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The following is general, but everyone's an individual -

It should be noted that these rules are not concrete. People have different bodies, fitness goals, and nutritional needs.

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Protein post-workout -

When we exercise, the fibers that make up our muscles tear and become damaged. This is what causes pain and soreness.

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20-40 grams -

Giving our body around 20-40 grams of protein (which is what the fibers are made from) helps the body repair this muscle damage and maximize muscle growth.

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Protein pre-workout -

Furthermore, consuming protein before you work out helps increase muscle protein synthesis. This is essentially the creation of new proteins.

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0.9 to 1.1 g per pound -

It’s been shown that 0.4 to 0.5 g per kg of your weight (0.9 to 1.1 g per pound) is optimal. If you weigh 60 kg, you should consume 30 grams ( (4 ounces) of protein, for instance.

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Carbohydrates post-workout -

Consume carbohydrates after your workout. Muscles store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen for energy, which is used for exercise.

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Carbs -

Carbs are essentially the filler that we have on our plate. This means rice, pasta, potato, and bread.

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A balanced diet -

You need a balanced diet for your body to carry out its functions efficiently. With vitamin or mineral deficiencies, the processes are inhibited.

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Stay hydrated -

In general, this means limiting ultra-processed foods, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, consuming enough protein and carbohydrates, as well as healthy fats.

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Dehydration -

Your body is over 90% water. As you could imagine, the body’s ability to do anything, especially heal itself, becomes almost entirely inhibited when you’re dehydrated.

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Lost fluids -

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 16 to 24 ounces of fluids for every pound you lose while exercising. You should be drinking upwards of two liters, and more like three liters if you’re exercising.

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Tart cherry juice -

It’s been found that tart cherry juice is fantastic to drink after a workout for recovery. It helps to reduce inflammation, muscle damage, and soreness.

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Potassium -

Foods like cherries are ultra-high in potassium, which help with blood pressure, hydration, muscle recovery, nerve impulses, digestion, heart rate, and pH balance.

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Creatine monohydrate -

Creatine has got a bad reputation in the fitness world because people have sometimes used it thinking that it was some kind of magical solution, i.e. that they didn’t need to even work out when they took it and that they would get bigger anyway.

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It's naturally produced in the body -

Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells. It helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. It helps reduce muscle damage and inflammation and replenish glycogen stores.

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Protein powder -

Protein powder is simply an easy way of getting what you need in your diet.

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Get in an early night -

Sleep more! It’s simple. Your body needs more time to recover and rest, and the majority of that process is done at night. Some professional athletes, for instance, sleep 10 hours a night.

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Lack of sleep -

Research found that sleep deprivation may impair muscle recovery. If you stay awake a full night, you will understand how your body reacts.

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Massage -

Massage slows down the onset of inflammation and gets the blood flowing. If muscles are tight and sore, it helps to loosen them out, much like how we tenderize meat.

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Compression garments -

Compression garments are amazing for speeding up recovery by stopping all the blood (and other liquids that cause inflammation and swelling) rushing to the area.

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RICE -

For recovery from an injury or fatigue, the most common rule to follow can be remembered by the acronym RICE, meaning rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

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Cold therapy or "cryotherapy" -

Icing an area or submerging in freezing water reduces pain, inflammation, and swelling because the cold constricts blood vessels and decreases circulation to the area.

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Heat is good after 48 hours -

Icing is best for the first 48 hours. After that, it’s good to get the blood flowing to the area through applied heat. The blood carries the nutrients needed to aid recovery.

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Elevate for the first 48 hours -

The final part of the RICE system is to elevate. This also works by reducing swelling and inflammation by restricting blood vessels and slowing blood flow.

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Alcohol never helps -

Alcohol is not going to do you any favors when you’re recovering. It’s found that it impairs the muscles’ ability to replenish glycogen after endurance exercise.

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Tobacco products kill muscle recovery -

Consuming tobacco products has hundreds of negative health effects. It’s associated with a high risk of many different injuries. Why? It starves the blood of oxygen.

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Lack of oxygen -

Without oxygen, the processes of recovery in the body don’t work as well. It also increases the risk of developing joint disease and an increased risk of fracturing a bone.

Sources: (Healthline)

See also: How anyone can run a marathon

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