Top 5 Muscle Recovery Exercises

A lot of times when we fall short of our fitness goals we chalk it up to a lack of willpower. We think that pushing ourselves further and bringing more intensity to workouts will do the trick. That may be true, but it’s important that we’re setting our bodies up for success before, during, and after the workout too.

There are plenty of ways to set yourself up for success. Muscle recovery supplements are great, but at the end of the day, you should also be doing muscle recovery exercises if you’re looking to achieve peak physical fitness.

Muscle recovery exercises are a smart, healthy strategy for maintaining high performance in the gym, shrinking your recovery time, and crushing your physical fitness goals. Each method of exercising in this list is worth considering when you plan your workout schedule.

If you’re experiencing continual muscle pain after workouts or have a history of getting injured, you should definitely consider working some, or all, of these muscle recovery exercises into your plan.

1. Stretching

Of course, no gym session should be complete without some stretching. No matter what your fitness goals are, you should work in a little extra time at the end to isolate the muscle groups you were working on and stretch them out. Scheduling in the extra ten to twenty minutes of stretching time ensures that you won’t skip it when you’ve finished the workout and are exhausted.

A thoughtful, effective stretching routine after each gym session not only helps your muscles recover, it also helps you push those muscles even further when you’re actually working them out. Think how much deeper you can lunge and how much further you body can extend on reps if your muscles have been primed with some stretching.

Some people will work additional stretching in at the beginning of the workout too, which is even better. After all, a 2012 medical study conducted by the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that static stretching and activity-specific warm ups could lead to improved performance in physical activities.

Speaking of warm-ups, if you’re stretching before working out make sure to warm your body up with some light aerobic exercise first. A light jog before your pre-workout stretch will help the blood flow to your muscles and get your heart rate up. This will help you excel during the workout and promote muscle recovery once the workout is done.

Consider muscle recovery supplements to add a strong nutritional base to that workout. Some popular muscle recovery supplements typically include whey protein and amino acids like glutamine to improve muscle recovery time. The best muscle recovery supplements also have a therapeutic effect on muscle tissue and can increase endurance.

In the meantime, a quick Google search will uncover dozens of stretching exercises that work each of your muscle groups. Pick out the ones that work for you, adjust your form, and happy stretching!

2. Foam Rolling

For those who have the equipment and want to take stretching to the next level, foam rolling is an excellent way to do it. Back in the day, foam rollers used to be popular only with elite athletes and trainers. These days the secret is out and you can see folks rolling out on the floor after workouts in the gym and even at home.

For the uninitiated, foam rolling is basically like having a sports massage all to yourself. Just lean on the roller and your body weight adds the needed pressure to maximize effectiveness. By applying this pressure during muscle recovery exercises, you’re helping the foam roll to isolate trigger points and loosen them up.

Of all the muscle recovery exercises on this list, foam rolling is probably the most potentially painful. Rollers come in different sizes and with different treads and trigger points for maximum effectiveness. The good news is that you can use the same roller to target sore muscles on your back, legs and arms. You just have to switch your position.

Just like with stretching, there are plenty of different individual foam roller exercises you can do to limit pain for just about every muscle group on your body. Experts recommend that you avoid the lower back with your foam roller though, as this can apply too much unneeded pressure. If you’d like to relieve tension on your lower back, its best to stick to rolling out on the floor with something smaller, like a tennis ball or lacrosse ball.

While it can be a bit painful to roll your muscles over and over again, you can rest assured that you’re helping muscle recovery in a big way. Foam rolling is an incredibly productive

muscle recovery exercise.

3. Exercise Bands

Exercise bands are an excellent way to use muscle recovery exercises to develop and maintain good muscle health after heavy workouts. There are plenty of different ways to use these bands. Just like with foam rolling, these muscle recovery exercises can feel a bit painful at times, but if you control your breathing and avoid pushing it too far, you’ll leave the gym feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Doing muscle recovery exercises with exercise bands offers an excellent opportunity to use isometric tension to help muscles recover without a significant amount of pressure or stress.  An added bonus with these bands is that you can buy bands in a variety of different resistances. Beginners will want to use a lighter resistance, but as you develop muscle tone and continue with muscle recovery exercises, you’ll find yourself graduating up to the higher resistance bands in no time.

4. A Good Night’s Rest

Okay, so this last one isn’t exactly an exercise, but that’s part of the point.

In addition to your intense workout schedule, make sure to schedule a sufficient amount of time for your body to recover with a good night’s rest. You’d be surprised how active your body is when you sleep. Research shows that once your body slips into REM sleep, it begins to restore muscle fibers, tissues, and immune cells.

Sleep is so important to athletic performance that scientists have been studying the link for years. A 2009 study conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that athletes who prolonged their nightly sleep routine and cut back on accumulated sleep debt reported improvements in a number of fine motor skills drills conducted after regular practices.

A good night’s rest, coupled with some of the previously mentioned muscle recovery exercises and muscle recovery supplements, will ensure that you’re taking good care of your body. And when you take care of your body, your body will do the same for you on every rep.

5. Deloading

Deloading is the process of occasionally limiting the amount of weight you’re using to work out to give your muscles some time to recover. The traditional deload involves something like continuing your usual workout schedule but just at 50% of the weight you’re usually lifting. In this way, deloading is like doing a full week of muscle recovery exercises without skipping a beat.

Deloading is a controversial topic in bodybuilding circles. Some people believe that choosing to deload after an arbitrary amount of time like every four weeks can stifle improvement. Others think deloading doesn’t go far enough. For these people, “deloading” can mean completely skipping the gym for a week. For others, it means working at an even smaller fraction of the weight that you’ve been lifting. There are lots of different ways to make deloading muscle recovery exercises work for you and it’s best to consult a trainer before trying anything new.

If you’re constantly pushing the limits in the gym, you should seriously consider deloading for a week every month or month and a half to give your muscles a rest. Your body will thank you, and you just may see results when you’re trying to move up to heavier weights.

Supplement Your Workout with Paradigm Peptides

In addition to muscle recovery exercises, there are a few things your can do before and after your workout to promote quicker muscle recovery. A solid nutrition regimen will promote a quicker recovery time and help ensure that you’re getting the most out of every single set.

Paradigm Peptides offers a wide selection of supplements that can help you maximize your workout, including high quality SARMs. If you’re interested in learning more about how these special supplements might be able to help you reach your goals, check out our online store today to find muscle recovery supplements, SARMs, and much more.

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