Recovery is essential. Everyone talks about this, but not everyone understands the importance. Instead, people overtrain, burn out, cause injuries, and do pretty much everything they shouldn’t do.
Below, we’ll give you a guide to how professional bodybuilders recover.
Fueling Recovery with The Right Diet
Similarly, nutrition has a massive role during the recovery period too – if anything, nutrition does more to us than training does.
Generally, you need to find a diet that works for you that’s high in protein, and then you can decide your level of carbs and fats. Some people work well on a low-carb, high-fat diet (healthy fat), and some people can’t train or survive without carbs. Play around with diets and see what works, with one of the mainstays being high protein. Supplements are also essential – creatine, whey protein, BCAAs, and some steroids online Canada suppliers.
With carbs, go for complex carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice, or whole-grain cereals, which provide the constant fuel for muscle recovery. With fats, pick lean and healthy fats like meat, fish, and vegetables like avocado or oils like olive oil.
We’d recommend using a food tracker like MyFitnessPal to track your diet and macros.
The Power of Stretching
This one is so simple, yet so many people don’t do it. Stretching before and after workouts (and daily) is so good for joints, muscles, and mind. It’s a time to be calm and still, and release tension that could/has built up from a workout. The endorphins from a quick stretch session are so good. You’re naturally helping your body flow and open up – it’s the same feeling as a good morning stretch. It doesn’t only feel good; it’ll prevent injuries and help recovery.
There are static and dynamic stretches you should incorporate into your routine. As you stretch statically, your main aim should be to hold on for 15–30 seconds to major muscles used in training sessions. Dynamic stretching involves moving different body parts while increasing reach and speed gradually. For example, leg swings or walking lunges.
You can find multiple routines on YouTube ranging from a few minutes to over an hour. Everyone can put one on in the gym or in their homes and follow a quick stretch routine.
The Importance of Quality Sleep
Sleep is everything. All high-performance athletes will tell you how essential sleep is. With proper sleep, the body goes into repair mode, releasing growth hormones and assisting muscle recovery.
Try sleeping for 7-9 hours every night to see the benefits. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants in the afternoon, don’t eat 3 hours before bed, and try to start your sleep routine one hour before bed so you have time to fall asleep at the right time.
The professional bodybuilder’s recovery is so much more than that. Most of them do hot and cold recovery, have hyperbaric chambers, and have access to professional massage and physiotherapists when and where they need them. Still, there are lots of things you can do to recover.
