10 Effective Ways to Speed up Muscle Recovery After Tough Workouts

 Going to the gym seemed like a great idea until you woke up sore in the morning. You want to start a fitness routine and take care of your health but you’re not sure if it’s worth not being able to roll out of bed in the morning.

Before you throw in the towel, try out a few methods to speed up your muscle recovery. Doing things like staying hydrated, eating protein, stretching, and getting a massage will stop you from getting too sore so you can get back in the gym sooner.

Check out this guide to learn more about how to bounce back after your tough workout and keep muscle soreness to a minimum.

1. Stay Hydrated 

As you work out your body is losing valuable fluids. The best thing to do is replenish these fluids as you exercise but if you don’t have a water bottle you can still reduce muscle soreness by hitting the water fountain after your gym visit.  

Drinking water helps support the healthy function of every part of your body. So, it stands to reason that drinking it after a tough workout can help speed up muscle recovery.  

2. Eat Recovery Foods

Your body can’t start repairing tissues and recover if you don’t give it the proper amount of fuel to do so. You need to eat at least an hour after you leave the gym. 

Foods that are rich in protein and carbs are going to be your go-to meal. These are considered recovery foods. Eating them can both build and repair your tired muscles.

Eggs, Greek yogurt, leafy green veggies, oatmeal, rice, tuna, salmon, and chicken are all excellent after workout choices. 

3. Take the Time to Rest

Taking a little downtime is the best thing you can do to repair your tired muscles. Resting allows your muscles to begin the recovery process at a natural pace. 

You can and should incorporate some of these other methods along with resting to bounce back faster but a lot of times the most effective thing you can do is nothing at all. On the same subject, you should make sure that you get a proper night’s sleep. 

Your body kicks into high gear to repair your body while you’re asleep. If you stay up all night, it won’t have the chance to fix your torn tissue. 

4. Active Recovery 

By active recovery, we don’t mean force yourself to go into the gym while you’re still sore. What we mean is, do a little light exercise. Go for a light walk or a brisk bike ride. 

Doing this will get the circulation flowing through your body and kick waste and nutrient transport into high gear so your muscles can recover much faster. 

5. Go Get a Massage 

Getting a massage is a perfect way to end any workout. It feels great and it stops you feeling as sore from your gym trip the next morning. 

Massages increase circulation through the body and reduce inflammation. You can take an ice bath or take pain killers to get rid of inflammation but a massage is better. 

Ice baths and pain killers will make you feel less sore but they don’t promote muscle growth and repair. They only relieve the pain. Massages do both. 

6. Use CBD Oil 

As you’re probably aware, there are many CBD benefits. Workout recovery is one of them. Taking it can help ease the inflammation that is slowing your recovery process. 

One of the reasons why you’re so sore after working out is muscle tension. Many people take muscle relaxers to deal with this issue but CBD will work too if you want a more natural pain-relieving method. CBD will help you sleep so your body has plenty of time to repair itself as well. 

7. Take a Magnesium Supplement 

If your body has low magnesium levels you will experience pain, cramping, muscle spasms, and tension after a tough session in the gym. Magnesium is essential for nerve and muscle function. 

It also plays a vital role in muscle growth. You can eat foods that are rich in magnesium such as avocados, nuts, tofu, legumes, and whole grains, or you can take a magnesium supplement. 

8. Stretch 

The best thing you can do for your muscle is to stretch before and after each workout. Stretching not only aids in recovery but it will prevent injuries as well. 

When you work out your muscles get tight which is one of the reasons why you’re so sore the next day. Stretching can relieve muscle tension and stop you from hurting later. 

9. Drink Tart Cherry Juice

Damaged muscles tend to swell up which is one of the leading causes of soreness. Drinking tart cherry juice can reduce some of the muscle swelling so you’ll hurt less and bounce back faster.  

Tart cherry juice will also ease arthritis symptoms, promote brain health, boost your immune system, and reduces blood pressure. If you don’t like the taste, you can take a supplement instead of drinking it.  

10. Avoid Overtraining 

Of course, none of these methods for combating muscle soreness will do much good if you overdo it in the gym. Work with a trainer to create a smart workout routine.

You can have some heavy sessions but if all your gym trips involve extreme weight lifting or you don’t take enough rest days, it will take too long for your body to recover. You’ll only be undermining your fitness efforts at that point. 

Speed Up Muscle Recovery and Get Back in the Gym 

It’s natural to feel sore the day after you hit the gym. Your muscles need time to bounce back from the strain. Depending on how bad it is, you could lose your will to go to the gym. 

Try out some of these muscle recovery methods to get better faster so you can stay motivated to stick to your fitness routine.

Are you starting out on your fitness journey? Check out our blog daily for all the latest tips to help guide you along.