5 Recovery Tips To Help You Build Muscle Faster For Gains

How to build muscle faster by improving your overall recovery with these top recovery tips.

Contrary to what many people think, muscle mass is built outside the gym. You break down muscle tissue while you’re training in the gym, and then your muscles grow back bigger and stronger while you’re recovering, if you have a proper recovery protocol. In this post, we will detail these recovery tips to add to your routine that should not be overlooked for your muscle growth and overall fitness goals.

Many recovery routines include things like foam rollers, yoga, and other mindfulness practices that will work to relieve those muscles and accelerate recovery to ditch muscle soreness. While it can be easy to skip recovery, especially after a grueling workout, setting aside time to take advantage of a great recovery routine is an absolute must, especially for those looking to boost all areas of their gains.

Your muscle recovery is at its prime while you’re in deep sleep. Your body recuperates from the workouts while you’re not engaged in strenuous physical activity. A good recovery program is indispensable in a fitness program. No matter how hard you train, you won’t see the results until your body recovers from your workouts utilizing these top tips.

Let’s take a look at some top recovery routines and see what makes this so great. With the right approach to training, it should be matched by recovery and these tips will help you get there no problem.

Why Recovery Matters

Recovery from training matters because your body needs time to heal. While working out and building muscle in the gym aids all areas of your gains, what a good recovery routine can do is actually give those muscles time to heal so you recovery faster. Quicker bounce back allows for more time in the gym, plus you repair those muscles to heal and recover to their optimal form.

With an emphasis on recovery you not only strengthen muscles but also improve your overall mindset and quality of life. Less soreness and stress translates nicely into your everyday activities so you feel less strain and pain and can tackle anything life throws at you.

5 Recovery Tips For Faster Muscle Growth

Let’s take a look at 5 recovery tips to maximize muscle growth so you get the most out of your training and performance. By putting a priority on muscle growth, you start to build that physique and give yourself time to fully heal to see the best gains possible.

1. Diet

Diet is one of the biggest aspects of the gym that is overlooked. People tend to believe the hard work stops in the gym, but that is not true. Having the proper macronutrient intake can help to take your progress to the next level, especially having the proper protein intake. A good option of protein to help you get the proper amount of the macro is Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey. You can just throw a scoop right in your shaker bottle and be ready to recover!

2. Supplements

Some people take pride in not using any supplements, but they go hand in hand with a proper diet. Staying away from supplements can be a mistake as they can aid and fasten up your recovery. Supplements like BCAAs and creatine are known to help with preventing muscle breakdown and rebuilding bigger and stronger muscle tissue respectively (1). After your workout is the best time to use supplements to recover because your body needs the right nutrients to tackle anything you throw its way.

In today’s time, there is a supplement for almost every kind of recovery issue you can face. Joint or back pain, inflammation, or whatever your problem, name it, and there is probably a supplement for it out there. Always be sure your supplement comes from a reputable company and that the ingredients will work for your benefit. While the market for supplements is heavily saturated, there are companies out there working for your benefit with premium products.

3. Bathe Your Way To Recovery

When most people hear about recovery, they think the only thing they need to do is to sit on their couch, do nothing, and let the body do its magic. The “chill to recover” approach for recovery isn’t enough, especially if you train at high intensity.

Although your recovery plan shouldn’t be as hard as your workouts, you should be willing to put in some extra efforts. Taking Epsom salt, cold water, or ice baths can speed up the recovery process. You should also consider taking steam and saunas to detox your body.

If you are looking for a good ice bath product, the Generation Iron team recommends one option for all of your needs, which is Ice Barrel.

4. Bio-Hacking

Making small adjustments in your daily routine can make a big impact on your recovery. Bio-hacking is the process of making changes to your lifestyle to “hack” your body’s biology to feel your best.

Some of the bio-hacks for better recovery include turning off the blue lights in your room, stop using your phone two hours before bedtime (2), and turning up the air conditioner to sleep better at night. These simple things can go a long way for your recovery goals.

Related: 3 Recovery Basics For Hard Lifters

5. Take Some Time Off

When some people don’t see the results, they try to push harder and end up doing more harm than good. If you’ve hit a plateau, you should consider taking some time off training. During this time, feel free to indulge in your favorite food or things you couldn’t do while you were on your training program.

If you’re following an intense training program, you should consider taking a week off every six months to give your body time to recover. Once you start training after the time off, the results will speak for themselves.

6. Sleep Better

Sleep is where all the magic happens. Just like babies, you grow in your deep sleep, as this is where your body generates the most testosterone and human growth hormone, which are both key muscle building hormones. If you want to transform your physique, you should be getting anywhere between 7-8 hours of sleep every night (3).

If you can’t get the desired amount of sleep in a single night, you should consider napping in the afternoon to make up for the time. You can also take supplements which help in improving sleep, and with plenty out there, you can find a safe and effective supplement for you.

Using a product like Night Shred Black from Inno Supps can help to put you in a deeper sleep, faster. However, it also helps to prime your body to start losing fat faster and more efficiently.

Wrap Up

Recovery is important and cannot be overlooked for what it can do for all your goals. With the right approach to training and recovery, you will see muscle growth and feel less sore. At the end of the day, that is what we as athletes want most. Take advantage of this so you see the best gains possible and no longer feel lethargic and that those sore muscles don’t hinder any performance.

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*Images courtesy of Envato

References

1. Pasiakos, S.; et al. (2014). “Effects of protein supplements on muscle damage, soreness and recovery of muscle function and physical performance: a systematic review”. (source)
2. He, J.; et al. (2020). “Effect of restricting bedtime mobile phone use on sleep, arousal, mood, and working memory: A randomized pilot trial”. (source)
3. Dattilo, M.; et al. (2011). “Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis”. (source)