What do YOU do after a workout to maximize recovery? Let's talk diet, supplements, adjuctive therapies (think massage), etc etc. I've posted this question in other MA forums, but they seem to lack the depth that MAP has for knowledgable posters in the health/fitness department Bring on your recipe!!
I dont stretch after my workouts i workout 3 days a week and stretch the other days dynamic, isometric and static. It doesnt make sense but my recovery rate seams faster it might be due to puberty but i couldnt find a study were people stretched the next day.
A hot bath followed by a cold shower helps me recover and also I tend to not get many aching musles after doing this.
LOL ^ My own routine which is quite minimal works fairly well for me. I lift 4 nights/week and always after work, generally from 5:00 - 6:00pm: 1. few minutes static stretch the muscles that really took a beating directly after the workout. 2. PWO shake - protein and dextrose, nothing fancy 3. hot (I mean bright red lobster skin hot) shower or bath. 4. supper (another 30-40g protein) 5. ZMA (just started a few days ago) or multivitamin 6. minimum 7 hours of sleep, but my body wants 8 and will wake up on its own after 8. Less and I need an alarm.
Right after I workout out I have a protein shake that consists of: Whey Isolate Maltodextrin\Dextrose Mix Glutamine Peptides BCAA's About one hour later I eat a full meal. Plus I have a fairly strict diet, and get plenty of sleep, so my recovery is pretty good.
- Immediately after a workout, 2 scoops of Surge (protein, BCAAs, glutamine, sugars, other yummy muscle goodness). - If I tweaked a bodypart that doesn't feel good, it gets ice for 15-20 minutes after the workout. - Usually within an hour of working out, contrast shower (alternating pretty darn hot, with pretty chilly water). - After the shower, I'll have some real food, preferably a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, and a protein shake. - ZMA before bed. Also, recently (as in, just the last few days), I've also had 2 hard boiled eggs at night, and have noticed I'm sleeping better than before. Hmmm...cast another vote for protein and healthy fats before retiring.
You guys notice significant recovery benfits from BCAA's? Glutamine makes me recover way faster than without it, maybe cause of my low carb diet.. I guess I may give BCAA's a go too, since they are sort of in the same categoty.. Whats a good brand for BCAA's in th UK?
- First and foremost I try to keep my body warm *all* the way through the workout and afterwards. Winter especially, it never fails I see people hurt themselves thinking because some group of warriors used to run naked through the snow for an hour to start their day of training means that its ok to freeze your ass of while exerting yourself...This might not be pertinent for some of you but one of the groups of guys I work out with does so in a parking lot. - Protein shake when I get home, usually with dinner, sometimes with small quantities of vitamin B. I used to use Glutamine, didnt find it too helpful. - If an area is painful/injured, it gets jow and massage that night, the next morning, and the next night, and a dose of ta wan. - I try to spend about 25 minutes atleast every other night stretching major muscle groups in a very slow and relaxing manner, followed by some simple massage. - When an area is injured, it gets special attention from a series of exercises that i do that you might classify as qigong, but is a bit more focused at increasing the pliability, suppleness, and limberness of muscles and sinews.
Awesome replies, guys, keep 'em coming! What I do: -PWO shake consisting of milk, whey isolate, frozen mixed berries and a banana -Supplement w/ 2400mg wild salmon oil, 2000mg vitamin C, and one tab of Cold-FX (link is for info only) -Hot shower, followed by alternating sessions old cold/hot, 30 seconds each -ZMA an hour before bed -bowl of cottage cheese a few minutes before bed I've debated trying out glutamine peptides; in theory, they'd be a perfect supplement. There's no studies yet (that I've found) that have shown a decent rate of uptake into the bloodstream. Since L-glutamine is like the hot date that doesn't put out (in other words, a total waste of time and money) I'm hesitant to drop any money on peptides; of course, the supplement companies are making all sorts of great claims, but don't they always?
Ummmm.... As of lately, it's been Cytogainer/Liftime joint-ligament-tendon formula/hyaluronic acid Just a bit of stretching eggs and cottage cheese before bed GABA, multivitamin, fish oil, and wheat grass caps at bed
2,3 scoops of Surge (start drinking it in midd of last exercise), then hour after Lots of carbs and protein, i prefer to have another shake like nlarge, and then hard meal after that... i cant eat solid food 2 hours after workout just don’t feel like it... also during a day Glutamine creatine fish oil ZMA Also i dont take hot shower only cold one for a min. Helps me way better than hot or hor/cold combo. Right before bed Grow! Nothing beats it
