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You throw the towel down and jump in the shower. You did it! Another workout in the bag. Now it’s just up to your muscles to recover so you can do it all again.   

While you can absolutely choose to lay horizontal for the rest of the day, if you want to improve your recovery time and heal your DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness) more quickly, then we’ve got some tips. 

How long does it take for muscles to recover? 

It can take 48 - 72 hours to recover from a workout depending on how you’ve trained. Strength and resistance training can leave you with DOMS for longer than cardio workouts like cycling and running because it’s more intensive and tears more of your muscle fibres.  

Pushing your training to the max can also make your muscles feel sorer for longer.   

Why should I wait for my muscles to recover? 

Proper muscle recovery protects you from injury because when your body is feeling tip-top, it will be able to work at its best. Training with fully recovered muscles, you’ll be able to push your performance. 

But proper recovery doesn’t mean staying at home. If you split your workouts into muscle groups, you can time your visits so that you’re recovering one set of muscles while you train the other.  

If you need help working out how that looks for you, our Personal Trainers can give you a hand.  

What things slow down recovery? 

Sleep and nutrition play a huge role in recovery.   

Sleep is a physical and emotional first aid. It affects every single system in your body, so not getting enough of it means that your muscles don’t have enough time to recover.  

Eating highly-processed foods makes good recovery harder for your body. They are often low in essential nutrients and fibre so you could be missing out on the vitamins and minerals your body needs. 

How to recover faster  

There are lots of things you can do to recover faster - and you may even be doing some of them already. 

Keep your cool (down)  

Your recovery begins as soon as you finish your workout. Cool down with some stretches to shift the lactic acid away from your muscles and you may find that they’re less sore and stiff the next day.  

Focus on your food  

Prioritise protein and carbohydrates to recover faster. 

Protein is what your body uses to repair muscle and you can get it from many sources including lean meat, fish, eggs, low fat dairy, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts and nut butters.  

Or top up your intake with a protein powder. As a Virgin Active member, enjoy discounts on natural protein powders and bars from our partner 33Fuel. Head to the ‘Rewards’ section in our app and scroll to ‘Wellness offers’ to find your exclusive savings.  

Carbohydrates restore glycogen, or energy stores, used during your workout. Eating carbs after your workout is especially important if you’ve done cardio. Try carbs that come from fruits, like bananas and apples, wholegrains such as wholewheat bread and pasta, oats and brown rice and potatoes. Better still, combine your protein and carbs together. Nut butter, banana and honey bagel anyone?  

Schedule in your sleep 

After all that hard work, it’s time for some rest. 7-9 hours of it, if you can. When you treat your body to good quality sleep, it will be able to repair itself better.  

Make time for massage  

Like stretching, massage helps your blood circulate to release tension and remove waste products essential for muscle recovery. 

You can massage your body by hand, with a foam roller or with an electronic massage gun. (Psst, we’ve got 15% off Hyperice exclusive to Virgin Active members under ‘Wellness offers’ in our app.)  

Roll on the rest days  

Rest days are important because they give your body the time it needs to heal and repair tears in your muscle fibres. How many rest days you need depends on how you’ve been working out. High-intensity training, for example, might need more rest time than gentler workouts. 

Drink your DOMS away 

Getting enough water helps your muscles to recover by moving nutrients through the body, reducing stiffness, and supporting protein synthesis, the process your body uses to rebuild muscles. 

And there you have it. Look after your body and follow these steps to help your muscles recover faster after your workouts.  

Ready for your next workout? Check out all the group exercise classes available at Virgin Active.

Not yet a member? Find your nearest club and start your membership today.

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