Can we only get gains during a workout? No! There’s more to gain after that. So, check out this four golden rules to getting the best out of a hard workout or ride.
Protein-it-up.
I swear by this because when I started to take this more seriously, I recovered substantially faster. Your muscles are beaten up and they need protein as soon as possible to repair and recover. Give them what they need!
Anything from your protein whey, protein shake, chocolate milk and even soya milk; are good sources. I LOVE chocolate milk but anything more than two small bottles/cartons in a serving would turn me into a fart machine.
So for myself, I would just have one small carton of milk and subsequently, drink soya milk for the rest of the day. Find something that works for you and your body. We are all different.
Quick tip! Do not gulp down one big bottle down because your body can only absorb so much protein per hour. Plan it out over a few hours.
Straight into the shower.
Let’s say you were out for a good 4 hours in tough, hot, weather. Because your body is pushing hard, your immune system takes a hit. So, don’t put your immune system into doing more work after you are done.
After you are back from your workout or ride, give it a few minutes to cool down and wipe off your sweat. While you are waiting, take this chance to consume your protein – then quickly go for a shower to wash off clean.
Getting sick easily after a hard ride means you won’t be able to continue training in the next few days properly. Consistency can bring you far so take care of your body as much as you can.
Muscle pampering.
A lot of muscle contractions occurs during exercise. This causes soreness but that doesn’t mean getting rest is the only thing you can do. Stretching is one way to help to ‘straighten out’ your muscles.
By taking time to stretch your calves, hamstring, glutes quads and hips flexors, the result is accelerated recovery, reduced fatigue and also soreness.
That’s not all, you can get a foam roller, or should I say the ‘Torture Cylinder’, to help trigger other parts of your body. One such example is your ITB (iliotibial band), which is very very hard to stretch!
Here’s even a cheaper alternative. Get a tennis ball! You can use the ball to press against your muscles in any direction by using your weight or even your hands to provide the stimulus. This too can help remove ‘knots’ and release tensions at specific muscle area.
Personally, this ball has done a lot of recovery magic for me. And even for you, this can be done while watching Netflix, so you would still have…… ‘a ball of a time’.
Image credit: Sustainable Exercise
Eat eat eat
When you expend all that energy out in the workout, your fuel gets depleted. Don’t let your body run empty! A car will not move when its empty on gas. So similarly, even if your body is at rest, it’s still hard at work trying to respond to the training. Provide it with fuel.
Ginger Spring Onion Fish Rice (image above) is one of my favourite dishes. Sliced fish, rice, ginger, onions, and vegetables. Don’t forget your greens! It’s hidden somewhere but it’s there.
Top tip: Ensure your meal is high in protein and carbohydrates for the best refuel. Not only that, eat as soon as you can, before an hour after your workout, to get the best results. Train hard! Recover hard!
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