Lately some of the guys at the gym came to me complaining about muscle soreness, the truth is most of them have been off training for a while and consequently ached the days following their session (up to a week).
The guide below will help anybody no matter the level of fitness or activity to recover faster and better.
Before we start, what are Muscle damage and Muscle recovery?
The muscle damage:
After an intense workout, (6.45-7.30am Tabat, HIIT or Kettlebell classes) our muscle fibres suffer a trauma. Our energy stores are depleted and dome waste product is produced (lactic acid).
We generally experience an intense soreness and a temporary drop off in strength that can last between 24-72h post workout.
The muscle recovery:
It is influenced by 4 factors, which are the muscle and tissue repair, the reduction and removal of waste product, the restoration of energy stores and nutrients and finally the recuperation of the brain to muscle connection.
The strategy to implement to speed up muscle recovery will be mainly based on nutrition and therapeutic actions.
1. Restore your nutrients stores: magnesium, glutamine, vitamin D and fish oil aid for different reason the muscle recovery, especially after a strenuous workout.
2. Eat the following food: high quality protein, such as eggs, fish, and organic meats, Cruciferous vegetables, almonds, walnuts as well as dark chocolate and drink black coffee. In regard to the coffee, drink it before training and not after your last training session as it won't help you to unwind.
3. Supplements: I personally use glucosamine sulphate and I feel the positive results, I feel fresh for my second workout. I also use topical menthol rub gel (deep freeze), that relaxes me and reduces the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
Other supplements such as Curcumin A, BCAAs or Taurine will help the muscle recovery.
Finally, simply stretch, use a foam roll, relax listening to music or get a massage.
Give it a try and let us know!
These guys need to recover...