So you decided to get serious about working out on a regular basis and follow a healthy eating plan… now what?
Before you think you’re ready to take on the role of He-Man and do a strenuous workout for ten hours a day, keep in mind that an important part of any workout routine is to include rest and recovery.
Recovery provides time for your muscles and tissues to repair. After a strength training session, muscles need one or two days of recovery to rebuild. If you choose to skip the recovery time, rather than building muscles you’ll be breaking down tissue. If you choose to do strength training every day, then it’s important to not work the same muscles two days in a row.
At the end of each workout session, include some sort of cool down or stretching exercises. Be sure to fuel your body with protein, such as a protein shake, and drink plenty of water. It’s also important to get plenty of sleep so that your body can continue to repair and recover.
If you are still quite sore a day or two after working out, re-evaluate your workout plan. You might need to scale back a bit and work your way up to the plan. Of course a massage will greatly help as well!
Walt June 13, 2012 at 1:22 am
I do strength training 3 days a week and totally agree that you need to allow for recovery time! People think they speed up the process by working out everyday, but it actually can slow down the process!
Jason June 15, 2012 at 1:01 am
This makes sense. I’m just confused as to why some guys go to the gym five days a week and workout. Don’t they need to have recovery time as well?