Unlock the true secret to muscle growth with this expert guide! Learn proven strategies for achieving optimal recovery, which is essential for maximising muscle growth.
RECOVERY OVERVIEW
Muscles are built in the gym, right? Wrong.
While working out and training in the gym is an essential aspect of muscle building, it’s not where the gains truly happen.
Actually, muscle is built when you’re not in the gym. It’s the recovery time after a big lift that allows your muscles to grow and results to be seen. Without proper recovery, all your hard work in the gym will go to waste.
That’s why recovery is the most important aspect of working out. Putting more focus on recovery has countless positive effects that shouldn’t be missed out on. Luckily, with all the benefits that come from optimal recovery, there are ways to maximise your off-time to truly transform your body.
Here, we’ve put together this complete guide to recovery — that way, you’re not only training like a beast but recovering like one, too!
HOW RECOVERY IS NEEDED FOR MUSCLE GROWTH?
The first question to consider when it comes to recovery is “How much do we need?” The answer is often not what people think.
The fitness industry says that in order to see amazing progress, you need to be in the gym five to seven days a week. This simply isn’t true. With this approach, recovery is minimal and often gets put on the back burner. In reality, it should be front and centre. Rather than slaving away in the gym and putting unnecessary strain on your body, you must allow your muscles to recover from gym sessions. That way, you’ll build hard, dense muscle more efficiently.
This is why Eternobody Programs run on a three-day-per-week gym schedule. This provides ample time for muscle recovery while still maximising your training approach to make massive gains. You’ll come into every session fresh, energized and poised to hit constant PRs when you’ve taken time to recover.
Hit PRs, take time to recover, reap the benefits and repeat!
THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP FOR MUSCLE GROWTH
While the time between workouts is a huge aspect of recovery, so is the quality of that time. If you’re not getting plenty of rest during your days off, your recovery isn’t optimised.
This is where the importance of sleep comes in. Sleep is easy to be thrown to the wayside when daily life gets in the way. Work, training, social lives and other factors make it easy to miss that coveted shuteye.
However, this is the time that your body is undergoing its most crucial recovery process for gains — muscle rebuilding. It accomplishes these through the process of protein synthesis and the release of human growth hormone. If you’re missing out on sleep, you’re missing out on gains… period.
Beyond building muscle, sleep also helps to restore organs, replenish immune cells and improve brain function for mental clarity and alertness. These are all elements that will lead to an overall healthy body and killer workouts (with consistency) in the gym.
I have always been a bad sleeper but below are some of my favourite strategies and supplements I've used to maximise the quality and length of my sleep.
- No food 3 hours before bed, no liquid 2 hours before bed
- No bright overhead lights after 10 pm
- Turn on the "red" screen filter on iPhone before 10 pm
- Get room extremely cold before sleeping
- Take a shower before bed
- Sleep naked or with loose clothing
- Drink chamomile tea 2 hours before bed (for the apigenin content)
- Supplements: magnesium, L-theanine
- Get into bed and listen to a podcast (with a timer) to fall asleep
Hopefully after using this advice, you’ll wake up feeling better and fully revitalised. Be ready to crush your workouts with more energy and vitality than ever before!
PREPARING YOUR BODY FOR THE NEXT SESSION
Along with getting plenty of sleep, there are several other ways to maximise your body’s recovery.
For one, what you’re putting into your body during these rest periods is pivotal. Nutrition is just as important as working out in the gym and can dictate how well your body adapts to training.
If you’re overeating, under-eating or filling your stomach with junk, then your body won’t recover to the best of its ability. Nail down nutrition during your recovery to see extraordinary results.
To go with nutrition, I recommend a few supplements that go a long way when it comes to repairing and building muscle during rest periods. I really love creatine, which helps your muscles repair and grow. You'll be bigger, fuller and stronger heading into each new gym session.
If you train in a fasted state (especially when you're cutting) it can also help to consume a protein shake before training to prevent any muscle loss.
Lastly, don’t forget to do things that you enjoy during your recovery time. If it’s a nice day outside, go for an off-day walk. If you like sports, have some fun while playing them at a low impact. The point is to still do something, outside of the gym, instead of sitting on the couch until the next workout session, a whole two days later.
At the end of the day, your rest time is still about doing what you love and living your life. If you keep doing what makes you happy all while your body recovers, you’re creating the perfect storm to make your fitness journey enjoyable and kill it in the gym as a result.
PREVENTING INJURY
There’s no faster way to see your gains come to a screeching halt than by suffering an injury
This is another reason why getting adequate rest and allowing your body to recover is crucial to your fitness journey. If you try to overwork your body and put unnecessary strain on your muscles, eventually they’ll give out.
Your recovery time is when your muscles are building and preparing for your next session. If you try to cut this time short, your muscles won’t be ready to lift and you’ll increase your risk of injury. When you get an injury, you’ll be out of the gym for an extended period of time; you’ll miss out on building your physique because you refused to rest up in between training sessions.
Taking time between gym sessions is the key to keeping your muscles and joints happy. It’s important to remember that while gaining muscle and strength might be your overall goal, your physical health should always come first. Recovery time is the way to ensure that this stays the priority.
A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE: THE ETERNOBODY APPROACH
When it comes to fitness, sustainability is key. Oftentimes, people get caught up in fad diets, workouts and a daily schedule that simply won’t last. In order to see results with your physique, you need to stick with something that works but is also enjoyable… in other words, a lifestyle.
If your workout program expects you to spend countless hours in the gym every week, not only is recovery underutilised but where’s the fun? You become a slave to the gym and the process is far from enjoyable. This almost always results in quitting; then you’re back at square one with no results to show. Consistency and lifetime adherence should be the fundamental part of any training philosophy.
This is why Eternobody Programs and the three-a-week training approach are ideal for sustainability and recovery. These courses ensure your body has time to rest and build muscle between sessions, and it allows you to have a life as well!
With this process showing proven results, it’s the best way to achieve results and enjoy your time, too.
CONCLUSION ON RECOVERY
Don’t let anyone fool you – recovery is the most important aspect of your fitness regimen. It’s when you build muscle, improve strength and achieve your physique goals. Plus, it’s time away from the gym where you can enjoy your hard-earned gains and life in general.
Always remember to put recovery at the forefront of your plan. You’ll be amazed at how fast your body builds muscle and transforms into your dream physique in no time!