How to maximise recovery after exercise

As we all gear ourselves up for the New Year, one of our New Year’s Resolutions may be to join the gym. And if that is the case for you there is the tendency to go ‘all in or nothing’ for the first week, hitting the gym every day, only to suffer from an extreme case of DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) for a few days afterwards.

For some people, a lack of muscle soreness the day after exercise is to be lamented as an indication that they didn’t work hard enough. For others, it’s a blessed relief and a sign that they warmed up and stretched properly, and didn’t overdo it with their workout.

Rather than avoiding DOMS, it is more important to understand how to recover from exercise and also to listen to the body more when it is showing signs of fatigue.

What causes DOMS?

DOMS occurs when you start a new exercise programme or increase the intensity of your training. This causes microscopic damage to your muscle fibres, which results in soreness and stiffness. Exercises that really load the muscles in a lengthened position, such as Romanian deadlifts, have a tendency to increase your chances of being sore after a workout.

It’s important to remember, though, that DOMS is only a temporary pain station en route to a stronger you. This discomfort is only temporary as your muscles adjust to the new exercises and grow stronger. The next time you do that activity there will be less damage to your microscopic muscle fibres, so you shouldn’t be as sore and your recovery time will be quicker than the first time.

What are the best ways to prevent and treat DOMS?

There isn’t a proven formula to prevent DOMS, but you can reduce its severity by gradually introducing a new activity or slowly increasing the intensity. Cross-training and adding variety to your workouts can also help, in order to prevent overloading one muscle group. While stretching is a must after exercising to reduce the risk of injury, it won’t prevent DOMS.

Fortunately while DOMS can be unavoidable at times, there are treatments to try. There are a few things you can do to alleviate the discomfort such as hot/cold baths, ice packs, massage, tender-point acupressure and rest. Below are my tried and tested methods that I have used to recover post-workout.

Common DOMS recovery cures and whether they work

Compression Clothing

There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that compression clothing can cure or prevent DOMS.

The theory behind compression helping with DOMS seems valid, but so far it’s unproven. When your muscle groups work hard, they become inflamed as a result of extra fluid and white blood cells rushing to the area. This inflammation can cause soreness and tightness in the muscle groups. However, people who wear compression clothing may find their muscles don’t become as inflamed as they would do if they were wearing loose clothing.

It’s also believed that compression garments may increase blood flow to the muscles, reducing the amount of creatine kinase, which is a chemical that builds up in your muscles and causes soreness.

Personally I have always found compression tights/socks useful when it comes to my running. Some choose to wear compression leggings during their run, whereas I personally find them more comfortable to slip into and wear post-run. There are various compression clothing brands on the market and different price points, so best to shop around and try them out for yourself.

Mobility/stretching

One method that specifically helps prevent injuries from occurring and reigns supreme over the others is nailing good form.

Mobility and stretching aids your muscles and your joints, ensuring easier lifts and the ability to do so safer.

When you work your muscles, they contract and get shorter in a process called adaptive shortening. Stretching the muscle will help lengthen it, preventing tightness and increasing your recovery time. When you’re doing mobility work you’re actually making the muscle more pliable, allowing it to withstand more strain.

When it comes to stretching there are two different types — dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching is done pre-workout and consists of movements with a progressive range of motion each time. Static stretching is done post-workout and is a stretch that is held for up to 15 seconds at the point of getting tight. All static stretches should be held for a minimum of 15 seconds, so never rush your stretching sessions!

Foam Rolling/myofascial release

Good news for fans of self-myofascial relief: it gets the thumbs up for treating DOMS.

While your muscle fibres are repairing themselves after a workout, they can often become knotted, reducing muscle elasticity and causing soreness and stiffness. Foam rollers break up interwoven muscle fibres (scar tissue) and help move oxygenated blood into those muscles, which is why they’re an excellent vehicle with which to release those tight spots in muscles and return the muscles to a more optimal state.

Have a read of an earlier blog post I wrote all about foam rolling and which type of foam rollers to try.

