5 Strategies to Help You Recover Better From a Workout

Recover better, train harder, and progress toward your goals.

Since gyms opened back up and “normal” training can fire up again, it is understandable to think that you can crush it each and every day while working out. The thing is, you cannot train for longevity if each day is a hard effort day. You need to keep both sustainability and progress in mind. Working out too hard right off the bat can lead to various issues such as injury, exhaustion, and an overall weaker performance once it is time to showcase your hard work. 

As a company founded by people who you’ll see around your local CrossFit box working hard, the team at BANDZ understands how much work goes into getting in peak shape, which is why we are passionate about helping in any way possible to ensure that your important days are your best days. The best way to do so is by showcasing some valuable tips about how to maximize recovery, minimize any potential issues, and focus on the steps needed to become the fit person you always wanted to be. Follow these recovery tips to make sure your journey is one filled with tons of great training sessions, epic competitions, and all goals accomplished.

Schedule Plenty of Time In Between Workouts

Have you ever crushed a workout, felt great following it, and then a day later felt like you got hit by a truck? That is called “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.” If you’ve ever experienced this sensation, it is not fun (Shoutout to the first hard squat workout following quarantine). When you are feeling this sore, it is essential to give your body time to come back, repair muscle fibers that were damaged, and overall allow you to mentally and physically come back.

BANDZ Advice:

Give your body 24-72 hours to fully rest in between intense training sessions involving the same muscle group. The harder you rest, the better your next workout will be.

Get Some Shut Eye

Numerous studies have shown the fact that you need sleep in order to train sustainably. From reducing fatigue to improving your mood to putting your body in an overall state of recovery, you need to sleep to maintain a high-quality training block. 

BANDZ Advice:

We recommend getting at least eight hours of sleep per night. The best way to ensure you can is by getting on a sleep schedule. Once 10 pm comes around, you’re in bed and are ready to wake up at six am. If you feel a bit sluggish during the day, consider a 30 minute power nap, if you can (If you work from home, this could be your ultimate training hack!)

Stay Hydrated

As you may know, dehydration can greatly decrease performance potential in the gym. What you may not know, is it can also reduce your body’s capability to recover efficiently. Your body needs both water and electrolytes to perform at a high level. It is recommended that men drink 3.7 liters of water per day and women drink 2.7 liters of water per day.

BANDZ Advice:

Don’t hit your minimum for hydration. Exceed it and consider how much water you need to drink based on the amount you sweat during your workout. One of our sources recommends 1 liter of water for every 1,000 calories expended during a training session.

Schedule Down Weeks

If you want to recover in the most efficient way possible and maximize that quality workouts your body can handle, then you need to have specific weeks where you go for it and workout hard and then a week in between where you take it a bit easier and give your body some time to reset. Doing this will prevent overtraining and will ensure that you are succeeding from a longevity standpoint. Maximizing your squats and bench presses per week may sound like an awesome idea but we promise, you will feel much better off taking smaller steps toward a bigger goal than you ever thought possible.

BANDZ Advice:

Every three to five weeks, plan a recovery week. For all of your main lifts, perform approximately half of your regular routine. Leave the gym feeling refreshed, energized and pumped to take on a hard week of training again.

Get Your Nutrients

When you are recovering, proper nutrition is essential. In addition, you also need protein sources to rebuild muscle tissue and to supply various tissues, cells, enzymes, and hormones too. Following a workout, crush a protein shake, snack, fruits, or vegetables that will allow you to rebuild the recovery process.

BANDZ Advice:

Eat a well balanced meal within two hours of every training session to make sure your body is properly refueled.

As members of the CrossFit community, we know how hard each and every person grinds on a daily basis and we want to be a true resource to you all. From providing helpful tips to cutting-edge products that allow you to perform better, we are with you every single step of the way. 

It is #TrainingSeason, fam, let’s get it!!!

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