Top Tips To Recover From Exercise Quickly

Posted on October 22, 2021 by admin

After exercise we are often faced with muscle soreness and pain; otherwise known as DOMS. Check out my last blog post to find out more about delayed onset of muscle soreness here. In this post I will give you some tips on how you can help aid your recovery with simple processes and routines. Improving these aspects will help you recover quicker!

How to reduce recovery time following exercise?

There are several areas that you can focus on to make sure that you can make your recovery as optimal as possible. However, remember that even when you optimise your recovery you can still suffer with muscle pain. The biggest thing here is to give your body the best chance to repair the damaged muscles and allow for the adaptations. So the areas you will want to concentrate on are:

Hydration
Diet
Sleep
Alternative Treatment
Active Recovery

How to hydrate after exercise?

We all know that we should be drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. However, if we are exercising at a high intensity we are going to sweat and lose fluid. Therefore, we need to consume more fluid to allow ourselves a chance to rehydrate. You are probably sat there thinking, well obviously; but did you know that being in a state of dehydration will slow down your muscle recovery? The process of muscle synthesis is slowed down until the body is rehydrated, therefore prolonging your time for recovery!

What should I eat after exercise?

Following exercise you should look to consume a food with a high carbohydrate content. Depending on the type of exercise you have just done, your glycogen stores are likely to be depleted. Having a carbohydrate snack within 30 minutes of exercise finishing can really help to improve recovery times. To improve recovery times even more, have a protein snack alongside this too.

Does sleep help me to recover?

Absolutely! Getting enough sleep is key in the recovery from injury or exercise. When you sleep, your body releases more hormones such as, human growth hormone. When this is released it helps with the rebuilding and repair phase in the muscles. So getting your 8-hours is key. Therefore, try to switch off from your phones/laptops at least 30 minutes before bed so you can just fall asleep quickly and effortlessly!

How will massage help me to recover?

The key aspect when having a massage for recovery is that it isn’t too deep. The best massage to have to help you to recover is one that finds the balance between a deep-tissue massage and a spa style relaxing massage. Massage will help to increase blood flow to an area, relax the muscles and remove any waste products sat within the muscles. Therefore, why not try it?

What is an active recovery?

An active recovery is the performance of low intensity activity following a strenuous bout of exercise. This will help to keep the blood flowing through the muscles and tissues. Therefore, the muscles will have a continued supply of nutrients and vitamins to help them recover quicker! Aim to keep your heart rate between 30-60% of you maximum heart rate for the best results. There are so many different ways in which an active recovery can take place. The list below will mention a few types of active recovery.

Swimming
Cycling
Brisk Walk

What Is DOMS And Why Do I Suffer From It?

Posted on October 15, 2021 by admin

In this short blog post we will talk a bit about DOMS and the causes behind it. We will also discuss how to reduce the pain that severe DOMS can cause and also outline simple steps so that you can put in place your own treatment for DOMS.

What is DOMS?

DOMS is short for delayed onset of muscle soreness. This represents the pain felt in the muscles after physical activity. This muscle soreness is associated with a build up of lactic acid and fatigue of the muscles. It is nothing to worry about though!

What Causes DOMS?

DOMS is usually caused by exercise you are not used to. For example, if you have been away from the gym for a long time and try to shift as much weight as possible. You will be in pain! The DOMS is brought on by the fatigue and build of lactic acid in the muscles. As well as this, eccentric exercise related movements have been thought to be linked to DOMS.

How Can I Reduce The Pain From Severe DOMS?

There are a few things that you can do to try and reduce the pain that you are suffering with from DOMS. The first is more preventative. Instead of suddenly increasing your workload in the gym or with your physical activity levels, look to steadily increase this over time. It can be hard to not overdo it when training, therefore, if you are suffering, look to do an active recovery. This could be anything from a low intensity bike, a swim or a brisk walk. Getting yourself moving can be great to reduce the pain.

Is it bad for me?

DOMS isn’t necessarily bad for us. However, when we have the muscle soreness, we can quite often take a prolonged break from exercise until we are pain free. So in this sense, it can be a hinderance to performance and physical adaptations. Usually, DOMS just shows that you have taken part in some physical activity that will lead to positive changes in the body.

The key point to remember is that with any sort of physical activity you will place your body under an increased amount of stress. Therefore, if you are suffering with muscle soreness following exercise don’t worry, it shows the body is starting to physically adapt.

Whats A Good Treatment For Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness?

Everyone will react different to treatment for DOMS, as it is varies how we all suffer. However, below is a list of potential treatment ideas to ease the severe pain felt with DOMS. You can prevent DOMS by building up your load through your training program and having a varied programme.

Massage
Active Recovery
Mobility Sessions

Can I Use Supplements To Help Me Recover Better?

