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Muscle recovery techniques to get you back in the gym more quickly

Posted August 6, 2007 at 04:00 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Injuries & Rehab

. One of the most critical aspects of your workout is your recovery.  While you definitely do need to be putting in the effort at the gym to provide an overloading stimulus on the muscles to keep challenging them, if you aren’t giving your muscles enough time to recover and grow back stronger you will not see the progress you like.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to enhance your recovery ability so you spend less time out of the gym and more time enjoying your workouts (and reaping the desired results).

Reduce Your Volume

A vast majority of gym-goers put themselves on routines that no one could recover from in a respectable amount of time unless they were using some type of chemical help (steroids).  Performing 50+ sets per workout, all to 100% max effort, is not a good idea. You may think you are challenging greatness by pushing yourself to the limit, but all you are really doing is taking a very unintelligent approach to your lifting session.

Rather, focus on putting in a good amount of energy on the key major lifts and then backing off.  Remember that along with muscular fatigue you also have central nervous system (CNS) fatigue and this type of fatigue is not as recognizable unless you are trained to decipher it.  CNS fatigue is related to the total volume of work you are doing and less related to any particular body part in which you may be working. This is why even if you performed a hard leg workout one day, followed by a hard chest workout the next day, going back to the gym the following day for a hard shoulder workout is likely not a good idea. By day three of full out max effort, your CNS is tired and will simply not be able to summon enough strength to motivate you to put forth the energy you should during the workout. Giving your body a day off to rest completely is what is going to be most beneficial.

Likewise, have a look at your total volume per session, not just per week. You should always aim to stay around the range of 10-25 sets, only doing more if you are a highly advanced trainee and are able to really recognize your own recovery ability.

Use Foam Rolling

One of the more popular recovery enhancers that is catching on today is that of foam rolling. What this basically is is placing a foam roll under certain body parts while laying on the floor and then rolling over and on top of it.  The foam is soft enough to provide comfort but will still help to target the deep muscle tissue, similar to what a massage would do.

You can use this technique over almost all of your body parts from your legs, arms, back, shoulders and abdominal region. 

Most foam rollers are available at physiotherapy clinics and sometimes at your local department or fitness store.

Get Proper Pre And Post-Workout Nutrition

Lastly, one critical factor you need to make sure you are not missing out on is your pre and post workout nutrition. Studies show that pre-workout nutrition can almost be more important than post workout nutrition, whereas in the past, there was much more focus on what you eat immediately after your workout.  Pre-workout protein and carbohydrates, however, are what fuels your body through your workouts, allowing you to exercise optimally, as well as what will continue to provide nutrition after you are finished (assuming you are not doing energy depleting workouts).

Don’t misread this to mean that it doesn’t matter what you take in post workout, it does; you will want to get in some protein for sure, but you do not need to get overly anal about taking in your shake the minute you step out of the gym. So long as you receive nutrients within the hour that you are finished you should be fine.

Although you are better off consuming some insulin spiking carbohydrates post-workout (they will help with the rate of protein uptake into the muscles), it is not absolutely essential. As long as your workout is of a decent volume, the carbohydrates you eat pre-workout are more important. So, if necessary, (in other words, if you are a dieting individual), some protein post-workout should be sufficient (just not ideal).  Note that this is not recommended for individuals with endurance heavy workout programs.

So, next time you are thinking about your workout and nutrition program, make sure you do not overlook the time you are spending in recovery. It is just as important - if not more important - than what you do in the gym. If you are not giving your body recovery, you are not making progress - it really is that simple.

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Tags: foam rolling, muscle fibers, muscle recovery, muscles, post-workout nutrition, reduce volume, time spent in the gym, workouts

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