The Importance of Muscle Recovery and How to Speed It Up

Nutrition. Training. Consistency. RECOVERY.

The four fundamentals of reaching your goals.

Whether you want to be the strongest, fastest, best grappler, best fighter, you name it, you'll need to stick to these fundamentals.

...and you'll need to remember that your recovery is just as important as your training and diet.

In this article, we'll talk about the importance of muscle recovery and how to speed it up so you can keep training.

RECOVERY RESTORES GLYCOGEN LEVELS

Glycogen is an energy source stored primarily in the liver and muscles. It serves as your body’s energy reserve.

Prolonged physical activity causes glycogen’s breakdown into glucose which fuels your muscles.

The rate of glycogen breakdown depends on the intensity of your physical activity.

High-intensity exercises, like sprinting and push-ups, quickly deplete your glycogen levels, causing fatigue.

This depletion necessitates glycogen replenishment before your next workout, which boils down to your recovery. In this case, the sufficiency of your nutrition.

CARBOHYDRATES INCREASE GLYCOGEN PRODUCTION

Carbohydrate timing matters when it comes to your recovery.

Glycogen production happens 50% faster if carbohydrates are consumed immediately after exercise, especially after strenuous training.

On lighter training days, studies show that your intake window increases up to six hours after your workout to consume your post workout protein and carbohydrates in order to restore and increase your glycogen levels.

This rise is due to the increased insulin sensitivity and higher concentration of glucose transporters in the muscles that occur as a result of exercise.

As you rest, insulin sensitivity diminishes and glucose transporters decrease in concentration. As such, your body becomes slower at taking in glucose and storing it as glycogen.

Carbohydrate-Rich Food Options:

Pro Tip: For the first 4 hours after glycogen-depleting exercises, consume 1–1.2 g of carbs per kilogram body weight every hour.

RECOVERY FACILITATES TISSUE REPAIR

High-intensity exercises, like resistance training, cause significant damage to the skeletal muscles and connective tissue.

This damage limits your body’s ability to transport glucose to the muscle cells and reduces their glycogen levels.

As a result, your muscles' ability to generate force is diminished, and you are unable to exercise effectively until the damage is repaired.

The good news is that your recovery process influences how fast repair occurs. This means you can optimize muscle regeneration with proper diet, supplements, and timing.

HOW TO IMPROVE AND SPEED UP TISSUE REPAIR

You can accelerate muscle recovery by consuming adequate amounts of protein shortly after exercise to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS).

Amino acids are absorbed into skeletal muscles during MPS to repair post-exercise muscle damage and increase muscle mass.

However, if nutrition is lacking or insufficient after exercise, MPS may fail to occur or the process may be diminished.

Protein requirements vary depending on the type of training you’re doing. The following table highlights the daily recommended protein intake per kilo of body weight, depending on the training performed.

To calculate the amount protein your body needs, multiply your weight in kilograms by the recommended daily intake. For instance, the protein requirement for an endurance athlete weighing 80 kilos is (80*1.4 g) which amounts to 112 grams of protein.

The following table provides additional information about common sources of protein for your consideration. The values provided are those according to protein weight and serving sizes.

HOW TO SPEED UP MUSCLE RECOVERY

On top of a nutrient dense diet, here's two tips to speed up your recovery. 

• Stay Hydrated. 
• Prioritize Sleep. 

STAY HYDRATED

It's easy to overlook the importance of hydration in how quickly you recover—before, during and after exercise.

Most of us only remember to hydrate throughout a workout, however you should be keeping your electrolytes stores replenished throughout the day. 

Proper hydration helps your body to regulate temperature while training and transports nutrients essential to your recovery after training. 

Without proper hydration, your body can’t perform at its highest level or recover effectively. 

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

Adequate sleep (8 hours) is an essential aspect of the recovery process. It allows your body sufficient time to heal itself and grow.

During sleep, your body produces large amounts of human growth hormone (HGH), which aids in the maintenance, growth, and repair of muscle tissue.

As a result, sleep deprivation (6 hours or less) limits HGH production and its effect in terms of muscle recovery time.

FOODS THAT HELP WITH SLEEP

Foods that contain melatonin can help you fall asleep and are called sleep inducers.

Melatonin synchronizes our sleep-wake pattern with night and day, thereby facilitating the transition to quality sleep.

The natural melatonin levels in the blood are highest at night. Still, you can supplement them with the following foods:

• Kiwi
• Tart cherries
• Grapefruit
• Oats
• Walnuts
• Almonds

Use these foods to increase sleep quality, deep sleep transition, daytime energy levels, and training quality.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT TO TAKE FOR MUSCLE RECOVERY?

Here are the best supplements to take to support your muscle and recovery and a rough workout.

• Post Workout Carbohydrates
• Protein
• BCAAs
• Creatine

Post workout carbohydrates help to restore muscle glycogen lost during exercise. If you have just finished a strenuous workout, take your post workout carbohydrates within 20 minutes of exercise.

Protein works to fuel muscle growth and shortens recovery time. During resistance training your muscle fibers begin to tear - this is where the "soreness" comes from. Ingesting adequate protein levels helps to rebuild these tears and improve muscle growth and recovery.

BCAAs, branched chain amino acids, help to prevent the loss of muscle mass and boost muscle protein synthesis to reduce muscle soreness.

Creatine aids in the production and regeneration of ATP - our muscles' preferred source of energy.

HOW TO RECOVER FROM MUSCLE SORENESS?

• Rest
• Active Recovery
• Topicals

Rest your muscles.

Not forever, but maybe a day in between workouts. If you worked your legs on Monday, don't train them again on Tuesday, let them rest by training a different part of your body.

Active recovery keeps your body moving without putting extra stress on your muscles.

Go for a:

• Light Jog
• Swim
• Hike
• Walk

Topicals that can be massaged into sore muscles can help temporarily alleviate sore muscles.

DOES GENDER AFFECT MUSCLE RECOVERY?

Yes it does.

Men are able to produce higher outputs than females, however, females are able to optimize their glucose levels better, resulting in less fatigue and faster recovery.

DO DIFFERENT MUSCLE GROUPS RECOVER DIFFERENTLY?

Yes, smaller muscles will recover quicker than larger muscle groups.

Smaller muscles include the biceps, triceps, and calves.

Larger muscle groups include the hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes.