What does post-workout recovery mean? For runners, it simply means getting back to a bodily state at which you can perhaps get back to the running track or wherever it is if you run (maybe you’re a distance road-runner). You’ll be well aware of the selection of elements which constitute what you need to recover from, such as muscle and joint stiffness, pain, perhaps injury (but not necessarily), fatigue and even limited range of motion.
There could even be some swelling, which doesn’t necessarily mean you’d be injured. Recovery in this instance simply means getting back to full fitness and readiness to go out and perform again, at a level you can be proud of. It also means keeping your health in a condition where it doesn’t affect your daily routine. Many athletes use a foam roller to do post-workout massages that aid in improved sleep and faster recovery. Others use oils or creams.
Athletes could explore other methods that can have fitness benefits and help them relax. One such option can be using cannabis vapes and other products with various advantages. Incorporating cannabis into daily life can help athletes to improve focus and concentration, recede pain and inflammation, improve sleep quality, boosts energy level, and more. More about these benefits could be researched at The Sports Economist or similar sports blogs. CBD can also help sports professionals to relax and reduce stress and anxiety, which can have a negative effect on athletic performance.
So, now the question is, what are you trying to achieve by resting your muscles and relaxing?
Boosting blood circulation and flow
For bodily organs to function properly after a run, the circulation needs to return to normal. More of the blood flows to that part of the body which is being used the most, which during a run would naturally be the legs.
Getting more oxygen flowing throughout your body
It’s pretty much a matter of getting the oxygen that’s carried by the blood back to where it is needed for normal bodily functions, most of which will have been directed to the legs as the most active parts of the body during a run.
Alleviating muscle soreness
When the oxygenated blood starts flowing around the body normally again, the soreness which is felt in the legs starts subsiding.
Preventing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Proper post-run recovery also entails the prevention of delayed onset of muscle soreness, of which the pain you wouldn’t initially feel as your muscles are still hot from the intensity of the run.
Stimulating the repair of damaged muscle and tendon tissue cells
There are only so many hours in a day, so recovery through rest isn’t enough if you’re any kind of competitive runner who seeks to get back to the tracks as soon as is required of you. That’s where something like a Hyperice percussion massage gun can come in handy, so too air compression boots. A massage forms an integral part of professional sporting setups, but with a percussion massager, the benefits of this kind of setup can be brought into your home as a runner.
You can expedite your recovery by self-administering a massage, which speeds up the processes listed above as forming part of what is aimed for when seeking to recover from the intensity of having gone on a run. If you can get someone to administer the massage, all the better, but with Hyperice it’s a job that can be done perfectly by one person.
Additionally, make sure to hydrate thoroughly, something which should form part of the entire process, form pre-run through the running event itself, and then post-run as well.
Make sure to stretch well throughout as well, so too to get enough Vitamin D.