A Practical Guide to Muscle Recovery After Gym

Why Muscle Recovery After Gym Matters More Than You Think

Muscle recovery after gym isn't just about waiting for soreness to fade—it's the process that actually makes you stronger. Here's what you need to know:

• What happens: Exercise creates microscopic tears in muscle fibers
• Why it hurts: Inflammation and fluid accumulation cause Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), typically 12-48 hours post-workout
• The payoff: Proper recovery repairs these tears and builds stronger, more resilient muscle tissue
• Four pillars of recovery: Nutrition, Hydration, Rest, and Active Recovery

Every time you lift weights, run, or push through a tough workout, you're essentially breaking down muscle tissue. That burning sensation you feel the next day? It's your body signaling that repair work is underway. But here's the truth most people miss: the workout doesn't make you stronger—the recovery does.

Studies show that without adequate recovery time, you risk decreased performance, increased injury rates, and even overtraining syndrome. Athletes who stretch during cool-down experience fewer complaints of muscle soreness and fewer injuries overall. Meanwhile, dehydration—one of recovery's biggest enemies—can intensify soreness and make it last significantly longer.

The good news? You have more control over your recovery than you might think. From the immediate steps you take in the hour after your workout to the nutrition choices you make throughout the week, each decision either accelerates or hinders your body's repair process.

I'm Tony Enrico, and over the years I've worked with countless athletes and active adults navigating the challenges of muscle recovery after gym sessions. Whether you're dealing with post-workout soreness or chronic discomfort, I've seen how the right recovery strategy can transform not just your performance, but your entire quality of life.

The Science of Soreness: Why Your Muscles Ache After the Gym

You know that feeling—you crush a workout, feel like a champion, then wake up the next morning barely able to walk down the stairs. If you've ever wondered why your muscles stage this painful rebellion after a gym session, you're not alone. The answer is actually pretty fascinating, and it's not punishment for your hard work—it's proof that your body is getting stronger.

When you push yourself during exercise—especially with new movements or heavier weights—you're creating microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Before you panic, this is completely normal and actually necessary for building strength. These tiny tears trigger what scientists call exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), which sounds scary but is really just your body's signal to start the repair process.

Here's where it gets interesting. Your body responds to these microscopic tears by launching an inflammatory response. Think of inflammation as your body's emergency repair crew showing up at the scene. Fluid rushes to the damaged area, bringing nutrients and specialized cells that flush out the debris from those torn fibers. This same process then builds new, stronger muscle cells in their place.

This whole process is why you experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)—that achy, stiff feeling that peaks between 12 and 48 hours after your workout. The soreness isn't actually from lactic acid buildup, despite what many people believe. It's from those microscopic tears and the inflammation that follows. In fact, liftd levels of creatine kinase (CK), an enzyme released when muscle fibers are damaged, serve as a measurable marker of this process.

The science backs this up. Research shows that proper recovery techniques can significantly reduce these markers of muscle damage and help manage the discomfort that comes with them. For a comprehensive look at what actually works, this evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques reviews the science behind various recovery methods.

What is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)?

DOMS is that all-too-familiar ache that shows up a day or two after you've challenged your muscles. The timeline of 12-48 hours post-exercise is pretty consistent—you might feel fine right after your workout, even a bit invincible, but then the next morning hits like a ton of bricks.

The intensity of DOMS varies from person to person and workout to workout. You might experience mild tenderness when you move, or you might feel like you've been hit by a truck. Symptoms of DOMS typically include muscle stiffness, tenderness when you touch the affected area, reduced range of motion, and temporary loss of muscle strength. These symptoms are most pronounced after eccentric exercises—movements where your muscle lengthens under tension, like lowering a weight slowly or running downhill.

Here's what's crucial to understand: differentiating soreness from injury pain can save you from making a bad situation worse. DOMS is a dull, general ache that gradually improves over a few days. Injury pain, on the other hand, tends to be sharp, localized to a specific spot, and doesn't improve with gentle movement. If you can't flex or extend a limb without sharp pain after a couple of days, or if the pain gets worse instead of better, that's your body waving a red flag. Time to see a doctor.

