X Shadyside is Ready to Open — Here’s What You Need to Know
When you’re pushing yourself at the gym consistently, you know how it feels to ache and burn afterward. While this is certainly a good kind of pain, you find that this achy feeling inhibits you from pushing yourself the next day. What’s there to do about this? Focus on your recovery. Recovering from a workout is just as important as fueling before a workout, which is why the leader among gyms in Shadyside is here to break down the 5 steps for maximizing your recovery and getting back in the gym as soon as possible.
Much like refueling your car after driving around for a few hours, it’s extremely important to refuel after your workout. Your body utilizes extra nutrients when working out to power your every move, which is why it’s so important to pay attention to replenishing those nutrients after hitting the gyms in Shadyside. Choose a post-workout meal that provides a healthy serving of protein - like eggs, chicken, or fish - in addition to complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables to keep yourself feeling good and ready to tackle your next workout.
Working out can take a toll on your body. Whether you’re increasing your endurance or lifting weights, working out causes micro-injuries that can keep you sore and feeling sluggish in your next workout. These micro-tears in your muscles are extremely normal and is the key to building muscle, but many athletes look for ways to speed up this recovery time so they can keep improving.
A sports massage is the perfect way to speed up your recovery because it increases blood flow to the targeted region. This blood provides your muscles with the nutrients they need to recover. However, a sports massage can be pricey. Luckily, there are a number of at-home alternatives like using a massage gun or rolling out your muscles with a tennis ball or foam roller that can help speed up your recovery.
If you’re hitting the gym harm, you know how much of a toll that can take on your body. Your sweating inevitably leads to a loss of liquids needed to keep you hydrated and feeling your best. That’s why it’s super important to make rehydrating a key part of your workout recovery. Not only should you hydrate before and during your workout, but taking the time to replenish your body with plenty of water (and an electrolyte drink if you’d like) will keep you alert and keep your body functioning well enough to train hard the next day.
If your training at the gyms in Shadyside to the best of your ability, your body’s functions are elevated to help you perform. Your heart rate is up, your muscles are elongated to keep you moving, and you may be breathing heavy. It’s important to take the time to help your body relax and cool down after a tough workout to avoid injury and help you relax.
That’s why we recommend taking the time to complete a cooldown and stretch after every workout. You’ve seen everyone from track stars to Olympic swimmers do this to keep their bodies fresh and ready to go. After your workout, complete a 10-15 minute cardio cooldown - like a jog/walk or slow-paced ride - and stretch out your muscles as needed. This will help bring your body back to its natural baseline by lowering your heart rate, regulating your breathing, and bringing your body temperature back to a normal, healthy temperature.
You know how exhausted you feel after a good workout. If you’re a nighttime gym-goer, this is great news for you; sleeping after a workout is one of the best things you can do to help you recover! Sleep is your body’s natural time for recovering whether you’re working out or not. During sleep, anabolic hormones are released in a higher concentration that help build up your muscles to make the most out of your workout.
Additionally, sleep allows you to reduce your fatigue and increase focus for your next workout. This also improves your muscle memory so that you can continue to train hard and correctly with minimal effort. If you workout in the morning, it’s equally important to get a good night’s sleep -- you just might have to wait a little longer to do so.
Think it’s time you start training and recovering at the gyms in Shadyside? Try out X Shadyside today to get in with the most supportive fitness community in Pittsburgh.
