Whether you are trying to stay healthy and active, burn off excess body-fat, increase strength, or build quality muscle, recovery is paramount to overall success and progressions within any given exercise regimen. The work you put in breaking down the muscle fibers that occurs during exercise necessitates a period of subsequent rebuilding and recuperation to facilitate the improvement process. There are many aspects of proper recovery, but today we will focus primarily on Nutrient Intake and Rest.

When examining the process of exercise induced progressions, it becomes evident that Recovery is an absolutely critical and integral factor in solidifying adaptations. Without providing the body with the right environment to recover, development will cease to exist and regressions are likely to occur.

Now that we have realized the importance and significance of recovery, let’s dive into how to optimize it. Exercise creates mechanical damage to the muscular system, and also greatly impacts and stresses the Central Nervous System. Therefore, we must focus on repairing and supplying additional support to not only mitigate the damage done, but to rebuild with the intent of super-compensating and creating an optimal environment to further the adaptations and improvements, thus rendering the developments to become permanent and built upon even further in the future.

Nutrition for recovery

Proper Nutrition is a key component to facilitating the recovery process. Since muscles are made up of proteins (more specifically the amino acid sub-components which are the “building blocks”) we need to make sure adequate protein and/or amino acids are consumed. The central nervous system is also reliant upon certain amino acids that act as pre-cursors to neurotransmitters, to stabilize and nourish both mentally and physically. Different amino acids perform different roles within the body, but there are definitely some that act as extremely important signaling molecules. L-Leucine (one of the three Branched Chain Amino acids) is a very important amino, and actually stimulates protein synthesis to a very large degree by activating what’s known at the mTOR pathway. This pathway is a nutrient sensing pathway that when “turned-on” boosts many cellular processes and leads to (as mentioned) protein synthesis, but also cell motility, cell survival, cell differentiation, and other activities that stimulate growth and development. L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine are the three branched chain amino acids and comprise about 1/3 of all skeletal muscle tissue! Therefore, it is wise to supplement with these important amino acids (especially after working out) to provide rapid recovery boosting properties that can be solidified thereafter by supplying a well rounded high protein meal. The Branched Chain Amino acids (BCAA’s) are considered Essential because we need to consume them through the diet and they cannot be synthesized internally. The other Essential Amino acids include: L-Lysine, L-Threonine, L-Methionine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Tryptophan, and L-Histidine (histidine is considered “conditionally essential”). Technically, all other amino acids can be synthesized or converted from these essential amino’s. Another very important amino acid that may be considered “conditionally essential” would be L-Glutamine (the most abundant amino acid within the body which boosts immune function, gut health, and aids in muscle recovery). L-Glutamine tends to get depleted very easily within active individuals; that said, it is beneficial to supplement additional Glutamine if you’re looking to optimize recovery, health, and physiological function. High quality protein foods contain the aforementioned amino acids, and should be consumed regularly (approximately every few hours) to maintain optimal levels and replenish tissues to facilitate proper repair and recovery.

Carbohydrates are also very important to the recovery process. After exercising, muscle glycogen levels (stored carbohydrates within the muscles) have been decreased, and should be replenished to supply usable energy. In addition, consuming carbohydrates (with a lean protein source) will stimulate the secretion of insulin, (our body’s storage hormone) which will shuttle nutrients and amino acids into worked muscles. However, Insulin must be managed to avoid unwanted fat-gain as well as nutrient desensitization and resistance, but after working out a rise can provide some beneficial effects; your body is most likely to benefit and utilize the carbohydrates that you consume directly after working out. All other times (such as upon waking, during the day, prior to workout, etc) carbohydrates may not be needed, and healthy fats with protein will provide a better fuel source. Speaking of healthy fats, it must be mentioned that proper intake of healthy fats will boost recovery as well as many other physiological functions, and lead to an improved hormonal state, enhanced cognitive function, stabilized energy, and boosted cardiovascular health.

Now that we have briefly touched on Nutritional factors relevant to recovery, we will branch into a highly overlooked area of importance: Rest and Recuperation.

Rest for Recovery

We experience intense exercise as a stressor. Otherwise known as a hormetic effect, the body can actually benefit greatly from the stress that it is subjected to during exercise and become even stronger, healthier, and more resilient through the adaptation processes that occur when we recover from such activities. However, in order to reap the rewards and experience the improvements, we must allow sufficient down-time for the body to heal and mend itself additionally to be prepared for the next bout. When speaking of rest, we are not only referring to nightly sleep (which is critical and will be covered shortly), but also general relaxation within daily life. Anything to reduce stress, as stress has a detrimental effect on the mind, body, and soul. Practices may include things like taking a few moments to breathe and focus inward, mainly with the intent of eliminating extraneous mind-made noise or unneeded thoughts/concerns. Recent research has also demonstrated that 5-10 minutes per day of meditation has lead to profound benefits in well-being. These types of life-boosting activities will indirectly facilitate enhanced recovery. Also, as mentioned, (and this is a given), sleep at night is absolutely critical! Getting high quality uninterrupted sleep will allow your body to get into stages of REM and deep wave sleep which provide amazing restorative properties. It is at this stage in deep sleep that the high levels of natural Growth Hormone is released in pulsatile fashion, which provides tissue repair, fat loss, boosted well-being, greater energy during the day, and also even has anti-aging benefits. These are only a fraction of the benefits we see with proper rest and recuperation.

Optimizing Recovery

There are many other practices and therapeutic modalities that can also enhance recovery. These include deep tissue massage, active release therapy (ART), muscle activation techniques (MAT), and even innovative technologies such as infrared saunas and Epsom salt baths. We will look into each of these recovery alternatives in coming articles.

To wrap things up, I believe it is now fair to say without a doubt that recovery is absolutely essential to making improvements. Hopefully this blog has provided some insight(s) and ideals to help with your progressions. As always, stay focused, stay motivated, and keep moving forward! #strive2optimize