4 min
If you train hard, you must devote time to recovery.
As someone who has trained hard in the gym for years, I’ve learned the importance of taking care of my body outside of the gym.
Recovery is more than just lying around… it’s about intentional habits and having useful tools that you can use when you recognize your body needs it.
Spending time to recover will help your body repair, reduce soreness, and help you prepare for your next training session.
In this blog post, I will dive deep into my favorite ways to recover from a tough week of training.
Although not my personal favorite (since I don’t always hit 7 hours), sleep is the most powerful form of recovery. It doesn’t cost anything and it has the most profound impact on your body’s ability to rebuild and grow.
Strive for 7 hours or more and be as consistent as possible with your sleeping conditions. That means setting a consistent bedtime, limiting electronics before bed, and creating an environment that signals “it’s time for rest.” A dark room and blackout curtains help a ton.
If you can’t get a full 8 hours, try to make it up with a short nap.
✅ Pros: Free, most effective recovery tool
❌ Cons: Hard to consistently get 8 hours in today’s busy world
💡 Tip: Protect your bedtime the same way you protect your workout time.
Contrast therapy is one of my favorites when I need to recharge.
The sauna promotes relaxation, increases blood flow, and helps flush out toxins. The cold plunge, on the other hand, reduces inflammation, boosts circulation, and sharpens mental toughness.
When you alternate the two, you get the best of both worlds.
The heat from the sauna loosens muscles and boosts recovery, while the cold reduces soreness and refreshes your nervous system.
Don’t have access to a sauna or plunge? No problem. Try a hot shower followed by a blast of cold water at the end, or a dip in a pool on a cool day.
After a week of heavy training, it’s normal to feel stiff, achy, and worn down. Massage and cupping are excellent ways to address those aches. Massage improves circulation and reduces muscle tension, while cupping can help with blood flow and pain relief.
I choose to get my cupping done at Aries Physical Therapy. They offer additional recovery tools such as BFR, graston, and dry needling.
In an ideal world, I would get a weekly massage. I typically just go as needed, when my body is feeling especially beat up.
When I need a recovery massage, I go to Relax and Get Results in Davie.
If you are on a budget, you can use a foam roller or lacrosse ball.
You can’t out-train poor recovery nutrition. What you eat and drink directly impacts how fast your body bounces back. Aim for high-quality protein to repair muscles, carbs to replenish energy, and healthy fats to reduce inflammation.
For protein, focus on these three sources:
For carbs, focus on these healthy sources:
Hydration is just as important. Beyond plain ole water, hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and oranges pack vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes your body craves.
If you’re constantly sore, check your protein and water intake first.
I like to spend one day a week doing “active recovery.”
My favorite things to do:
Low-intensity activities like these help to increase blood flow without adding more stress to your mind and muscles.
Active recovery helps flush out lactic acid, keeps joints moving, and reduces stiffness. It also keeps you in the habit of moving daily, even when you’re not going “all out.”
I think we should all strive for more daily movement. Whether it’s hitting your step count or being in a gym, more movement can’t hurt.
Just listen to your body, and know when you need to ease off the gas, and which dials to turn when you need to recover.
When you start training consistently, you need to be hyper aware of your sleep, nutrition, water intake, and recovery.
It will help you improve your performance, avoid burnout, and reduce injuries from overtraining.
You don’t have to do all five every week, but layering them in consistently will keep you training harder, longer, and smarter.
If you are going to focus on anything, focus on your sleep first, then your nutrition, and use your massafes, foam rollers, and contrast therapy as needed.
For your mental and physical health, get outside and use your fitness!
Chat with a coach to learn more about what program will fit your lifestyle and your goals.
