By Marnie Kunz, NASM-certified trainer, USATF- RRCA-certified run coach

These tips for muscle recovery will help your body repair and rebuild after tough workouts. Whether you’re training for a marathon or doing weightlifting workouts, these strategies will help your body recover post-workout. It’s important to incorporate rest days, nutrition, and relaxation into your fitness program to prevent injuries and keep you running and moving happy and strong. Also, recovery days are good for mental health and help prevent burnout.

As a running coach and lifelong runner, I have definitely been guilty of getting overzealous and working out too hard to the point of overuse injuries. But over the years I’ve learned ways to bounce back faster from hard training, for myself and my clients. With some muscle recovery measures, you can recover from those hard workouts and long runs and stay strong.

Also, check out my article on 20 Tips for Better Workout Recovery for even more tips to speed up your recovery.

Tips for Muscle Recovery from a Trainer

Here are my top 10 tips to optimize your muscle recovery:

Hydrate

Drinking fluids will help flush out the metabolic waste in your muscles that builds up during hard workouts like long runs, HIIT training, speed work, or pushing your body beyond your regular workouts. In my experience, water or water with added electrolytes is the best way to replenish lost fluids in your body. Electrolytes are especially important to have during long runs, when your body is depleted of energy stores.

The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 8 ounces of fluids 30 minutes after exercise and 16 to 24 ounces for every pound of body weight lost during exercise. In hot weather, it’s possible to lose up to 4 liters — or almost 9 pounds of fluid — per hour — so drink extra in the heat. I recommend drinking a few gulps of water for every mile you run while on the run, and more in the heat.

Bring water with you to the track for your speed workouts, and bring water on long runs and have water next to you during home workouts.

Related Post: Running Hydration Guide

Rest

One of the hardest parts of training for an athlete is resting enough. By rest I mean sleep as well as days off and easy days of training. If you are doing a workout program, make sure to include at least one rest day each week so your body has time to regenerate and recover fully.

The amount of rest you need depends on your training plan and condition, but generally it is important to take at least one rest day a week without any intense exercise. Also make sure you get 8 hours of sleep a night, as that is the time your body repairs and recovers the most. If you can't get in 8 hours of sleep at night, squeeze in a nap each day.

Take Active Recovery Days

Active recovery is when you use movement to help your body repair muscles. Low-intensity exercises like walking, yoga, and pilates can help improve your circulation and blood flow to your muscles. Yoga and dynamic stretching can also boost your flexibility and range of motion, helping ease tight muscles and ward off delayed onset muscle soreness.

As a runner, I often take some cross training days as part of my regular workout routines. Walking is an excellent way to incorporate active recovery into your training program. I like to take hikes with my dog on my off days or walk to do errands.

Related Post: 15 Benefits of Walking for Runners

Elevate Your Legs

One of the easiest and most effective ways to speed up recovery is to elevate your legs by putting them up a wall. Basically, you lie down on the ground or on your bed or couch, and raise your legs straight up along the wall so your body is in an L position. This is easy to do and you can relax and read for 10-15 minutes.

Do this restorative pose two times a day after hard run days. I used this technique after doing back-to-back long runs for a total of 36 miles in two days and it helped me recover surprisingly quickly. If you foam roll, this is a great way to complement it to speed up your recovery process.

Take Baths

Take baths to help relax your sore muscles. If you opt for a warm bath, add epsom salt. If you can take the cold, try an ice bath for help reducing inflammation. Cold and heat can both help with inflammation. For a total relaxation experience, try listening to a soothing soundtrack and light a scented candle for some aromatherapy.

Eat Protein-Rich Foods

Protein packs a punch that will not only help satiate that runner’s hunger but also repairs and rebuilds your muscles. Eating a protein-rich snack after a hard workout will help your body recover faster. Try a snack that’s high in protein at night and it will facilitate your body’s repair work as you sleep.

Try these post-workout snack ideas for protein-rich foods: nuts, eggs, salmon, tofu, lentils, edamame, cottage cheese, chickpeas, hummus, chia seeds, almond butter, protein shakes, and peanut butter.

Eat Carbohydrates

Make sure you eat enough carbs after your workouts. Carbohydrates are crucial nutrients to replenish the glycogen stores that your muscles use for energy during workouts. Carbs are also essential before workouts - especially for endurance exercise like long distance running. If you consume enough carbs before your workouts, your body won't be as depleted post-workout, and you'll feel less soreness.

Stretch

Stretching is one of the best ways to reduce your lactic acid and muscle soreness. Stretching helps loosen and rebuild your muscle fibers and improves circulation, which all contributes to muscle recovery. You can also use a foam roller to help you stretch and get some massage-like action going with the rolling movement against your sore muscles. Massage guns are also popular tools to help break up tight muscle tissue and improve circulation and muscle recovery.

Physical Therapy

If you try all these tips for muscle recovery and still have pain or find yourself injured, I recommend going to a running physical therapist to get checked out. There are many PTs out there and finding one that specializes in runners will be your best bet to get you running safely and healthy again. I highly recommend Custom Performance in NYC, as they are running experts and so knowledgeable and helpful.

Elevate your Workouts

What helps you recover from long runs and hard training days? Tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your workouts and get cheered on.

Need a training plan to help you crush your fitness goals and PR in your next race? Head to the Runstreet Training Center and I’ll be happy to help you.

Happy running to you, and happy recovering!😉

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified personal trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.

10 Tips for Muscle Recovery