The right recovery for your body

If you want to improve your physique, sports performance, or health, you need to nail your workout with the right recovery. Here’s what your body needs to recover, repair, and rebuild.

HOW TO HELP YOUR BODY RECOVER FROM TRAINING

Regardless of your body type, training goals, or workout, there are six things your body will need to recover and be ready to train again soon.

1) Structured rest days – any training plan should be built on the principles of progressive overload, with rest days and deload weeks to avoid overtraining.

2) Sleep – consistently getting enough quality sleep will do wonders for your mental and physical recovery as you push hard in training.

3) Nutrition – eating enough calories, getting a good balance of macronutrients, and eating nutrient-dense foods.

4) Hydration – staying hydrated (and paying attention to electrolytes) will help your body digest nutrient, clear out waste material, and recover.

5) Supplements – good quality recovery supplements will support your recovery strategy (we will list our top five below).

6) Stretching/soft tissue work – sports massages, yoga, myofascial release and foam rolling will all help your body recover from training.

THE RIGHT RECOVERY ACCORDING TO YOUR GOAL

Fat Loss

When your goal is fat loss, your main focus will be nutrition in order to maintain the all-important calorie deficit. Therefore, you will need to be strategic with your carbohydrate allowance. Keep carbs around the workout window (pre- and post-) and keep your protein intake high. A good quality whey isolate will be very useful, as it is ultra high in protein but very low in sugars, fats, and carbohydrates. The Smart Clear Whey protein powder is just 85 calories per serving, with a full amino acid spectrum to help your muscles recover. Another option is PhD Diet Whey, which covers your protein needs with only 91 kcals per serving, as well as additionally fat burning ingredients to support your fat loss goals.

Muscle Gain

If muscle gain or strength gain is your goal, you can afford to be more generous with your calories, bringing extra carbohydrates into your diet to boost recovery. A great choice would be PhD’s Synergy all in one, which has 40g protein and 17g carbs per serving, plus creatine, peptide-bonded leucine, and zinc. It’s designed as an all-round recovery tool. You may also choose to use an intraworkout supplement to support intense workouts, and kickstart the recovery process before you leave the gym floor. PhD’s Intra BCAA+ has instantized BCAAs in a 4:1:1 ratio, plus CocoMineral™ coconut water extract, hydrolysed whey isolate, and extra aminos.

YOUR TOP 5 RECOVERY SUPPLEMENTS

1) Protein – a quality protein shake will be your go-to supplement for the right recovery. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) or whey protein isolate (WPI) are both a great choice, as they contain all the amino acids your muscles need for repair. Try Diet Whey, an advanced blend of proteins with additional CLA, L-Carnitine & Green-Tea to support weight loss. If you prefer a vegan protein powder, choose one that uses a combination of sources, as plant proteins in isolation do not contain all the amino acids required for optimal recovery. Our Diet Plant is a blend of pea protein and soya protein.

2) ZMA – poor sleep will have a huge impact on performance both in and out of the gym. ZMA capsules are an all-natural formula designed to help you get to sleep and maximise its recovery effects.

3) BCAAs – all protein is made of amino acids, and the three branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) are the most crucial for recovery, repair, and growth. Taking BCAAs as a drink (like our Intra BCAA+) or in capsule form, BCAA capsules will ensure your body has enough of these important nutrients.

4) Creatine – we can’t write about recovery without mentioning creatine monohydrate, the most researched and respected sports supplement to date. Micronised Pharmaceutical Creatine is cost-effective, easy to take, and aids with training performance, muscle gain, and recovery. It’s a no-brainer.

5) Good nutrition is the foundation of recovery, whether that’s from regular workouts or from a specific injury. Your body will repair and rebuild more efficiently if it has a nutrient-dense diet to draw on. That’s why we recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin as part of your healthy lifestyle. Our daily multivitamin tablets is perfect for anyone looking to optimise their everyday health and wellbeing.