There are varying degrees of muscle soreness post-workout, and some causes are more common than others. While a bit of discomfort and stiffness can be natural, these situations shouldn’t become too distracting or, indeed, taxing.

The work doesn’t stop after the workout. There should be a post-workout routine that you keep up with, too, ensuring the self-care continues long after you’ve finished your rounds of physical activity.

So, what should a post-workout routine look like? Read on for some pointers.

Stretch Effectively

Stretching is often thought to be a pre-workout-only measure. Well, it’s not.

It’s important to stretch post-workout as well. Your muscles are all still stimulated after their heavy use, so you must relieve any leftover tension, reduce subsequent muscle soreness, and stretch with key techniques in mind.

Honorable mentions include:

• The lunging hip flexor stretch – Kneel on your right knee and ensure your leg is bent, with the foot of that leg flat on the ground ahead of you. Lean forward to stretch the right hip, and hold that position for half a minute minimum and a full minute maximum. Alternate legs.
• The standing bicep stretch – Adopt a rigid posture while standing. Position your hands behind your back, interlocking them at the base of it. Keep your palms facing down while keeping your arms straight. Then, raise them. You should feel your shoulders and biceps stretching, and when you do, hold that position for half a minute before relaxing. Move on after repeating that motion three times.
• The cat-cow stretch – Place your hands and knees on the ground and relax your back. Inhale, then ease your shoulders, raise your head, and slowly exhale. Arch your spine upward while angling your tailbone down. Focus on repetition and take intervals every minute.

There are more stretches to speak of, so do your own research. Your technique is vital, too, so make sure you research stretching thoroughly to avoid causing any injuries to yourself. Diversify your approach, too, ensuring that you take care of the entirety of your body post-workout.

Replenish and Repair

Exercise builds up your physical fitness. In order to do this, physical activity breaks your body down first, expending energy, diminishing fluids, and tearing up your muscles.

Consequently, your post-workout routine needs to spur your body into mending itself. That should be the first order of business. Of course, some of the measures you should conduct here are obvious. Replenish your fluids with plenty of water, and consider eating a nutritious snack, too, if you need a sugar kick.

You can go beyond the basics too. For example, post-workout supplements like glutamine, casein protein, ioWhey protein powders, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) can aid your body in muscle growth and recovery. They also improve your wellness, giving you an easier time with the next workout, and reducing muscle soreness. Ingredient Optimized explain how and why the relevant experts approve the use of post-workout supplements and list where to find io products today.

Debrief Productively

There’s always room for improvement when it comes to exercise. After all, that’s one of the big motivating factors for working out in the first place.

Working with a personal trainer is a great way to develop your post-workout routine into something special. Not only will they give you some guidance on self-care routines themselves, but they can also provide useful feedback on everything you just did. What worked and what didn’t? How can you workout more comfortably and effectively in future? Their very presence can encourage you.

If you don’t have access to a personal trainer, numerous fitness apps can help you refine your approach to working out and reflect on your performance. The important thing is that you’re honest with yourself so you can make improvements but not be overly critical to the point of beating yourself up. Highlight your strengths and weaknesses, and strive for balance in this part of your post-workout routine.

Recording your workout routine might be productive too. You can compare your technique to the online experts and chart your general progress. Deal with reputable sources only, and don’t work with overly critical individuals but those who are supportive and constructive.

Take a Cold Shower

Cold showers aren’t fondly thought of beyond taking one on a sweltering summer day. Still, they are worthy of inclusion as part of your post-workout routine.

Take a cold shower to significantly reduce any muscle soreness that you might be feeling. It can also help to steady your heart rate and mitigate cardiac stress. A cold shower will also clean your skin, and while that’s obvious, it’s particularly important post-workout as your pores can become clogged after sweating.

There’s a reason many athletes take an ice bath after a few rounds of rigorous exercise, but a cold shower should suffice if you’re just partaking in a steady workout schedule. It will wake you up, ensuring you’re not drained and on low alert for the rest of the day. More than anything, though, a cold shower will help you feel rejuvenated and set you up nicely for your next workout session.

Spend Rest Days Wisely

Some people perhaps take the ‘rest day’ a little too literally. While you should go easy on yourself, going from 100 to 0, and vice versa is not always in your best interests.

With the aid of the aforementioned post-workout supplements, you can still engage in some light exercise during your rest days. Activities like yoga lend themselves particularly well to these goals. You won’t exert too much effort, but you can still will your body into a bit of movement and relaxation. Otherwise, a leisurely walk to somewhere nearby will suffice.

Everybody needs exercise in their daily lives. If you use your one day of intense physical activity to do nothing the next day, the stop-start nature of your efforts can put additional stress on your body, lead to uneven results in your workout, and perhaps even make it harder for you to find your ‘groove’. Always keep the ball rolling, even if it’s a little slower on rest days.