#23: How to Speed Up Muscle Recovery

Believe it or not, recovery is just as important as even the most intense workout. It’s science. When the body is exposed to stress (i.e., your workout), it begins a biological process to respond to that stress, recover and compensate so that you’ll be better able to handle similar future stressors. This is called the stress-adaptation-recovery cycle, which causes your muscles to tear and break down. Your muscles become stronger during the adaptation and recovery stages. So it’s actually during the post-workout period that you recover and repair muscles, reduce soreness, replenish energy, and build muscle.


We’ve put together a 7-day muscle recovery plan that actually works--so you can maximize your workouts and get on a faster path to recovery.


Monday Muscle Recovery: EMS Massage



Start out the week with a massage--at home! Set your PowerDot electric muscle stimulator to warm up or massage mode for 5-7 minutes pre-workout to warm up muscles and promote blood flow. Cool down with another 5-7 minutes of massage to help relax and lengthen muscles.


Tuesday Muscle Recovery: Power Yoga



Consider adding yoga to your weekly workout routine. The benefits are endless. Specifically, yoga will help open up tight areas in the body and help improve mental focus and clarity. Yoga is definitely a workout, but it also offers a calming effect through the meditation component--perfect for built-in recovery.


Wednesday Muscle Recovery: Superfood Diet



Did you know? You can eat away inflamation in your muscles. Incorporate superfoods into your diet like salmon, broccoli, sweet potatoes, almonds and even cherries. Turmeric is an orange-yellow powder that can be used in savory recipes to help alleviate inflammation as well. Combine with black pepper to activate a more intense flavor profile and lasting healing effects. If you’re a tea drinker, simply add fresh grated ginger and lemon for anti-inflammatory benefits.


Finally, for those who take essential oils, you can dilute 1 part pure frankincense oil to 2 parts fractionated coconut oil and massage into sore muscles. You might also try USDA Certified Organic food grade frankincense in capsule form to help reduce inflammation in the body and relieve pain on an ongoing basis. Frankincense offers many healing benefits as a supplement that you can take daily along with your regular vitamins.


Thursday Muscle Recovery: Hot-Cold Shower



Post-workout our team of fitness experts recommends taking a contrast shower, where you switch back and forth between hot and cold water settings. Switch settings for 1-2 minutes at a time several times over to help flush out lactic acid and promote blood flow.


Friday Muscle Recovery : EMS for Recovery



You made it to Friday! We recommend incorporating electric muscle stimulation throughout the week--not just during your warm up or workout, but post-workout especially. You might try a M/W/F cadence or T/Th/Sat depending on your workout routine. Set your PowerDot EMS device to massage or recovery mode for maximum muscle recovery benefits.


The great thing about PowerDot is that it’s discreet enough to apply on-the-go while you’re running errands post-workout. But it’s nice to curl up on the couch with a blanket and your favorite Netflix show while you enjoy a hands-free massage too. Talk about kicking off the weekend with some well deserved R&R.


Saturday Muscle Recovery: H2O Intake



Make sure to monitor your water intake on a daily basis by drinking 8, 8-oz glasses of water throughout the day, or 1 oz of water for every pound that you weigh. Drinking plenty of water each day is important for your brain and body to function properly. But water intake also impacts your fitness performance and energy levels, and can help speed up muscle recovery too--so drink up!


Sunday Muscle Recovery: Take a Break



Give yourself a break! Sunday is a great rest day for many people, but you can choose any other day of the week to perform a low-impact activity like walking or yoga, or a light resistance workout like swimming. This is called active recovery. You’re still moving your body, but you’re not putting nearly the amount of strain or resistance on your muscles as during your more intense workout days.


You can even set your PowerDot to active recovery mode on rest days to continue to keep lactic acid in your muscles at bay and maintain good blood circulation.


Make sure to get plenty of sleep throughout the week to maximize your workout and the recovery periods in between. Your body needs plenty of time to rest in between workouts to repair muscles, reduce post-workout soreness and replenish energy reserves.


Now that you’re on the fast track to muscle recovery, we can’t wait to see you amp up your workouts using electrical muscle stimulation to jump higher, lift more, run longer and now, recovery fully for a stronger, healthier you!

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