Posted on October 8, 2021 by admin

In short, yes. Of course you can. In the market today there is a wide variety of products that you can pick and choose from that all do a variety of different things. Whether they help with the preparation or recovery phase of your exercise will depend on what you take. In this blog post, I will try to outline a few different types of supplements, what they do, and how they can help or hinder you.

What do supplements do?

Supplements do exactly what they say, they supplement your diet. They are not a replacement. Supplements can do a whole host of different things, depending on the type of supplement you are taking. Whether you are taking protein powder to increase your protein intake or taking a fruit and greens supplement to boost your intake of micronutrients. They will all look to improve your performance and recovery in their own way. Supplementing your diet can help with:

Recovery
Performance
Concentration
Immune Function
Overall Health

What are the different types of supplements?

There are too many supplement varieties to list out, so we will concentrate on just a few. Supplements will come in powder form, tablet, gummy sweet style and drinks. The list below outlines a few different supplements that you can take.

Protein – This is usually taken in powder form and will increase your daily protein intake through a shake. We will talk about choosing the right protein later in this post.
Creatine – This is a substance naturally found in our bodies that is key in the role of energy production. This can be taken in powder or tablet form. Supplementing this, will increase your bodies stores on phosphocreatine and increase production of ATP.
BCAA + EAA’s – This is branch chain amino acids and essential amino acids. These help with muscle rebuilding after exercise.
Pre-Workout – A caffeine supplement that can help improve concentration and performance in an athletic setting. Air on the side of caution with pre-workout though, as some are very potent!
Vitamins – As we all know vitamins are fantastic for us! You may look to supplement this to increase your intake. For example, a lack of sunlight can lead to a vitamin D deficiency.

How will a BCAA and EAA supplement affect me?

BCAA’s have been shown to reduce the protein breakdown throughout the whole body, which is key to preserve lean muscle. Whilst it has also been shown that BCAA’s can help to decrease body fat percentage. On the other hand EAA’s have been shown to improve lean body mass too. They aid in the muscle protein synthesis process following exercise, to counteract the muscle breakdown caused through intense physical activity. This is a great supplement to use for muscle recovery.

How do I choose the right protein supplement for me?

The protein powder that is best for you is the one that will help you hit your goals. Whether you are looking to lose weight, increase muscle mass or to maintain your current physique; you need to be careful what you select.

Increase Muscle Mass – Aim to get a Whey Protein or a Whey Isolate Protein. These are easily digested and absorbed by the body.
Lose Weight – You will want to get a protein powder that is low in sugars. This will take a bit of looking around. Most respectable supplement companies will tell you exactly what is inside each product.
Muscle Repair – Look for a powder with a high amount of protein.

Don’t rush into getting a protein powder. You can easily supplement your protein intake through your diet. Look at eating more fish, eggs and consume more milk! Start tracking your dietary intake before purchasing expensive supplements!

Can I still recover quickly without supplements?

Absolutely! If you are already having a healthy, balanced diet, you will be surprised with your current intake of your macronutrients. Many people rush into getting supplements, when really it isn’t needed yet. Your recovery will depend on you. Eating right, staying hydrated, working on your mobility and not overtraining will help you. Take a step back and look at your current lifestyle, are you pre-disposing yourself to injury? Or can you optimise your recovery without supplements?

Feel free to contact us, we are more than happy to answer any questions on supplements that you may have.

How to prepare for your run?

Posted on September 6, 2021 by admin

In this post I will give you a few different ideas for a warm-up that isn’t time-consuming, has variety and a warm-up you can enjoy. You shouldn’t have to spend 20+ minutes on a warm-up; instead specific, targeted activities can get you prepared for your run mentally and physically.

What should I do before a warm-up?

Before you even get close to doing a warm-up, try to make sure you have everything ready for your run. This way, when you have finished your warm-up you are ready to go. If you spend time looking for headphones or making sure your water bottle is full; all the work you have put in to getting your body ready for the activity is lost. The warm-up is the preparation before the activity. Think of the time before the warm-up as your pre-preparation to success.

What is a warm-up?

A warm-up is a pre-activity routine that you will perform to get you physically and mentally prepared for the activity ahead. How you do a warm-up is personally up to you. By just doing something you are helping yourself out. Even if you don’t want to spend 15-20 minutes on a warm-up, you should try to do low load repetitions of the activity you plan to do. For example, if you are going to go for a run, start off with a brisk walk or a light jog.

What should I include in a warm-up?

The warm-up should include anything that you feel with mentally and physically prepare you for the activity. A warm-up is all personal preference at the end of the day. However, you should look to set yourself a pre-activity checklist, so you can determine how prepared you are.

Areas to include in the warm up:

Brisk Walk or Jog
Dynamic Stretching
Functional Movements that include change of direction

Goals of a warm-up:

Increase Heart Rate
Increase Muscle Temperature
Increase Blood Flow to the Muscles

Warm-up routine for a runner

The video below will give you an idea on a few different exercises to help you nail down your warm-up routine without spending ages on it.