The Inflammatory Response and Muscle Repair

When those microscopic tears happen, your body doesn't just sit around waiting for things to get better. It immediately kicks the inflammatory response into high gear—and contrary to what you might think, this inflammation is actually your friend.

Fluid rushing to the area might sound like it would just make things worse, but it's actually bringing everything your muscles need to heal. This fluid carries immune cells and nutrients directly to the damaged tissue, creating the perfect environment for repair. These cells get to work flushing out damaged cells and clearing away the cellular debris left behind from your workout.

Once the cleanup crew has done its job, the real magic happens. Your body starts building new muscle cells—and here's the best part—these new cells are stronger and more resilient than the ones you started with. This is how you actually get stronger from working out. The workout creates the damage, but the recovery creates the strength.

Interestingly, certain recovery techniques can help manage this inflammatory response without completely blocking it (which would actually interfere with adaptation). Research shows that massage therapy can help modulate inflammation after exercise-induced muscle damage, helping you feel better while still allowing your muscles to adapt and grow stronger.

Understanding this science makes it clear why muscle recovery after gym sessions isn't optional—it's where the actual gains happen. Every ache and discomfort is your body working overtime to make you stronger, faster, and more resilient. The question isn't whether you'll experience soreness, but how you'll support your body through the recovery process.

Immediate Post-Workout Actions for Optimal Recovery

The moment we finish our last rep or cross the finish line, something remarkable happens—our body immediately shifts gears from breaking down muscle tissue to building it back up. These first few hours after exercise are often called the "golden hours" of recovery, and for good reason. What we do during this window can make the difference between waking up energized and ready for our next session, or hobbling around like we've aged thirty years overnight.

Think of it this way: if our workout is the question, recovery is the answer. And the conversation starts the second we put down those weights. The choices we make about cooling down, rehydrating, and refueling don't just influence how we feel tomorrow—they determine how quickly our muscles repair, how strong we become, and how ready we are to tackle our next challenge. Missing these opportunities means leaving gains on the table, plain and simple.

Cool-Down and Stretching

We've all been guilty of it: finishing that last set, grabbing our gym bag, and heading straight for the door. But here's the truth—a proper cool-down is just as important as the warm-up we (hopefully) did before diving into our workout.

A cool-down helps our heart rate and breathing gradually return to normal, preventing blood from pooling in our limbs. It's like easing off the gas pedal instead of slamming on the brakes. Our cardiovascular system appreciates the gentler transition, and so do our muscles.

And then comes the stretching. This is where we can make a real difference in how we feel over the next few days. Stretching during our cool-down helps decrease built-up muscle tension and can significantly reduce complaints of muscle soreness. Research shows that people who consistently stretch during their cool-down experience fewer injuries overall—a pretty compelling reason to add those extra ten minutes to our gym time.

We recommend taking between five and 10 minutes for stretching during the cool-down, focusing on the major muscle groups we just worked. Both static stretching (holding a stretch for 15-30 seconds) and dynamic stretching (gentle, controlled movements) have their place here. Static stretching helps improve flexibility and maintain muscle mobility, while dynamic movements can keep blood flowing to tired muscles. This isn't just about feeling better today—it's an investment in staying injury-free for the long haul.

The Role of Hydration in Muscle Recovery After Gym

Water might just be the most underrated nutrient for our bodies, especially after a workout. As we push through those sets and reps, we're sweating—sometimes profusely—and our body is draining its water reserves faster than we might realize.

Dehydration is one of recovery's biggest enemies. When we don't replace lost fluids, we're setting ourselves up for muscle cramping, fatigue, headaches, and poor physical performance. Dehydration can intensify soreness and make it last significantly longer. To properly flush out damaged muscle cells and facilitate repair, we need plenty of fluids. It's that simple.

A good rule of thumb? Gulp down 8 ounces of water for every 15 to 30 minutes of exercise. If we had an especially intense session or we're sweating buckets, we'll want to drink even more. Our body will thank us for it.

