Important Facts On Muscle Recovery
- 20 December 2018
One of the most important phases in bodybuilding and muscle growth is the muscle recovery phase. This is the time when the muscle fibers take rest, heal, and grow. For beginners, workouts are meant to ‘wound’ your muscles in order to build new muscle fibers. This building up of new muscle fibers occurs during the non-workout phase; which is basically the recovery phase.
After workout, the first 45 minutes is considered to be the most critical period in regard to re-energizing your muscles. The time wherein the important nutrients should be incorporated in the muscle fibers occurs during the recovery phase. If you neglect the opportunity during this important time, you will miss your chance to get the gains. Thus, the exercises in your workout will be worthless and will not give you anything but fatigue.
The recovery period is the chance to regain your strength and muscle build up. This is the time to eat and rest. That is the reason why it is recommended to take your supplements and eat right after a workout session.
The First 45 Minutes After Workout:
Take this opportunity as the time to incorporate nutrition such as protein and carbohydrates. This can be in any form as long as you are sure you are getting the amount of protein and carbohydrate you need in your program. Supplements such as protein shakes are ideal since they are in liquid form and can easily be digested and assimilated by the body. BCAAS or Branched-Chain Amino Acids and creatine are also suggested to give gains right after workout.
Carbohydrates play an important role in muscle development as well. Glycogen which is the stored form of carbohydrates in the muscle cells provides the fuel during workout. Glycogen is constantly depleted during and after a workout session and this causes slow growth and recovery for the muscles. This is the reason why it’s recommended that you take in ample amounts of carbohydrates right after workout. Fast-digesting carbohydrates in the form of glucose, dextrose or maltodextrin are recommended for quick glycogen replenishing.
However, although liquid and other forms of supplements can guarantee you of quality absorption within 45 minutes after workout, never underestimate the power of food. If you choose to be more ‘natural,’ the best way to get the needed nutrition within the 45-minute time after workout is to eat. Just make sure that you eat healthy; that means your post workout meal should contain the required amounts of calories from protein, carbohydrates and fats. Lastly, take in lots of fluids (particularly water). This will ensure that you are hydrated and that you absorb the nutrients you take within this period.
Muscle Recovery Continues Days After Workout:
Do you feel you need to go to the gym daily to get you pumped up faster? Well, this is ideally not the case for people who are into developing their muscles in a more efficient way.
Muscle recovery is not only about the first few hours post-workout. It is also the interval between the days of your workouts. Muscles need to rest for better healing and thus, better growth. For beginners, an every-other-day schedule of workout is ideal. That would be at least 3 times a week. Remember that the pain that is felt by people who has just started out exercising in the gym is the damage to the muscles itself. Allowing appropriate intervals for the succeeding workout routine will give your muscle to recover efficiently and take on the next exercises in proper form and execution. So, never indulge too much in the gym to the extent that you don’t allow rest; because muscle recovery should be permitted in order to gain proper muscle development.
You Need to Allow Rest, You Need to Sleep:
Finally, sleep should not be ignored. By allowing time for your muscle to recover also means you need to consume at 8 hours of sleep at night. It should be emphasized that you need to get a good night sleep nightly. Thus, you should sleep at night and not during daytime hours. The human body follows a diurnal pattern – we should be awake during daytime and asleep at night. Hormones play an important role during sleep; and these hormones affect the development of muscles. If you are into physical training or workout, the best time to fully recharge your body and your muscles is during sleep time at night.
Take the chance to get the full benefit of your workout routine by following these important reminders and tips. Working out in the gym is no easy task especially for beginners. Take the opportunity of the muscle recovery phase in your fitness regimen appropriately. In this way, you can ensure that you would not miss that option to get fit and feel good about yourself.
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