Doing sports without regeneration won't get you anywhere. Here's why the recovery phase is just as important as the workout and what you need to pay attention to when regenerating after a workout.
Doing sports without regeneration - every day and without a break. Is that wise? The answer is quite clear: No!
If you don't take a break from training, you'll never reach your athletic goals. No matter how hard you work, you'll never reach your goals.
Without recovery between sessions, you can get very little out of the workout.
Or to put it another way: doing sports without regeneration is absolutely useless. The workout is then really strenuous, but you can not benefit from it.
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You may think that looking in the mirror right after a workout says otherwise. But this is only because strength training ensures that the muscles are better supplied with blood.
So we appear more muscular. But this is only an illusion and fades within a few minutes after the workout.
The muscles appear larger. However, they only start to grow during the recovery phase. This is also the reason why regeneration makes sports really effective.
By the way: regeneration is not only important for competitive athletes, but also for all amateur athletes!
Attention: Too much sport makes you sick!
What happens in the recovery phase after training
A lot more than you might think right now. All you might feel is a sore muscle. But there is a whole series of processes going on in the body.
But let's start at the beginning: At the workout itself.
During the workout itself, you weaken and damage a body. Yes, you read that right. The stresses leave small tears in the muscles and tendons.
Your body releases stress hormones like adrenaline, which temporarily weakens your immune system. A disaster or? No :)
The fact that you are damaging your body at the beginning may sound harsh. But that is exactly what strengthens it. It is precisely this damage that makes you stronger.
As the saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you tougher." In this case, that's even true.
Depending on how intensively you train, you inflict many microtears on a body. Your body starts to produce metabolic products such as lactate, which it must break down and eliminate.
In order for it to break down lactate and close the tears in the muscles, the body needs time.
This is the only way to prepare your body for the new challenge. In order to be ready for the new training, it begins to thicken the muscles and increase the volume of the lungs.
This also means that your muscles grow and you have longer breath during endurance training.
So regeneration means not only that your body is repaired, but that your physical strength improves. The body knows its weaknesses and arms itself against them. In the process, your muscles grow, your defenses improve and your stamina goes up.
Do you drive without regeneration sportyour body has no time to adapt. Sooner or later you will not see any progress and your body will even suffer a lot. Cause damage.
Tip: Foodspring Recovery Aminos
By the way, a whole range of nutrients can support you during regeneration. L-glutamine and BCAAs are the best example. They help your body to get fit again faster.
For faster recovery after a workout, Foodspring has developed Recovery Amino Drinks. You simply mix the powder with water and drink it after the workout.
The drink contains everything the muscles need now. In the Recovery Aminos from Foodspring contains only natural ingredients.
If you are interested in Foodspring products, I can give you a Foodspring discount code give. With the code WGW15FS you get 15% on your order!
And the shakes are also delicious in taste. You can choose from 3 different flavors. My favorite is wild berry :)
Regeneration after training
What happens in our body during the break is really exciting. Here's an exact table with a schedule that shows you in black and white why without a break. Regeneration sport no sense makes.
This is what happens in your body after exercise
- 10-20 minutes: Breathing normalizes
- 30 to 40 minutes: The heart rate and blood pressure return to normal.
- 30 minutes later: The lactate concentration in the blood drops to the normal value of 2 to 3 mmol/l.
- 90 minutes: Your metabolism changes from the breaking down (catabolic) to the building up (anabolic) phase.
- 120 minutes: The muscles begin the first regeneration work.
- 6 hours: Your body is trying to replenish depleted carbohydrate stores and normalize water-electrolyte balance.
- Within 4 days the muscle injuries are repaired. Your body needs protein, minerals and vitamins.
What happens when you exercise without regeneration
You simply demand too much from your body. Overtraining is the result. You notice that you can no longer perform, are constantly tired and no longer have any drive. You also catch colds and other infections much faster.
Overtraining likes to take revenge by increasing the likelihood of getting injured.
At the latest now break is mandatory!
You feel bad because your body can absorb less oxygen. This makes you tired and completely worn out. The problem with overtraining is to know when to start again and at what intensity.
If you wait too long, muscles and the volume of the lungs will regress. If you start too early, you have no power.
Ideally, you will not even get into the overtraining phase. The best way to do this is to allow time for regeneration after exercise.
It's not the workout that strengthens your muscles, it's the recovery after the workout that makes your muscles grow.
Attention: Sport is so dangerous when you have a cold!
The best tips for regeneration after sports
That only Regeneration sport You should now know what makes sense at all. But what is important for regeneration after training? We have collected the best tips for this. It's often the little things that make the difference.
