One of the most important elements of exercising, recreational or performance, is recovery and it is also one of the hardest things to do because allowing time for rest can be a challenge.

According to specialists in the field, recovery is the most important part of a training program with significant physical benefits.

To improve performance in sports or simply for personal physical condition, the body is under stress (for example, by using weights to increase muscle mass or by running, sprints or endurance sports that involve workouts longer than 60 minutes a day and physical effort of more than 7 hours a week). Upon completion of physical exercise, the body must adapt to the stress it has just suffered and this is where the recovery stage begins.

Neglect of the recovery stage can lead to injuries and/or injuries.

Many training programs include days of rest, but if one follows his/her own training program must take into account the time needed to restore the body.

The essential thing is listening to the body, as well as evaluating your own sensations after a workout. When fatigue or pain occurs, rest is absolutely necessary.

Most of the time, after a workout there is a tendency to run directly home or to another activity, which is not exactly beneficial for the muscles because, both recovery after training and warm-up before training, have an extremely important role.

The main purpose of recovery after practicing physical exercise is to allow the muscles to relax and to prevent inflammation in the anatomical structures involved in that physical effort (tendons, ligaments, muscle fascia etc.).

Rest and sleep is one of the most important ways to achieve rapid recovery after an intense workout. During sleep the body releases a high level of growth hormones and testosterone (both hormones with an important role for muscle mass). In addition, if the program allows, a nap of 15 to 20 minutes during the day helps the heart, blood pressure, stress levels and even weight management. During sleep the body repairs/recovers. A faster recovery means returning to training sooner.

One of the most vital aspects of both training and recovery is proper hydration.

Nutrition falls into the same category as hydration, as importance.

To recover, the body needs a large amount of protein and carbohydrates. Proteins provide the nutrients that muscles need to recover and carbohydrates are converted into the energy the body needs for training sessions. But the key to success is balance, more precisely a small amount of food never stimulates muscle growth and a large amount will only lead to fattening.

Massage or self-massage is important for relaxing muscles, increasing oxygen and blood flow to the required muscles and eliminating lactic acid accumulated during exercise (lactic acid is responsible for the onset of inflammation).

Also, massage helps to eliminate tension and muscle contractions, to restore tissues and to reduce pain, if any.

The alternation of cold baths (with ice) with a hot shower has important effects for the recovery of the body after effort. The benefits of this contrast therapy are to increase blood flow to the muscles and accelerate the elimination of lactic acid.

More precisely, an ice bath (a process familiar to many athletes) causes constriction (tightening) of the blood vessels of the body, pushing the blood away from the muscles due to the cold temperature. Once the bath ends and the body warms up the vessels dilate (open) facilitating blood flow back into the muscles, bringing with it more oxygen to help restore.

The hot shower improves blood circulation, ensures the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles involved in training, thus speeding up healing. It also facilitates muscle relaxation.

Ideally, start and finish with a cold bath of about 45 seconds, then take a hot shower for 3-4 minutes. Repeat this 3 times.

It eliminates lactic acid from the muscles (muscle fatigue and sometimes pain can occur right from the moment the training starts, because lactic acid begins to appear). It also reduces the appearance of muscle cramps (transpiration and dehydration can cause severe muscle pain. Moisturizing and performing stretching exercises during and after training decreases the risk of these muscle cramps).

Stretching exercises also help gradually cool the muscles and the entire body, bringing the body to the initial balance. Also, the heart rate will gradually decrease and thus the body will be able to relax.

By practicing stretching exercises, nutrient-rich blood is pumped to the muscles that need recovery, but it also helps to increase the elasticities of the tissues, so that the muscles, tendons and ligaments stretch more easily, which results in increased performance and prevention of injuries.

The use of foam roller is a simple technique of manual self-therapy, often used to improve flexibility, reduce pain and/or muscle contracture or improve sports performance.

In the case of muscles, the foam roller acts similarly to a deep and firm massage. To obtain this effect, the movements on the foam roller must be long (between the 2 ends of the muscle, slow and pressed (up to the limit of pain), always watching the length of the muscle fiber.

These profound effects are most commonly obtained in large muscle groups, such as the calf muscles, thigh or upper back.

➢ Regardless of its own physical condition and the degree of training, it is important to give the body time for recovery

➢ The recovery of the body depends on the future sports performance

➢ Ideally, each of the recovery methods should be performed, but one can consider trying a method and observe the effects.

➢ you can use the advice and services of a specialist in the field of sports recovery

➢ rest after training and the correct scheduling/spacing of training are important to avoid injuries.