Training hard is as pleasurable as it is effective when it comes to boxing. However, it comes with an unavoidable consequence – swollen and painful muscles. There is some truth to the fact that continued workout eventually gets your muscles used to the extra effort and the soreness goes away. But that may take weeks on end and can also hinder the consistency and progress of your boxing practices. The good news is that there are several ways to treat such muscular pain, speed up muscle recovery after hard training, and to get maximum of the boxing training at the same time.
There are some online resources available to guide you through muscle recovery, such as Beast Gear which not only provides equipment and clothes but also tips on how to go about muscle recovery, here are top seven muscle recovery tips specifically catered for boxers.
Add stretches to your lifestyle
This is the first step to recovery after any type of workout, including boxing, is to keep your body ready before even you begin your hard training. Simple stretching twice or thrice a day would keep your muscles used to movement and whenever you begin any new form of training, there will be less strain and pressure on your muscles to begin with. Stretching on a regular basis will also keep your blood vessels flexible and protect you against toxins and improve your general health altogether.
Manage your body temperature through pre-exercise
This is more of a pre-workout requirement as opposed to after getting sore muscles. Always remember to begin your workout with a warm-up session. It is better to get the blood flowing and the muscles to loosen up a little before you jump into high-impact and high-intensity training. Once your heart rate has already risen and your muscles have already gotten used to moving speedily, then start your boxing. This will not only help reduce the strain of boxing on your muscles, but will also break up the lactic acid stores which will also help you lose weight faster and gain more muscle speedily too.
Ice Baths work wonders
Cold water is proven to reduce soreness and an ice bath following your boxing training can help you kill your biggest enemy – inflammation. When you box, you lift, spar and run around a great deal inside the ring. All of this leads to lots of micro-tears in your muscle fibers, and you also build up cortisol. While a cold compress will help with specific swollen muscles, an ice bath will do that to your whole body all at once. Furthermore, it is better to take this cold dip sooner than later because the longer you wait, the more your inflammation will worsen and the harder it will be to heal them.
Stay hydrated
This one is a no-brainer. When we workout we lose a lot of water in the form of sweat. With hard training, the human body also loses electrolytes – which are important nutrients needed to retain water and maintain body temperature. So remember to drink plenty of water before and after your boxing training to replenish the lost water. Muscle recovery also needs adequate water, while studies have shown high correlation between water intake and weight loss. So staying hydrated is an all around advisable.
Get Proper Nutrition
While it may seem counterproductive if one of your boxing goals is losing weight, getting the right nutrition is as important for that as it is to gain muscle. Human body needs adequate amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and even fats to function normally. Without these, your body will neither be able to do the workout as intended nor recover and repair itself after the wear and tear that takes place during boxing. Include a higher amount of fiber and protein in your diet while cutting down on sugar and processed foods for quickest muscle rejuvenation after hard training.
Mental peace and sleep
Boxing is not just a physical feat. It requires an equal amount of mental attention and coordination. This is why mental peace and tranquility is also important. When it comes to muscle recovery as well, optimum mental and physical health are important. This is where getting proper sleep also factors in. In order to make sure that you are achieving your desired objectives from boxing training proper sleep is necessary. Preparing your mind and body to adapt to the new physical routines as well as improve health and muscular functions, proper sleep, rest and mental peace is important.
Massages
Finally, once you have taken care of all your water, food and rest needs, then comes the cherry on top method of relaxing, rejuvenating and recovering muscles. While you can always go to your local spa or hire a regular masseur or masseuse, there is a much cheaper and more effective way of getting regular massages. Vybe Percussion Massage Guns provide hand held massagers, with several options as massager heads to target different muscles in the body. From tired and stiff muscles, to knots and inflammations, a 15 minutes deep tissue massage with these tools can make you feel good as new. It will also help you reduce pain, improve sleep, and promote general well being as well.