Are you tired of hitting the gym week after week, only to wonder if you’re really making the most out of your workouts? Well, you’re not alone. If you’re like me, you’ve probably found yourself questioning whether all those hours of sweating it out are actually paying off. Don’t worry; you’re in the right place. Welcome to our fitness blog, where we’re going to talk about something we all strive for maximizing gains after a workout.
Let me set the stage with a little personal story. I’ve been on my fitness journey for a while now, and I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. I vividly remember one day after a particularly grueling workout session. I was sitting in the locker room, drenched in sweat, and feeling completely exhausted. As I glanced around, I couldn’t help but notice the variety of post-workout rituals happening around me. Some people were chugging protein shakes, others were stretching to their limits, and a few even seemed to be in a hurry to get out of there.
I couldn’t help but wonder: “Am I doing this right? What should I be doing after a workout to maximize my gains?” It was at that moment I realized that I needed to dig deeper into this topic. After extensive research and talking to fitness experts, I’ve discovered that there’s a lot more to post-workout recovery and gains than meets the eye.
In this blog, we’re going to cut through the confusion and get down to the nitty-gritty of what you can realistically do to maximize your gains after a workout. No fancy promises or quick fixes here – just practical advice backed by science and personal experience.
The 15-minutes post-workout is one of the most important windows of time, and what you do during it could dramatically increase or decrease the effectiveness of the exercise you have just done. So, if you’re ready to take your fitness journey to the next level and make the most out of your hard-earned sweat, let’s dive in together. Grab your water bottle and towel because we’re about to unlock the secrets to optimizing your workouts and achieving those gains you’ve been working so hard for.
Remember to track your gains, using smart scales can help you with this, and our post here on how do smart scales work will help you with this.
5 Things To Do After A Workout
1. Hydrate
No ifs, no buts – you need to drink water after you finish your workout. If you’re having a protein shake or energy drink, that doesn’t remove the need for water. You should be drinking around 300ml of water for every half hour you exercise, and you should always be fully hydrated BEFORE you start exercising.
2. Eat The Right Food & Drink
For some people, exercise is an appetite suppressant, but for others, it can make their hunger spike. When we’re hungry or feeling like we’re having a sugar crush, we can make bad decisions. The benefit for your entire workout can be completely undone if you get hungry immediately after and eat a chocolate bar.
Whether or not you feel hungry after exercise, you should try and consume foods that are high in magnesium. Magnesium is essential for nearly every bodily process that helps you exercise and gain muscle. It helps with protein synthesis and blood sugar management. Most people lose magnesium during a workout, so eating foods like dark leafy green vegetables, milk, nuts, and seeds can help you recover.
Magnesium can also help prevent muscle cramps. As well as magnesium, eating proteins and fats within an hour of exercising is important. Your muscles’ levels of glycogen and be ready to absorb more. Have healthy food prepared and ready to eat as soon as you finish exercising. This will help you make healthier choices and avoid snacking on junk.
3. Cool Down and Stretch
This advice has been around for as long as exercising, but still, many people neglect to follow it. Take at least 10 minutes to stretch, and you will be maximizing the effects of your workout at a time when your body is more flexible and limber. Focus on stretching major muscle groups like your glutes, hamstrings, your core, and your hips. Use props like a door frame (or better yet, a training partner) to hold stretches for longer periods. Holding a stretch for two minutes is the optimal time to get the most benefit. Cooling down is important too. Don’t worry, you don’t need to take an ice bath or anything, but taking a cool shower after your workout can help reduce muscular inflammation and avoid you feeling so sore the following day. Always take your cool shower after doing your stretches, as your muscles will be tighter and less flexible afterward.
4. Meditate For 10 Minutes
Exercise can boost your adrenaline, which is great for finding the motivation to push through and keep going when a workout gets tough, but adrenaline isn’t a great thing to have coursing through you when you’re outside of the gym. After your workout and cool down, take 10 minutes to meditate, relax, let your heart rate return to normal, and let the adrenaline subside.
5. Change Out Of Your Gym Clothes
Hanging out in sweaty clothes may weaken your immune system and increase your risk of developing skin or fungus infections, and, let’s face it, sweaty clothes are just disgusting. The scents and bacteria remain in your clothing even after it has dried off while you are running your errands for the rest of the day (just because you’ve gotten used to the smell doesn’t mean everyone else has).
Final Thoughts – What To Do After A Workout?
Hopefully, you are already doing all 5 of these after your workout. Remember that your actions and nutrition in the hour before and after exercise can have just as much of an impact on your fitness as the time you actually spend exercising.
