Muscle Building, Fat Loss and How to Recover for Better Results

Muscle Building, Fat Loss, and How to Recover For Better Results

Training gets all the glitz and glamour, but recovery is vital to growing muscle, improving strength, and losing fat. The more efficiently you can recover the better and more often you can train, and the more often you can train the faster you will get to your goals. But, overtraining or not recovering properly could be the difference in why you are not gaining muscle, strength, or even losing weight.

Overtraining, Not Enough Recovery, and Under Nutrition

While these are all different they all have a similar effect on your body and you achieving the fitness results you would like. Each can put undue stress on your body and your cells. All three will not allow your cells to recover from your workout and put added STRESS on your cells. Whenever your cells are stressed they cause your adrenal glands, which manage stress, to secrete HIGH levels of the hormone cortisol more regularly. The effects of high levels of cortisol can cause the following:

Bone Loss
Muscle Breakdown
Increased Fat
Bloating
Increased Sugar Cravings

All of which may prevent you from either building muscle or losing fat. While you can train at a higher level for some time with elevated cortisol levels, eventually your adrenal glands may become exhausted and not function properly. When this happens, you have very LOW levels of cortisol. Low levels of this hormone can cause:

Weight Gain
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Irritability
Muscle Weakness
Difficulty Recovering
Weaken Immune System

Unregulated cortisol levels have been linked to reduced muscle strength and mass. Without proper regulation, you could see losses in strength, lean mass, or even muscle atrophy. With high levels of cortisol, your body moves into desperation mode and may use protein as an energy source and break down muscle. While this muscle atrophy is not likely, it is possible that overtraining may be holding back efficient muscle building.

Increased fat or bloating is a more noticeable side effect of improper cortisol hormone levels. Overtraining, not enough recovery, or undernutrition may cause your body to hold onto fat more regularly, especially in the belly. This can be common when individuals may be running on very little sleep, or in very high calorie deficits for extended periods. Your body will “stress out” and hold onto fat.

Cortisol levels are a more common example of the negative results of overtraining because this is mostly mental and you physically may be able to push through. Overtraining can cause skeletal muscle failure, passing out, or rhabdomyolysis, these are less common and more extremely physical examples.

The Effects of Overtraining, Not Enough Recovery, or Under Nutrition

Feeling Weaker or Difficulty Completing Normal Workouts

Gaining Weight Despite Increased Exercise

Can’t Sleep Well

Feeling Fatigued, Over sore, Sluggish, or Useless

Joints or Bones Hurt

You Keep Getting Sick

You Feel Terrible After a Workout (Endorphins should make you feel better)

Ways to Improve Recovery

Sleep

Listed first because it is one of the most important and common for everyone. Adequate sleep is essential for physical and mental recovery. Many people do know you need 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night for adequate recovery. While this may not be possible for everyone, creating a set sleep routine has also been shown to help regulate cortisol and stress in the body. This means going to bed and waking up at the same time as often as possible.

Nutrition

Adequate nutrition is necessary to recover properly. There is a certain amount of calories you need to function and repair. For women, this is between 1,200 to 1,500 per day, and for men, this is between 1,500 and 1,800 per day. It is recommended that a healthy calorie deficit is 500 calories per day. Depending on your unique attributes, going over 1,000 calorie deficit per day is not recommended. By doing this your body may start to hold onto fat rather than burn it.

Water

Exercise will cause the body’s hydration level to drop. Drinking enough water to replenish these levels will help prevent unneeded stress on your joints and muscles. Water also affects your glycogen levels which are needed to build muscle and exert energy. Your body needs water to work!

Massage and Stretching

These two are similar in that they reduce muscle soreness or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). While they will not help your cells recover faster, they will help in the reduction of soreness and increase mobility for your next training session.

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol will impair your body’s ability to replenish glycogen and impair protein synthesis in your muscles. This may reduce recovery or extend the time needed to recover. Reach for water, alcohol isn’t to be trusted.

Sauna and Ice Bath

Sauna and heat have been shown to decrease muscle soreness and allow better recovery in the neuromuscular system. There have been other muscle and bone benefits to high-heat sessions in a sauna or hot bath that may reduce muscle atrophy.

While very few people have access to an ice bath, they have been shown as an effective recovery tool from exercise. While they are effective, research has shown that ice baths done directly after exercise may reduce muscle growth and strength improvements. This a great activity on a recovery day.

Recovery for Muscle Building and Fat Loss

Our bodies need recovery in both muscle building and fat loss. Efficient recovery will get you better and more sustainable results than putting the pedal to the metal all the time. Everyone is different and everyone’s limit of exercise will be different. Listen to your body it will tell you when you have done too much.