Hold up… You made it to the gym, worked your tail off, and there’s ANOTHER checklist to complete? While it might seem that this is busy work at first glance, it’s the opposite. Getting the most out of your time invested in the gym comes down to working smarter, not always working harder.
Let’s break down this post-workout checklist. When you’re ready to move from workout phase to cooldown, these are the top three things to keep top-of-mind:
- Hydration
- Nutrition
- Recovery
1. Hydration
After a tough workout, hydration is key — so drink up! The sensation of feeling parched after a grueling workout is your body’s natural signal to rehydrate. The trick is to listen to that urge and tip that water bottle up. We know it’s important to stay hydrated, but let’s take that knowledge up a notch.
Make sure you’re hitting your daily hydration goal
Just how much is enough? It can be hard to tell how much water is lost during a workout, so a good rule of thumb we recommend is to drink 8 or more ounces of water for every 30 minutes of working out. As always, listen to your body and drink more if needed!
Over the course of an entire day, aim to drink about half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if your body weight is 200 pounds, aim to drink 100 ounces of water per day. Plain water is great, as is adding in flavorings; this nifty trick is helpful for some to hit that daily target.
Add electrolytes or amino acids
In addition to being thirsty, you might also feel downright tired after you work out! This is totally expected and makes perfect sense. You just worked yourself downright hard and nothing sounds better than curling up on the couch and taking a snooze. Adding a scoop of electrolytes to your post-workout water can help boost your energy levels after the gym.
Additionally, adding in amino acids to your post-workout water mix is also great for helping your tissues repair and rebuild, since amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and protein helps build muscle! Many supplements contain both electrolytes and amino acids so you’re not double scooping.
Boost with collagen
Collagen is a type of protein that is naturally occurring in our bodies, however there are factors that can cause some folks to produce less and less collagen over time (genetics, stress and alcohol, use to name a few). Studies have shown that adding a collagen supplement can help alleviate the effects of joint pain caused by inflammation, and a bonus of collagen is that it is tasteless. Mix it well with water and drink during your post-workout phase.
2. Nutrition
When you’re working out, your body burns through hydration as well as energy! The best way to restore your energy levels is to get in a post-workout snack and/or meal within 45-90 minutes of finishing your training.
Post-workout snack vs. meal?
If your schedule allows, place your workout at the time of day where your largest meal will fall after your workout. Sometimes this isn’t possible, and that is fine! Getting in a shake or snack will give your body what it needs in the moment, until you can settle down and have your breakfast, lunch or dinner. Looking for ideas on what to eat to get the best re-fuel? Check out our Coach-approved workout snack list to get inspired!
3. Recovery
We’ve arrived at the third and final stage of our post-workout checklist and it’s going to make you feel downright amazing. At this stage, our attention turns to what our bodies are actually doing. Starting with stretching and adding on from there, let’s take a look at ways you can ease yourself into the rest of your day.
Stretching for recovery
Stretching can be static (where you hold a stretch in place) or dynamic (where you stretch while moving). Listen to your body when feeling how much to stretch a particular muscle or joint. Stretching is done at the end of the workout because your muscles and other tissues such as ligaments and tendons are warm and more pliable to changes in length (aka flexibility!)
Self-myofascial release
Self-myofascial release, or SMR, is a technique used to address tension or tight spots in the body. Foam rollers are a common tool and can be found in most gyms. Lacrosse balls or mobility balls are also helpful for reaching areas that the foam roller can’t quite access, and a tennis ball is a great substitute.
Percussion tools
Hand-held percussion tools such as the Hypervolt 2 Pro by Hyperice bring post-workout cooldowns to an entirely new level. The percussive action of the tool helps apply pressure directly to your soft tissues and can help reduce soreness after workouts. Now that’s something we can all get behind!