The more demanding and harder the training, the more intense must be the recovery be. But if you've only been jogging for half an hour, for example, you're not really challenging your body. It is different if you have participated in an intensive and long run.
1. end each workout with a cool down
If you end your workout with a cool down, you can boost the breakdown of metabolic products. For this you can do cool down exercises.
Or after weight training it helps to take time for leisurely run.
If you were running, cycling or swimming, you help your body if you cover the last minutes and meters very slowly. So do not sprint, but just the opposite helps to stimulate regeneration after exercise.
9 effective cool down exercises
But be careful: stretching too intensively can prolong the recovery time. During intensive stretching sessions, the muscles are poorly supplied with blood.
2. better regeneration through drinking
Whether it's strength or endurance sports, you're guaranteed to sweat. Regeneration Sport and drinking are always strongly connected. After the training it means for you: Replenish your fluid stores.
Normally, water is sufficient for this. Minerals can help you during extremely intense sessions. You don't have to buy isotonic drinks for this. Simple juice spritzer in a ratio of 1:3 is sufficient.
3. treat yourself to a post workout snack
In the first 45 minutes after training, your body can utilize nutrients particularly well. If you know this, you can make good use of this time window.
Now protein-rich food should be on your menu. Protein helps you to regenerate faster. It supports your muscle building. You can use shakes or treat yourself to other protein-rich snacks.
The ultimate post workout snack
4. plan your meal after the workout
1 to 1.5 hours after training, the first solid meal is on the schedule. Here you should pay attention to a good ratio between carbohydrates, fats and protein.
You should definitely prefer complex carbohydrates (In short: No white flour).
Possible good combinations:
- Cereals and legumes
- Cereals and dairy products like wholemeal bread with cottage cheese spread
- Potatoes and eggs
- Potatoes and dairy products
But even after this window, you should take good care of your diet. Get a little involved with protein-rich foods. There is protein in many foods. You don't have to buy shakes or bars for that.
Include protein-rich foods in your diet and it's better to skip the cake in the afternoon. Try to replace the cake with a natural yogurt with fruits, oatmeal and honey.
5. regeneration sports and healthy diet
Now we have already exchanged the cake for a yogurt. But there's more. Start consciously cutting out sugar, alcohol, white flour and trans fats. All this slows down your recovery after exercise.
Instead, put whole foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits and unprocessed foods on your menu.
The better you supply your body with healthy nutrients, the faster you will get fit.
6. zinc and magnesium for fast regeneration
If you don't want to get cramps, you should make sure you have enough zinc in your diet. But zinc also has other important tasks in the body. It is involved in many metabolic processes. We need it for protein metabolism, the hormone system and the acid-base balance.
Magnesium is the central mineral for recovery after exercise. It helps us improve athletic performance. And has positive effects on heart, nerves, digestion, mood sleep.
Especially with the first solid food after an intensive sports session, you should pay close attention to these two minerals. You don't have to take any supplements for this. Zinc and magnesium are found in many foods.
You can find zinc in: Wheat germ, meat, cheese, pumpkin seeds and fish.
7. body weight versus dumbbells
Especially in the beginning, motivation is high. Instead of just doing squats, you grab the barbell right away to make the workout even more effective. But is that a good idea? No, it isn't.
Again, only regeneration makes sport useful at all.
Regeneration here means that you need to give your body time to get used to the workout.
You have to start with your body weight. And only then you increase. You work with your own weight until you have mastered the technique correctly. Only then do you increase the intensity.
That can be then at the beginning simply more runs, then instead of normal push-ups, one-armed and then a little later exercises with weights such as dumbbells or barbells.
The best tips for training with body weight
8. plan regeneration sport and your training very precisely
If you want to get high, you should not let the recovery phase happen by chance. You should plan it well. It starts with the intensity of your training.
I plan my sports week very precisely. I make time for training on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
At least 2 training-free days must be every week!
And the more intense your workout, the longer you should give your body time to recover.
Plan your workouts so that they fit in well with your workday. If you are very stressed and rushing from A to B and back, you will have a hard time concentrating while exercising. This can also reduce your athletic success.
The difference between active and passive regeneration
You can use both types of recovery for yourself. Both active and passive recovery improve blood circulation. And this leads to the fact that your body can break down metabolic products faster.
Active regeneration: If you have heavy legs from running, grab your bikini and go for a swim or a leisurely bike ride.
Passively regenerate in the sauna or at home in the bathtub with heat. But wait at least 20 minutes after your workout. Otherwise you may overtax your circulation.
Massages can also help you get back on your feet faster.
Our conclusion
Why regeneration makes sports effective? Because during recovery your body can build muscle and adapt to new challenges. Give your body the time it needs to do this, or you risk injury!
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