your knees. This reduces the heart rate by 22 beats. There is another option for restoring breathing after physical activity. You need to straighten up, put your hands behind your head and breathe calmly. This method of how to quickly recover after training is less effective than the first. Although it will also be easier to catch your breath.

Recovery of the central nervous system after training

If energy, muscles and hormonal levels have already returned to normal, then recovery of the central nervous system after training may take much longer. Symptoms of her exhaustion are loss of strength and mood, lack of progress and reluctance to go to the gym. To avoid this, it is necessary to give the body rest for 1-1.5 weeks every 1.5-2 months. It is recommended to sometimes change the principles of training.

Recuperation after training

The main factor for full recovery after training is rest. In this case, most athletes only need 1-2 days without physical activity. At this time, it is important to eat a nutritious diet, drink the required amount of water, and maintain a sleep schedule. To make the process of replenishing strength easier and faster, it is important to finish the workout correctly. You can't do this abruptly. The training should end with a cool-down, i.e. loads in the form of stretching the upper and lower body or light cardio.

How to recover after a workout

The focus of recovery should be less on speed and more on productivity. Constant lack of rest can cause overtraining. This is a condition when the load injures the body much more than it can recover. The lack of desire to exercise already indicates that you do not have time to rest. Many activities help you recover after a workout - a contrast shower, a sauna or hot bath, nutrition, including sports supplements, quality sleep, walks in the fresh air, massage and even listening to your favorite music.

Hot bath after workout

A sauna or hot bath after a workout can serve as gentle cardio or just an active form of relaxation. They increase blood circulation, lightly load the cardiovascular system, and everything else, on the contrary, relaxes. It is recommended to add about a glass of sea salt to the bath. It relieves muscle pain and helps eliminate all toxins from the body. You only need to take a bath for 20-30 minutes.

Sports nutrition for recovery

Don’t forget about sports nutrition for post-workout recovery. It is designed to specifically supply the body with amino acids. After the lesson you must take:

• BCAA – 3-5 g to suppress the destruction of muscle tissue;
• glutamine – 3-4 g for energy production and activation of growth hormone synthesis;
• creatine – 2-3 g for complete restoration of spent creatine phosphate;
• whey protein – about 20 g for women and 30 g for men to accelerate and optimize recovery processes.

Sleep after workout

Evidence of replenishment of strength is also a sound, healthy sleep after training. Fatigue can be expressed in weakness during the day, especially in the first half. At night, sleep remains restless. To recover, you need to sleep 7-8, or even better, 9 hours a day. It is important to maintain the same time of waking up and going to bed, for example, getting up at 7 am and going to bed at 10 pm. Sleeping immediately after training is not recommended. The body needs to be given time to “cool down”.

Vitamins for post-workout recovery

Vitamin preparations occupy a special place in replenishing strength after intensive training. Without them, rehabilitation worsens and the risk of disease increases. Complexes such as Vitrum, Oligovit, Complivit and Undevit are designed to help in this situation. Vitamins for post-workout recovery can be anything, but they must contain:

Recovery after intense training