If the video doesn’t load follow this link here >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo1EfP9vIw0

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Why Do I Have Neck Pain and Shoulder Pain?

Posted on August 3, 2021 by admin

Since Covid hit back at the start of 2020, we saw a huge increase in clients suffering with neck pain and back pain. Many had been sent to work from home, or had been furloughed. This meant they were no longer using their nice comfortable desk and work setup. Therefore, an increase in muscle pain and change in posture was seen. Honestly, the best thing you can do when suffering with neck or shoulder pain is to book in for a deep tissue massage. You will see a significant change in your pain straight after one session!

What can cause my neck pain?

Within the neck region, there are a variety of different structures that can be affected. Typically, your pain will be caused by the muscles, unless you have suffered a significant injury from a car crash etc.

Poor Posture
Poor Work Environment
Lack of Breaks When at a Laptop
Sleeping Awkwardly
Whiplash
More Serious Pathology

The best way to determine what is causing your pain is to seek professional advice. Try to avoid aggravating the neck problem further and rest it. If you think it is caused by your current work environment you can do a few things to ease this.

Contact the company your work for. Tell them that your current working arrangement isn’t suitable. Following this, they should put in place a plan to improve your setup or, alternatively, provide you the help you need.
Take plenty of breaks throughout the day, get up and get moving.
Try to avoid looking down at your computer throughout the day. Have the computer at eye level if possible.

My pain is in my neck radiating down through my shoulder, why?

Within the neck and shoulder area there is a large muscle called the trapezius muscle. This runs from the upper back up into the neck and along the shoulder. When this muscle is tight, it can put pressure onto the nerves that run around the muscle down into the arm. This type of neck and shoulder pain is very irritating and can cause a lot of discomfort for you day to day. The best thing to do is to stretch and keep moving. Alongside your stretching, get yourself a treatment with a professional and watch your pain disappear.

I have been suffering with more headaches, how can I ease this?

Tension headaches are a horrible thing to suffer with. These headaches never seem to end, feeling more like a migraine and nothing seemingly easing the pain. Tension headaches have a variety of different causes, therefore, which cause is affecting you?

More than likely, this is due to poor posture or muscle tension. Often, stress can be the cause. It is hard to control the areas in your life, externally, that give you stress. However, you can help yourself with your posture and muscle tension. Get moving, get stretching and get your muscles working better for you. You will find this is much easier to do as a preventative method. When you are suffering with a tension headache you should take painkillers and try to stretch as much as you can.

Taking Your Sport Specific Rehab To The Next Level

Posted on June 29, 2021 by admin

When we get injured, whether it is through running a 5k or playing netball, getting back to full fitness can be difficult. You can completely rehabilitate the injury, but get back to doing what you love and break down again. Making sure you are hitting specific markers or goals you set is key to make sure that when you return to your activity of choice your body is as ready as possible.

What is sport specific rehab?

Similar to normal stages of rehab, this is where you get your body accustomed to the requirements of the sport or activity you will be participating in. For a lot of sports this will involve multi-directional running. Therefore, you would tend to start with straight line running, building up in stages until you are able to complete change of direction exercises.

Sport specific rehab should cover all aspects of movement, use of equipment and making it as specific to your role as possible. This rehab should be fun and enjoyable throughout, talk with your therapist or if you are doing this yourself, break down your routine when you perform your activity and build this back stage by stage. Be adventurous in your development of your plan, make it challenging but attainable.

For sports such as Netball, you will want to also do positional specific exercises. If you play in a defensive or attacking position you will want to get yourself a netball stand and have a netball. Nowadays, these are well-priced and quality pieces of kit.

How to use different types of equipment to hit your goal?

Once you have your netball stand, you can then simulate match specific events for your position. If you play in goal attack, you will want to simulate jumping into the D, catching a ball, keeping your balance and shooting. Having equipment that is specific to your sport can help you in a few ways.

Helps with positioning
Can have a greater variety in your rehab exercises
Makes match simulation far easier

Having a variety of kit at your disposal can help to develop a sport specific rehab plan that is interesting and enjoyable to complete. Whether that is simply some collapsible cones to run around, a football goal for you to practice shooting or an agility kit to help with change of direction exercises.

Sport Specific Rehab should be the best part of all rehab. It should be the reward for all the effort you put into your early exercises, that can often feel very boring and monotonous. Get in touch with your nearest therapist, then you can formulate a full rehab plan to get you back to your best.

I have limited space, how can I still do this?

A lot of equipment is manufactured to accommodate all walks of life. Netball stands are small pieces of kit that can hide away in a corner of the garden, which is perfect if you have a small space or a large space. It is fully manageable for everyone. Football goals don’t have to have a solid frame, you can buy pop-up goals; in this case the goal is more a target for you to aim your passes or shots at.

However big the space is you have available, there are many pieces of equipment that can work for you. Find something that works, and have fun with your rehab!