Pain Relief Balms

I believe these have more of a placebo effect, but everyone’s experiences are different.

Balms like Deep Heat or Tiger Balm provide a cooling sensation on the skin, which can help reduce soreness, as the menthol in the balms cause calcium ion to affect your neurons that sense temperature and inhibits your brain/pain connection in that area.

Hot/Cold Showers And Ice Baths

The jury is still out on this one. But having subjected myself in the past to plenty of ice baths during my marathon training, I can satisfactorily say they worked for me. And the good news? They’re a nice cheap and easy solution to help recover your body! But why are they so uncomfortable?

Hot baths cause your blood vessels to expand, filling them with blood, while cold or ice baths constrict the blood vessels, forcing the blood to move on to other parts of the body.

A combination of both (known as contrast hydrotherapy) flushes the nutrients carried in the blood more effectively and quicker to your muscles, which speeds up the recovery process. Start off with 5 minutes of switching between 30 seconds of a hot shower and 30 seconds of a cold shower and see how you feel afterwards.

Magnesium

Magnesium is my wonder supplement. I owe so much of my overall recovery to this mineral.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and plays several important roles in the health of your body and brain, including the following:

· Energy creation: Helps convert food into energy.

· Protein formation: Helps create new proteins from amino acids.

· Gene maintenance: Helps create and repair DNA and RNA.

· Muscle movements: Is part of the contraction and relaxation of muscles.

· Nervous system regulation: Helps regulate neurotransmitters, which send messages throughout your brain and nervous system.

It also can help improve your sleep, which is one of the most important ways to recover your body. The recommended daily intake is 400–420 mg per day for men, and 310–320 mg per day for women, but you can also get it from food sources.

My other recommendation for getting your magnesium boost is by soaking in a bath with Epsom salt. Known scientifically as hydrated magnesium sulphate, Epsom salt is rich in both magnesium and sulphate. While both magnesium and sulphate can be poorly absorbed through the stomach, studies show increased magnesium levels from soaking in a bath enriched with Epsom salt, as magnesium and sulphate are both easily absorbed through the skin.

I have also tried magnesium gel and cream recently, but personally found no reduced DOMS the next day, so would opt for the Epsom salts if I were to choose between the two.

Sleep

Sleep should be at the top of my list as it just proves there is no real magical cure to rest and recovery other than giving your body the most important natural remedy — a good quality night’s sleep.

I wrote a separate blog post on sleep and recovery here , which is well worth a read if you know you are not prioritising sleep enough. There are literally hundreds of studies, if not thousands, that show that a lack of sleep decreases recovery time in all areas, from wound healing to DOMS. For elite athletes, getting enough sleep is fundamental to the success of their training.

Due to the hectic Western lifestyle, we are becoming severely sleep deprived as a nation, so as well as getting a good 7–8 hours of sleep each night, the quality of your sleep is also important. If you are getting in the recommended hours each night but not seeing an improvement in the quality of your sleep, this is something you may want to discuss with your GP, as there are numerous physiological as well as psychological factors that can affect how well you sleep.

Food

Yes — another important factor in your recovery! FOOD! Lots of foods are reported to have DOMS-curing properties and there are three main types to look out for.

1. Carbohydrates. Carbs produce insulin, which is a hormone that drives muscle growth in your body. It also helps replace muscle and liver glycogen which helps refuel your energy supplies and helps the body in the recovery process.

2. Protein. Protein is a nutrient that is essential for the growth, maintenance and repair of muscles and body tissue. After a workout, protein helps repair the muscle fibres that were broken down during the exercise, which helps reduce soreness and recovery time.

3. Antioxidants. Foods rich in antioxidants, such as berries and cherries, help reduce inflammation and therefore soreness — and they count as one of your five a day.

Whilst you take in and try all or some of these recommendations, do ensure you listen to your body and fundamentally give it the rest it needs. Exercise should not be seen as a punishment for the body, so treat your body well before, during and (crucially) after a workout. You will no doubt progress to your health and fitness goals far more efficiently if you do.