But here's something many people overlook: we're not just losing water when we sweat. We're also depleting our body's supply of electrolytes—minerals like sodium chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium that are essential for nerve and muscle function. When these get too low, our muscles can cramp up, and we feel completely wiped out.

The good news? Replacing electrolytes doesn't require fancy sports drinks. Plenty of whole foods do the job beautifully:

• Bananas and oranges are rich in potassium
• Avocados provide both potassium and magnesium
• Sweet potatoes pack a double punch of potassium and magnesium
• Coconut water is nature's sports drink, loaded with potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium
• Raisins, peanuts, and walnuts offer a good mix of minerals to help replenish what we've lost

The Post-Workout Meal: Protein and Carbohydrates

After a tough workout, our muscles are like sponges—primed and ready to soak up nutrients. This is our golden opportunity to kickstart the repair and rebuilding process, and what we eat in the hours following exercise can dramatically impact our muscle recovery after gym sessions.

Protein is the MVP of post-workout nutrition. Exercise breaks down muscle proteins, creating those microscopic tears we talked about earlier. Consuming protein provides the amino acids our body needs to repair and grow those muscles back stronger. Think of protein as the building blocks, and our post-workout meal as the delivery truck bringing supplies to the construction site.

But protein isn't working alone. Carbohydrates are the fuel that powers both our activity and the recovery process. During exercise, our muscles burn through stored glycogen (the storage form of carbs in our body) for energy. After our workout, those glycogen stores are depleted, and we need to refill the tank. Without adequate carbs, our body struggles to complete the repair work, no matter how much protein we consume.

The magic happens when we combine these two. Experts recommend eating at least 20 grams of protein right after a tough workout, ideally paired with a small amount of carbohydrates. The conventional wisdom for optimal recovery suggests consuming 20 to 40 grams of protein and some carbs within two hours of working out. This timing isn't arbitrary—our muscles are most receptive to nutrients during this window.

This dynamic duo of carbs and protein works synergistically, with research showing that combining them helps replenish glycogen stores more effectively and improves muscle repair better than either nutrient alone. Whether we're reaching for a protein shake with a banana, Greek yogurt with berries, or a chicken sandwich on whole grain bread, getting both macronutrients working together sets us up for faster, more complete recovery.

Nutrition for Improved Muscle Recovery After Gym

Beyond that crucial post-workout meal, what we eat throughout the day makes a massive difference in how well our bodies bounce back. Think of it this way: if that immediate post-workout nutrition is the emergency repair crew, our overall diet is the construction team that keeps building us stronger, day after day.

A solid long-term nutrition strategy for muscle recovery after gym workouts means focusing on getting the right balance of macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fats—along with plenty of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients work together to support healing, keep inflammation in check, and maintain our energy levels so we can tackle our next workout feeling strong.

Mastering Macronutrients for Muscle Recovery After Gym

When it comes to truly optimizing muscle recovery after gym sessions, we need to think beyond just the hour after training. What we eat throughout the entire day matters just as much.

Protein is the undisputed champion here. Our muscles literally need it to repair and grow stronger. Research suggests we should aim for roughly 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day to maximize muscle growth. The International Society of Sports Nutrition casts a slightly wider net, recommending 1.4–2.0 g protein/kg for building and maintaining muscle mass. The best sources include lean meats like chicken, turkey, and beef, along with fish such as salmon, tuna, and cod. Eggs and dairy products like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are excellent choices too. If we're plant-based, legumes (beans and lentils) and tofu have us covered. And for those busy days when cooking feels impossible, protein powder—whether whey, soy, or casein—can be a lifesaver for hitting our daily goals.

Carbohydrates often get a bad rap, but they're actually our body's preferred fuel source. After a workout, our glycogen stores (that's how our body stores carbs) are depleted. Eating complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables helps replenish those stores, ensuring we have enough energy for our next training session and supporting the overall recovery process.

Healthy fats deserve more credit than they often get. These aren't the enemy—they're essential for hormone production, maintaining healthy cell membranes, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. All of these functions contribute to optimal recovery. Great sources include avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Don't be afraid to include them in every meal.

