(BlackFitness101.com) Building you best body is not limited to what you do during a workout. An adequate number of sets and reps are most definitely important. But it’s also what you do once your last rep is completed. Our bodies instantly go into recovery mode once we reach resistance-based post-workout status. The main objective at that point is to rejuvenate muscle cells and muscle energy. There are practical steps that you can take to ensure this process moves along fluently as you endeavor to build your best body. Follow these three guidelines for post-workout recovery.
Step#1
Conduct a Low-Intensity Cardio Cool Down
This is an often-neglected step by most gym-goers. The tendency is to complete the workout and then call it a day. Let me put the process succinctly: After resistance exercise, your body needs a surefire way to begin its recovery process. Your body is primed to signal the brain to release fatty acids, which have been taken up by the muscles during the workout, into the bloodstream in order to get the recovery show on the road. This is the point at which your muscle development begins and a low-level cardio activity is its beginning point.
So don’t make the mistake of thinking your recovery begins when you get home. It actually begins the moment you complete your last rep.
Step#2
Do 8-10 Minutes of Stretching
Stretching is crucial to building your best body for several reasons. The most important reason is that stretching increases your flexibility and your range of motion. If your body is inflexible, you likely will not be able to move resistance within a proper range of motion for best effects. That usually means lesser results.
After a resistance workout, conduct an eight to ten minute stretching regimen. Focus on both upper and lower body and hold the stretches for 10 to 30 seconds. For even better results, make flexibility a daily ritual. Doing toe touches, for example, can keep your body feeling limber in between workouts.
Step#3
Eat a Protein and Carb Based Meal
If I had to choose, this would be the number one mistake people make post-resistance workout. Most people counter the positive effects of a great workout with negative attention to their bodies in the sixty minutes or so after said workout.
After resistance training, the body is in two distinct modes: replenishment of energy and replenishment of nutrients. Both are fueled by ingesting a protein and a carb source within sixty minutes of the completion of a workout. I often recommend a piece of lean poultry and fruit to clients. What’s really important here is it’s really not what you eat here, more so than when.
Remember, after your last rep, think recovery!
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.