At Lucabello, we don't believe the path to lasting fitness & health involves quick fixes but there are ways you can ensure your hard work pays off faster by taking the proper steps to recover. Most people associate fitness recovery with protein and while that's fair enough, there's a lot more to muscle health than macronutrients!
Why? Because during each sweat sesh, we use up our body's energy stores for fuel, deplete electrolytes for normal bodily functions, and cause micro tears in our muscles that need to be repaired.
And that might sound pretty bad — but it's actually a good thing because it's what trains the body to adapt and change, leading to RESULTS.
In other words: Proper recovery is just as important as a workout itself.
Make sure you're covering your bases with these tips:
1. Alternate Muscle Groups - Make sure to give yourself enough recovery time between workouts to let your muscles actually grow. For lifters doing a training split where you're working specific muscle groups, allow 48 hours before working that muscle group again. Muscles grow during the repair process, not during gym sessions.
2. Stretch - Do this after every workout! It keeps your muscles from becoming shortened and hard, which can lead to stiffness and in extreme cases, impaired mobility and pain.
3. Foam Roll - This is an extension of stretching that targets specific areas of the muscle to release lactic acid build-up and painful knots. It will also increase blood flow to muscles which floods them with the needed nutrients to repair.
4. Hydrate - Drink plenty of water before, during and after your workouts. Dehydrated muscles leads to cramps and spasms. We recommend adding BCAA's (Branched Chain Amino Acids) to your water at least twice a day.
5. Fuel - You want to make sure your body has the nutrients it needs to repair itself. The first meal after working out should typically be a protein and clean carb (or protein and healthy fat if you're following a Keto diet).
6. Sleep - Proper sleep is so important because it's during this time that the body does the miraculous job of repairing itself. Lack of sleep causes more stress to our nervous system, which not only leaves you cranky, but can potentially slow fat loss.
7. Replenish - Magnesium oil is essential for building healthy, sexy muscles. Magnesium is a crucial nutrient that helps promote muscle health, prevents cramping and that post workout soreness. It's also an essential nutrient for the body's cellular energy metabolism in addition to over 300 other biochemical reactions for the body to function properly.
If you're looking for solution to help with muscle soreness, replenishment and better sleep, check out our line of Active Recovery products!