Fighting Inflammation with Food

Inflammation is part of the natural recovery process, but too much of it can actually slow us down and leave us feeling sore for longer than necessary. One of the smartest moves we can make is to fill our plates with naturally anti-inflammatory foods.

The best foods for muscle recovery after gym workouts are loaded with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals—those unstable molecules that get produced during intense exercise and can damage our cells. Omega-3s, on the other hand, are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that can significantly reduce muscle soreness.

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines top the list because they're packed with omega-3s. Tart cherries and cherry juice contain special compounds called anthocyanins that can lessen post-exercise inflammation and muscle pain. A 2022 literature review found consistent evidence that drinking cherry juice in the days before exercise can genuinely support muscle recovery. Leafy greens such as spinach and kale provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in abundance. Berries—blueberries, strawberries, raspberries—are antioxidant powerhouses. Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds deliver healthy fats and antioxidants. Sweet potatoes and carrots are rich in beta-carotene, another potent antioxidant. Even green tea deserves a mention for its catechins, which are incredibly powerful antioxidants.

Now, here's the flip side: some foods can actually increase inflammation and work against our recovery efforts. Added sugars are one of the biggest culprits. Diets high in added sugar contribute to systemic inflammation throughout the body. Highly processed foods, fried foods, and those loaded with saturated fat can also make inflammation worse. Cutting back on these foods isn't about being perfect—it's about making better choices most of the time.

What to Avoid: Alcohol and Tobacco

While we're on the topic of nutrition, we need to talk about two things that can seriously undermine our recovery efforts: alcohol and tobacco.

Alcohol might seem like a harmless way to unwind after a tough workout, but it's actually working against everything we're trying to accomplish. It increases blood pressure, lowers both sleep quality and duration, and provides zero nutritional value. Consistently consuming alcohol may slow muscular recovery and even increase the risk of muscle loss over time. Alcohol causes inflammation and interferes with recovery, sleep, and hydration. If we choose to drink, moderation is absolutely essential—and making sure we're well-hydrated becomes even more important.

Tobacco presents its own set of problems. While research specifically on tobacco and muscle recovery is somewhat limited, we do know that smoking is associated with an increased risk of muscular injury and negatively impacts overall musculoskeletal health. For anyone serious about fitness and recovery, avoiding tobacco isn't just recommended—it's non-negotiable.

Advanced Recovery Strategies and Lifestyle Habits

Beyond immediate post-workout actions and consistent nutrition, several advanced strategies and lifestyle habits can dramatically improve muscle recovery after gym sessions and contribute to our overall well-being. These aren't just luxuries for elite athletes—they're integral parts of a smart training regimen that anyone can benefit from.

For targeted relief from the inevitable aches and soreness that sometimes accompany these recovery efforts, we find that a topical cream like Neuropasil can provide a soothing sensation, helping us manage discomfort as our muscles repair. Learn more about our topical relief creams.

The Ultimate Recovery Tool: Sleep

If there's one recovery tool we could call "ultimate," it would be sleep. It's during these precious hours that our body performs most of its critical repair and rebuilding tasks. Think of sleep as your body's nightly maintenance shift—when all the real construction work happens.

Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night to be at their best. After a tough workout, hitting this target becomes even more important to help our body properly recharge. This is when our body releases human growth hormone (HGH), which is absolutely vital for tissue repair and muscle growth. Without adequate sleep, we're essentially trying to build a house without giving the construction crew time to work.

The science backs this up powerfully. Research has found that sleep deprivation may impair muscle recovery by impeding the body's inflammation reaction and the production of hormones that aid muscle growth. People who exercise intensely, like many professional athletes, often need even more rest than the average person—some reportedly sleep 10 hours or more per night. If you're struggling with recovery, the first place to look is your pillow.

Active Recovery vs. Passive Rest

Here's a recovery secret that surprises many people: rest doesn't always mean doing absolutely nothing. In fact, complete inactivity isn't always the fastest path to feeling better. There's an important distinction between passive rest and active recovery, and understanding both can transform how quickly we bounce back.

