Things you can do after your workout to build muscle

Jun 18
18:47

2011

Sarah Haines

Sarah Haines

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Many people make the mistake of believing that all muscle building happens in the gym. In fact you are destroying muscle tissue during your work out and it is during your rest time that the muscle is rebuilt. What can you do to aid that process?

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Can discount supplements help your body recover after a workout? If you are serious about bodybuilding and conditioning your body then you should know that there is a lot more you can do to achieve results outside of the gym,Things you can do after your workout to build muscle Articles after and in between your workouts. In fact, muscles only grow outside of the gym. After each workout destroys muscle tissue it is rebuilt during your rest periods. So of course the rest period is another time when you can achieve results and your post workout nutrition is a huge part of this. This is because the body is most able to absorb nutrients after a good workout.

A good post-workout meal can help the body as it trying to recover from the strain of exercise. Your body enters and anabolic state when protein synthesis is more effective. This means more gain from your workout.

When you leave the gym there are a few things you should be considering doing. In your post workout shower switch between hot and cold water, this will aid circulation in the areas you have been training. Switching from as cold to as hot as you can stand several times (aim for between 4 and 6 times) will expand and contract blood vessels feeding your muscles. This is known as vaso-dilation and vaso-constriction and helps free up circulation.

Ice massages are another way of stimulating muscles immediately after training. You can reduce the tightness of the muscle group you have been working on by rubbing an ice cube along the muscle belly. You build waste products in the muscle during training and this allows you to pump them out. Restrict the ice to the muscle itself and dont rub it on your joints.

Your body needs to replace the nutrients that it lost in the gym. Protein supplements should be taken straight after workout, also try eating some fruit. Then an hour later eat a full mean with both protein and carbohydrates.

Some of your best muscle growth is happening when you are asleep. So it is incredibly important that you get a proper nights sleep. Let your muscles relax with around 7 hours of sleep to see the best results. If you suffer with being unable to sleep there are herbs like camomile you can take to help you. It is advisable not to take these any more than 2-3 times a week.

So as you can see giving your body the time to recover and grow is just as important as what you can do in the gym.