Swimming after a workout is one of the best ways for muscle recovery. These are the reasons why swimming speeds up your muscle recovery after acute exercise.

Swimming speeds up recovery because…

1. It improves blood circulation

When you swim, your entire body, including muscles and major organs is fully functional. It engages your limbs, trunk, as well as neck. Moreover, your heart and lungs get stronger while coping with tough breathing conditions.

The more your heart pumps, the more frequently blood circulates across your body. Improved blood circulation is directly related to quick muscle recovery from cramps and fatigue.

Increased blood circulation is not only related to physiological recovery but also has a lot to do you’re your wellbeing and mental health.

2. It cools down your body

When you workout, your body utilizes glucose to produce heat and energy. Swimming cools down your muscles and lowers your body temperature.

This could be the best way to recover from heavy workouts after which you feel hot, sweaty, and worn out.

3. It makes you feel light-weighted

While swimming, water gives you an upthrust force called buoyancy. This buoyant force makes you feel light-weighted and you can easily lift or move your body. Your body feels floating while overcoming much of the gravity. Hence, it would be pretty fair to say that swimming in the pool for muscle recovery is akin to light exercise.

Go ask an expert – they always suggest a light exercise to recover from a heavy workout session.

4. It acts as massager

Swimming is good for muscle recovery after a run because warm currents of water are as good massagers as the ladies in the spa.

They work as natural massagers for your fatigued muscles and aching joints. Water releases stress from your muscles and gives a soothing effect to your joints, tendons, and ligaments.

5. It clears oxygen debt

When you workout excessively, the oxygen level gets lower in your muscles. This is called oxygen debt. Due to lack of oxygen, lactic acid is produced in your muscles instead of carbon dioxide, which makes your muscles fatigue. Hence tiredness can be measured by serum lactate level.

A recent study shows that swimming, along with massage has proven to be effective in reducing serum lactate. They found out the athletes who were involved in swimming after the workout had 14% more run-time in the next session than those who underwent passive recovery. These figures are crazy, right?

Conclusion

Intense workouts can be acute. However, if you adopt swimming as a tool for speedy muscle recovery, you are safe! When you are swimming after a workout, remember that you are doing an activity for muscle recovery that, itself, is profoundly healthy.

Want to see more? Learn How to Improve Your Swimming Technique now.

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5 ways to get rid of muscle soreness after hard run. Experiencing muscle stiffness or soreness after a severe workout is very common. Similarly, most runners will experience muscle soreness 24 hours to 48 hours after a hard run. Although it mostly affects those who are new to running, experienced runners are not spared either, especially after managing an increased distance and intensity. So what are the 5 ways to get rid muscles soreness after a hard run ? Are your muscles screaming in pain after yesterday’s workout? Don’t worry; instead, take it as a good sign. According to experts, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) occurs after intense exercise and work out, which results in the tearing of your muscle fibbers. So, it should assure you that you worked hard enough. Although the soreness is likely to go away on its own, there are some tricks and tips proven to help you ease the pain.

DOMS typically occurs when you bump up your workout frequency, intensity, and length or try out new strenuous activities. Your muscles will heal with time and get bigger and stronger, thus paving the way to the fitness of a higher level. Below are some tips to help you get over DOMS and remain as comfortable as you can be.

Tip 1: Ice works wonders

Most professional runners and athletes alike use ice baths to get rid of muscle soreness after running. Alternatively, you can choose to swim in cold water, which helps speed up the recovery process. If ice baths aren’t your thing as far as your health is concerned, you can use ice packs on the sore areas. However, take caution not to overdo it. You should not try to ice any of your body parts for more than fifteen minutes at a given time.

Tip 2: Replenish your energy

After long runs, you may want to replenish the used-up energy as quickly as you can. Recent studies have revealed muscles to be most receptive in rebuilding glycogen stores less than an hour after exercising. As a result, eating soon after working out can reduce muscle stiffness at a greater level.

The rule of thumb for post-workout food is often one gram of protein to three grams of carbohydrates. Similarly, nutrition bars such as Kind bars, Cliff bars, ad Power bars are continent as well as healthy sources of nutrients. However, if you feel like not eating any solid food immediately after running, try out any recommended recovery drink. This includes chocolate milk, which contains both carbs, proteins, and B vitamins, making it a great recovery drink.

Tip 3: Stay on the move

If you are feeling sore, you are advised not t take off from exercising completely. This is because doing so can actually make it hard for you to recover quickly. Similarly, sitting for extended periods can result in more leg discomfort and stiffness. Since active recovery has been proven to work best, consider taking brisk walks or soft bike rides to improve your blood flow. However, you should keep off vigorous activities until your soreness subsides fully. Since moderate activity is recommended, try to engage your legs by getting up periodically if you feel like sitting all day.

Tip 4: Warm-up before running

Consider doing a five to ten-minute warm-up before beginning your run. If you still want to run, even if your muscles still feel sore, do your warm-up and perform some easy stretches concentrating mostly on the sore parts. You can then ease into your run. Although you may feel some tightness when beginning, it should continue dissipating with time. If your soreness worsens or does not improve as you keep running, quit the run instead of performing some simple cross-training. After running, especially hard runs, remember to spare some part of your time, say ten minutes, for some static training. Much emphasis should be placed on your quads, calves, hips, hamstrings, and any other place the felt tight during the run.

Tip 5: Try some massage

Research shows that massage can also help in easing DOMS; hence it is advisable to book a session for a sports massage. If you are unable to access professional massage due to the lack of time or money, consider massaging yourself from your home. Besides your hands, a DIY massage can be performed using a massage tool such as a foam roller or stick.

Conclusion

If your pain lasts longer than a week or worsens with time, ensure that you book an appointment with your healthcare professional. This is in order to rule out the possibilities of ignoring injuries that may require physical therapy or specialized treatment.

What about you ? What are your tips after a long run ? Feel free to share and sign up to our newsletter. Also, check our latest running courses.

elearningsport

elearningsport.com (ELS) is the first open dedicated sport online e-learning global platform that will allow any sport individuals or organisations to grow, learn and collaborates in order to enhance sport knowledge and deliver value at all levels.

www.elearningsport.com

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