Recovery from exercise

A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests muscle activation is reduced 24 hours after squat jumps and repeated sprints, and 48 hours after barbell squats.

The importance of recovery can’t be understated. That’s because muscle size and strength gains are realized during recovery, not while training. A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that muscle recovery can take anywhere from 48 to 72 hours.

On separate occasions, 10 male athletes did squats (5 sets of 10 reps) using 80% of their one rep max, jump squats (5 sets of 10 reps) and fifteen 30-meter sprints. Muscle function and fatigue were measured 24, 48 and 72 hours post-workout.

Muscle activation was reduced for 24 hours after squat jumps and sprints, and for 48 hours after performing heavy squats. Fatigue lasted for 48 hours after squat jumps and for 72 hours after sprints and heavy squats.

Building a muscle recovery plan into your exercise routine is critical. Different exercises impact the body differently. It’s important to consider which muscles you’ve worked on and the different recovery rates for women and men on different muscle groups and joints.

This article was sponsored by Optimum Nutrition.