Active recovery involves performing light exercise to stimulate the recovery process without imposing undue stress. This could be a gentle stroll around the neighborhood, a leisurely bike ride, or some light yoga stretches. The goal is to increase blood flow to our muscles, which helps flush out metabolic waste products and deliver fresh oxygen and nutrients—all without causing further muscle damage. Think of it as giving your muscles a gentle massage from the inside out. Research shows that active recovery, along with massage, compression garments, immersion, contrast water therapy, and cryotherapy, can decrease the magnitude of DOMS.

Passive rest, on the other hand, is indeed about doing nothing—or at least, very little. These are the days we take completely off from structured exercise to allow our body and mind to fully recuperate. While active recovery is beneficial, complete rest days are essential, and athletes should aim for at least one full rest day every week. A well-structured workout schedule should target different muscle groups on different days, mixing strength training, cardio, and active rest days throughout the week. Our bodies adapt and grow stronger during rest, not during the workout itself.

Hands-On Recovery Methods

Sometimes, our muscles need a little extra TLC to bounce back. That's where hands-on recovery methods come into play. These techniques have been used by professional athletes for decades, and for good reason—they work.

Massage therapy stands out as one of the most powerful techniques for recovering from DOMS and fatigue. A 2020 review of studies found that massage has a small but significant effect on improving flexibility and decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness after exercise. The manual manipulation of muscle tissue reduces tension, increases blood flow, and alleviates soreness. It's also one of the best methods for reducing inflammation. The downside? Professional massage can be expensive and time-consuming.

That's where foam rolling comes in as a more accessible alternative. This self-myofascial release technique uses a foam cylinder to apply pressure to muscle knots and tight areas. It's essentially a "cheap deep tissue massage" you can do at home. By applying pressure, foam rolling increases blood flow to muscles, helps release tight spots, and speeds up healing by pushing out pooled fluid. It won't replace a skilled massage therapist, but it's a fantastic tool to have in your recovery arsenal.

Cryotherapy, or cold exposure, has gained popularity in recent years—and for good reason. Application of cold, whether through ice baths, cold showers, or specialized cryochambers, may speed up recovery by reducing pain, inflammation, and muscle tiredness after strenuous activity. Along with massage, cold exposure is one of the most powerful techniques for reducing inflammation. Just be warned: that first plunge into an ice bath takes some serious willpower!

Compression garments offer another recovery option that's gained traction among serious athletes. These specialized pieces of clothing apply pressure to muscles, which can help improve circulation and reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Small studies suggest they may lower recovery time, though the effects are generally modest. Many athletes swear by them for long flights or overnight recovery.

The beauty of these hands-on methods is that they can be mixed and matched based on what feels right for your body. Some people love foam rolling every day, while others prefer a weekly massage. The key is finding what works for you and making it a consistent part of your muscle recovery after gym routine.

Frequently Asked Questions about Muscle Recovery

We hear these questions all the time from people working hard at the gym and wondering if they're doing everything right for their bodies. Let's tackle the most common concerns about muscle recovery after gym sessions.

How long does muscle recovery typically take?

Here's the truth: there's no one-size-fits-all answer, and that's actually okay. Our muscles are unique, and so is our recovery timeline.

After a light workout—maybe some easy cardio or a quick circuit—our muscles might bounce back in just 24 hours. But push ourselves harder, and we're looking at 48 to 72 hours for full recovery. Those particularly brutal leg days or heavy lifting sessions? They might need even longer. Research shows that intense strength-training sessions often require a full three days for complete muscle recovery.

What influences this timeline? Our fitness level plays a huge role. Someone who's been training for years will typically recover faster than someone just starting out. Our nutrition choices matter enormously—skimp on protein or hydration, and we'll pay for it with longer recovery times. Sleep quality is another major factor; those seven to nine hours aren't negotiable if we want our bodies to repair efficiently. Even our daily stress levels can slow things down, as stress hormones interfere with the healing process.

The bottom line? Listen to our body. If we're still significantly sore after three days, we probably pushed too hard or aren't supporting recovery properly.

Is it okay to work out with sore muscles (DOMS)?

This is probably the question we get asked most often, and the answer is: it depends on the type and severity of soreness.

