Recovery workouts are exercises that help to reduce muscle soreness, promote relaxation and increase flexibility after intense training sessions. They can be performed after any type of physical activity, including weightlifting, running, or high-intensity interval training.
If you're feeling sore and achy after a workout, try incorporating these five recovery exercises into your routine to soothe muscle pain and promote faster recovery:
- Foam Rolling: Foam rolling is a type of self-massage that helps to release tension and reduce soreness in the muscles. To foam roll, use a cylindrical foam roller and place it on the area of your body you want to massage. Roll back and forth over the area, using your body weight to apply pressure. Spend at least one minute on each muscle group, such as your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and back.
- Yoga: Yoga is an excellent recovery workout that promotes flexibility, relaxation, and mental well-being. Poses such as downward dog, child's pose, and pigeon pose can help to stretch tight muscles and reduce tension in the body.
- Walking: Walking is a low-impact exercise that can help to increase blood flow, reduce muscle soreness, and promote recovery. Aim to walk for at least 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace, and focus on breathing deeply and relaxing your body as you walk.
- Swimming: Swimming is a great recovery workout that helps to reduce muscle soreness and promote relaxation. The buoyancy of the water takes pressure off your joints and allows you to move your body without putting stress on your muscles.
- Static Stretching: Static stretching involves holding a stretch in a fixed position for a set period of time. This type of stretching can help to increase flexibility, reduce muscle soreness, and promote relaxation. Try holding stretches for 20-30 seconds each for major muscle groups like hamstrings, quads, glutes, chest, and back.
Incorporating recovery workouts into your routine is crucial to promoting faster recovery, reducing muscle soreness, and preventing injury. Try to include at least one recovery workout per week to help your body recover from intense training sessions and maintain optimal physical health.