Do you do your best in the gym and follow your diet strictly, but the results are still not what you want? Maybe your muscles aren't recovering enough. In such cases, most exercisers think of BCAAs, which promise to improve recovery. But as we'll explore in our article today, supplements are only the top of the imaginary recovery pyramid.
While not very typical for our articles, in this article we will rankthe different aspects of recovery from the most important (which will be number 1.) to the less important ones.
1. Sleep
Quality sleep plays an absolutely crucial role in muscle recovery. During this complex process, the body produces anabolic hormones, repairs damaged muscle fibres and removes excess free radicals from the body. More important than the length of sleep, however, is the quality.
In order for the body to regenerate in the best possible way, it is important to avoid, for example, drinking large amounts of fluids before going to bed, because then the kidneys have to work even during sleep. However, you should also be careful about looking at your phone too much, because the blue light from these electronicdevices reduces melatonin levels, which is especially bad for falling asleep.
2. Drinking regime
Another extremely important aspect in recovery is a proper drinking regime. After all, water is the origin of life, it is essential for the proper absorption of nutrients (whether fats, carbohydrates and proteins, or vitamins and minerals), supports the maintenance of acid-base balance in the body and removes excess products of metabolism.
Fluid intake is completely individual, and not only body weight, but also the intensity of training, the level of sweating and many other aspects play a role. In general, however, I would recommend drinking at least 3 liters of water per day. Ideally, it is also a good idea to drink most of your water by (roughly) 3pm, as then recovery would be impaired due to over-stimulation of the kidneys.
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3. Diet
Of course, diet also plays an indispensable role in maximizing recovery processes. This should of course be balanced, containing not only the ideal amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats, but also micronutrients, which are essential for the proper functioning of our body. It is also important to make sure that we eat the right food after training. This should ideally consist of proteins that trigger repair processes and carbohydrates that reliably replenish lost glycogen stores. You should also not forget about regular intake of fruit and vegetables, which are a great source of, for example, fibre necessary for proper digestion.
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4. Static and dynamic stretching
Although stretching is generally a very neglected issue, it definitely has its place in every athlete's training. However, it's important to distinguish which specific type of stretching you choose and how long you engage in it:
Dynamic stretching should definitely come at the beginning of your training, which is important not only for the well-known injury preventionIt's also important for maximizing muscle performance, increasing heart rate, and preparing the body for the load. If you're interested in this topic in more detail, definitely check out our separate article on dynamic stretching.
On the other hand, after the workout should come a static workout, where you will try to relax your muscles. In addition to preventing muscle shortening, you will also improve mobility, maintainyou'll keep your hamstrings flexible and, extremely importantly, you'll improve the so-called This will improve your muscle-mind connection, the ability to perceive a specific part of the muscle and target it better. We have also written about static stretching detailed article, so if you are interested in this topic in more depth, we definitely recommend reading it.
Ideally, of course, it is also good to stretch completely separately from training, for example in the evening and morning, but let's face it, not many of us have time for that. That's why it's extremely important to just pay attention to stretching around training, otherwise you risk serious injuries sooner or later.
5. Hardening
As you may have already registered, there are dozens of aspects that are considerably more important than supplements. But "unfortunately" these are things that you have to work on yourself, and therefore for the vast majority offor the vast majority of people, it is more convenient to just use a supplement and expect the same positive effect. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. And hardening is clear evidence of that.
Almost no one is comfortable taking an ice shower right after waking up. However, I have to say from my own experience that the positive effects of regular hardening are priceless. In addition to the overall improvement of the immune system, you can look forward to better regeneration, higherhigher testosterone levels (which of course is linked to better muscle growth) and much more.
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6. Saunas
From my personal point of view, sauna bathing is a real miracle not only for muscle recovery, but also for the overall functioning of a person's immunity. The principle of how sauna works on the body is relatively simple.
The action of the heat reduces the amount of red blood cells in the plasma, thus increasing the body's production of erythropoietin (called EPO, one of the substances abused by, for example. Lance Armstrong). Well, it's the higher activity of EPO that leads to an increase in the number of red blood cells, which then through its ability to oxidise, it's better able to burn fats and sugars in the body.
7. Massages
Just as the previous tips did not only affect regeneration, they also bring with them a lot of othertions are also beneficial in their effects. Firstly, it improves blood circulation to the limbs, which in turn improves the supply of oxygen and nutrients. to the muscles, but also reduce mental tension and remove excess metabolites. If you receive massages regularly, you will relieve your muscles and joints, but you will also relieve fatigue.of the central nervous system, which takes a huge beating, especially during heavy powerlifting workouts.
I personally love Thai massages the most, which, besides being a completely non-concussive stretchthey also provide a reduction in mental tension and are a great way to actively regenerate.
8. Vitamins and minerals
The last post of our article belongs (finally) to a supplement. Unfortunately, it's not BCAAs, but our much-praised vitamins and minerals. It is important to remember that vitamins and minerals affect the basic metabolic processes in the body, take care of the proper function of immunity and much more.
For example, vitamin D plays a very important role in maintaining proper testosterone levels, as well as magnesium and zinc are indispensable (but paradoxically extremely deficient) nutrients. We've written on this very topic as well a separate article, so if you'd like to learn more about the most deficient mineral and the most deficient trace element, be sure to read it!
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9. Give probiotics a chance
When you hear the term recovery, you probably think of dozens of different supplements. But probiotics? While it may sound strange, this supplement has its merits. The healthful bacteria living in the gut don't just affect the health ofproper digestion, but also the normal functioning of the immune system. And the proper functioning of the immune system of course also includes coping with stressful situations, not excluding training. So if you're not big on dairy products or other foods rich in probiotics, definitely consider supplementing.
So how do you approach supplements in the end?
I wouldn't want you to get the feeling from our article today that I am completely dismissing all use ofthe use of supplements that manufacturers sell to improve recovery (i.e. BCAAs, glutamine, etc.). It's just important to remember that all of the things mentioned in this article are more important than these supplements. Until you have the basics figured out, don't try to invest in supplements unnecessarily. But if you have the basics figured out, our comparison on the bestbest probiotics will definitely help you choose the perfect supplement.
Oh, and if you have any questions about recovery, definitely feel free to ask in the comments, we're always happy to answer!
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Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.