Whether you are returning to sport or are already a regular athlete, it is important to keep in mind that muscle recovery is a major issue. While it is obvious for many athletes to have the right reflexes during exercise, the post-exercise part is often neglected. Here are our best tips for optimizing your muscle recovery after exercise, in order to suffer less from aches.
A stretching session
A technique as old as time which supposedly would be enough to avoid suffering from aches, or at least to limit them. This is far from true, but stretching can be beneficial in several areas. Whether you do them daily, before, during or after exercise, a stretching session:
- Promotes joint flexibility: taking care of your joints is important in and outside of sport. A well-done stretching session will help you promote range of motion and get the muscle used to contracting and relaxing. Good joint flexibility would also prevent joint wear and reduce the risk of osteoarthritis.
- Promotes muscular flexibility: a more flexible muscle is beneficial from every point of view. A flexible muscle is a stronger and more athletic muscle. A muscle is like a rubber band, the more you pull on it, the greater the resistance force and its impact force. Be careful, however, not to overdo it, otherwise you risk tearing the muscles.
- Helps reduce the risk of injury: making the muscles more flexible allows for a better range of movement and therefore reduces muscle stretching which could be responsible for more or less serious injuries. Working on muscular flexibility, through stretching sessions, therefore allows you to avoid going to the muscle's breaking point and avoid injuries.
Optimize your muscle recovery
You must already have a good understanding of how muscles work. During any physical activity, the muscles are victims of damage due to the effort produced. Your muscles may suffer from:
- Small effusions of blood, caused by rupture of blood capillaries.
- Micro-trauma that leads to small damage to muscle cells.
- Acidosis caused by increased H+ ions.
Fortunately for us, muscles repair and regenerate. For this, they need sufficient protein and carbohydrates .
- Carbohydrates to replenish the stocks emptied by the effort you produced beforehand.
- THE proteins to help muscles repair, regenerate and strengthen.
MX3 has developed sports nutrition supplements that promote optimal muscle recovery. They provide proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals which help the body function properly.
- Sport Drink Recup: a post-exercise recovery drink with 63% carbohydrates, 26% proteins, a vitamin complex with vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium.
- High Protein Recup: high protein supplement, based essentially on protein intake at 84%, with minerals: calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
In conclusion, to promote good muscle recovery, it is important to educate your muscles by making them more flexible in order to avoid injuries. It is also interesting to opt for sports nutrition products rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Take at the end of exercise or up to 2 hours after activity.
