How to Optimize Recovery for Improved Training Performance and Muscle Growth

If you strength train at all, I can almost guarantee that at some point you’ve said, “OMG, I had the BEST leg session yesterday, I can hardly sit on the toilet!” or “Holy shit, that was such a good upper body session, I’m not gonna be able to wash my hair tonight!” 

Or something pretty similar to that effect. 

And while some soreness can be a good indication that you’ve achieved some kind of stimulus; constant, unrelenting soreness week after week is NOT the goal of strength training or something to wear like a badge of honor. 

If anything, it’s a sign that your body is not recovering well from training and you’re struggling to get back to baseline. 

Which will inevitably lead to LESS progress, not more, because your body isn’t able to progress from what it can’t recover. 

Kind of like how you can’t expect to build a house if you knock down two walls every time you get one up. The rate of destruction will never outpace the rate of building, and eventually you’ll be left staring at a bare foundation.

Which is the case when building muscle; if you’re breaking muscle down at a faster rate than it can be built back up, you’ll eventually start to atrophy, not grow. 

Not only that, but being consistently under-recovered will eventually lead to a decline in training performance and general quality of life. 

Just think about how hard it is to function when you feel like you’ve been zapped of energy and strength all day long. The struggle to get out of bed. The inability to focus throughout the day. The lack of motivation to do anything at all, let alone push yourself hard in a training session. 

It sucks.

So, if improving your performance, physique AND quality of life is what you're after, prioritizing your recovery to MINIMIZE soreness should be your focus; not trying to trash your body so you can’t sit on the toilet 4 of 7 days each week. 

Now let’s chat about how you can do just that. 

Follow a Quality Training Program

This really just goes without saying if your goal (in general) is to improve your performance and physique, but following a quality training program is so so important. Not only when it comes to being able to achieve a specific stimulus over time, but being able to recover from it as well. 

There are so many programs out there that consist of a lot of junk volume (ie. more work than needs to be done to actually achieve the stimulus) for no reason other than it helps the trainee feel more “accomplished” during the session. Crazy superset and dropset tactics used to accomplish high heart rates, lots of sweat, feeling the burn, etc. 

And while it may feel “good” in the moment, the additional, unnecessary volume is why your body feels trashed the next day.

So, Step 1 in optimizing your recovery is making sure that you’re following a quality program that is in fact recoverable. 

Taking Rest Days

This goes hand in hand with Step 1 as a high quality program will incorporate rest days, but it’s also your responsibility to ensure you aren’t filling your days off from training with so much activity that your body cannot recover from it. 

For example, training 45 - 60 min five days per week then doing an hour of moderate to high intensity cardio the other two so your body never has a FULL rest day. 

Just like YOU need days off from work to avoid getting burnt out, your body needs days off too. 

I recommend a MINIMUM of 1 day per week of no demanding physical activity, just meeting your step goal if you have one (with low impact, leisurely walks, if you need to take them to accomplish this). 

If you are strugglinggggg to recover, and not currently taking rest days, I can almost guarantee that you will see major improvements within a week or two by simply implementing time off from training. 

Not only will you feel better in general, you’ll actually find that you are able to push yourself harder in your training sessions than before, inevitably making more progress as a result. 

Eating Enough Food

I’m separating intake into two separate categories here. This first addresses HOW MUCH you’re eating, and the second WHAT and WHEN you’re eating. 

If you are training for performance and growth then you should be eating around your estimated maintenance level of intake. 

If you are training for muscle maintenance and fat loss you should be eating in a moderate (NOT EXTREME) deficit. 

If you are in fact eating at or above maintenance then you can skip ahead to the next point, as your issues are more likely stemming from what and when you’re eating vs. how much. 

If you are eating in a structured deficit and find that you are regularly struggling to recover from training (super sore, zero strength, zero energy, etc.) then it is possible that your intake is too low to recover from your current training demands. 

So, you can aim to improve recovery through either a) evaluating and adjusting training volume and b) slightly increasing your intake so you are in a more moderate deficit and your body has more fuel to work with.

This can not only help to improve recovery in general, but the other negative biofeedback you're also likely experiencing (poor energy, decreases in strength, inflammation, etc.) which lead to MORE progress than if you continue to drive yourself into the ground with the lower level of intake.

Improving Meal Structure and Timing

Regardless of whether you're at maintenance or in a deficit, making adjustments to WHAT and WHEN you are eating can also help to improve your recovery. 

Your body relies heavily on carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscle recovery and growth, so adjusting your meal structure and timing to emphasize the intake of both macronutrients around training can be helpful.

I actually have a free resource that outlines my suggestions for this linked below that you can download and review! 

In addition to following the suggestions outlined in the PDF, it’s also important to remember that it’s not just about the quantity of food, but the quality as well. 

Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) play a HUGE role in what happens in our body at a cellular level and the way in which it will be able to use the macronutrients (carbs, proteins, and fats) ingested.

So, it’s just as important to ensure you are prioritizing fruits, vegetables, and whole food intake as much as you are the total number of carbs, proteins, and fats you're eating. 

Think of your body as a car that requires premium gas to run. 

Sure it’ll run on the cheap stuff, but it’s going to slow down performance and cause damage over time. 

So, if you want to be able to train, recover, and grow OPTIMALLY, fill up the tank with high quality fuel! 

Getting Enough SLEEP! 

Muscle is broken down in the gym and built in your SLEEP! 

In addition to actually taking rest days, getting adequate sleep is essential for performance and recovery. 

Not only that, but sleep has a HUGE impact on how you feel on a day to day basis (hormone balance, hunger cues, energy, etc.). 

So, if you are struggling to recover and find that you’re rarely, if ever, getting AT LEAST 6-8 hours of consistent, high quality sleep each night, I highly suggest making adjustments to your evening routine (or daytime routine for shift workers) that help to improve both the quality and quantity of sleep you’re getting each night. 

Things like: 

• Limiting screen time (scrolling on social and watching tv) 30-60 min before bed. 

• Creating a more relaxing environment for sleep (cool and dark).

• Limiting how much you are eating/drinking 1-2 hours prior to bed to limit potential disruptions later in the evening (like needing to get up to pee). 

• Actually getting into bed EARLIER. 

Can help you create a routine that is more conducive to getting both MORE and BETTER sleep which will again, not only help with recovery, but how you feel day in and out. 

Bringing It All Together 

While I could go on and on about several other seemingly “small” things that can be done to help you improve your recovery, I have found with most of my StrongHer athletes that making improvements in the areas listed above have been what’s helped to improve their recovery and progress the most. 

And it’s really no coincidence that most of these adjustments not only help to improve recovery but quality of life in general, which in turn helps to improve much effort you can put forth in each training session. 

You will be able to make FAR more progress being able to give 80-100% effort to every session because you actually take time off and fuel your body well, then to only be able to give 50-60% effort to every session because you are constantly driving yourself into the ground chasing a sensation (soreness) that has no actual bearing on whether or not your training session was successful.