If we're dealing with mild DOMS—that general, dull ache that tells us we worked hard—then yes, we can absolutely exercise. In fact, light activity can actually help. Moving those sore muscles increases blood flow, which delivers fresh oxygen and nutrients while flushing out metabolic waste. The key is choosing the right type of activity. We might focus on a different muscle group, or engage in some gentle active recovery like walking, swimming, or yoga.

But here's where we need to be smart: if the soreness significantly limits our range of motion, or if we're experiencing sharp, localized pain rather than a general ache, that's our body waving a red flag. These are signs of potential injury, not just normal DOMS. In these cases, taking a full rest day isn't being lazy—it's being smart. Pushing through actual injury pain can turn a minor issue into a major setback that keeps us out of the gym for weeks or even months.

The golden rule? Normal muscle soreness feels uncomfortable but manageable. Injury pain feels sharp, gets worse with movement, and doesn't improve with a day or two of rest.

What are the risks of not allowing adequate muscle recovery?

Skipping proper recovery isn't just uncomfortable—it's genuinely risky, and the consequences can derail our fitness goals completely.

First and foremost, we dramatically increase our risk of injury. When muscles haven't fully repaired, they're vulnerable. Those microscopic tears we talked about earlier? They need time to heal. Work out again before they've had that chance, and we're setting ourselves up for strains, tears, and other painful problems. Research confirms that inadequate recovery time is directly linked to increased injury rates, particularly in athletes who train frequently.

Beyond injury risk, our performance will suffer. It's simple physics: muscles that haven't fully rebuilt can't perform at their peak. We won't lift as heavy, run as fast, or last as long. Our glycogen stores will be depleted, our muscle fibers partially damaged, and our nervous system fatigued. We might show up to the gym, but we won't get the results we're working for.

Perhaps most concerning is the risk of overtraining syndrome. This isn't just being tired—it's a serious condition where our body is breaking down faster than it can rebuild. Symptoms include persistent fatigue that doesn't improve with rest, mood disturbances, decreased immunity (getting sick more often), hormonal imbalances, and even losing interest in exercise altogether. Our body is essentially waving a white flag, telling us it can't keep up.

The good news? All of these risks are completely preventable. Respecting our body's need for recovery isn't a weakness—it's the smartest training decision we can make.

Conclusion: Building a Resilient Body

Here's what we've learned: muscle recovery after gym sessions isn't something we should squeeze in when we have time—it's the very foundation that transforms our workouts into actual results. Without it, we're just spinning our wheels, breaking down muscle tissue without giving our body the chance to rebuild it stronger.

Think of recovery as the quiet hero of your fitness journey. While the gym is where we challenge ourselves, it's in those hours and days afterward—when we're eating well, staying hydrated, sleeping deeply, and moving gently—that our body performs its most impressive work. Every protein-rich meal, every full night's sleep, every rest day we honor is an investment in becoming more resilient, capable, and strong.

The science is clear. The four pillars of nutrition, hydration, rest, and active recovery work together to help our muscles repair those microscopic tears, reduce inflammation, and adapt to the demands we place on them. But science only takes us so far. The real key is learning to listen to our body's signals. That dull ache might mean we need a light recovery day. Sharp pain could mean we've pushed too hard. Persistent fatigue might be telling us to prioritize sleep over another early morning session.

Consistency matters more than perfection. We don't need to nail every single recovery strategy every single day. What we do need is to make recovery a regular part of our routine, just as important as the workout itself. Over time, these habits compound, and we'll notice the difference—not just in how quickly we bounce back, but in how much stronger and more capable we become.

And when those inevitable aches and soreness do show up? That's where targeted relief can make a real difference. A topical cream like Neuropasil provides a soothing sensation right where we need it, helping us manage discomfort while our muscles do their repair work. Whether it's post-workout soreness or the deeper aches that sometimes come with pushing our limits, having that extra layer of support can keep us moving forward. Discover Neuropasil for your recovery routine.

Building a resilient body isn't about never feeling sore or tired. It's about respecting the process, trusting our body's incredible ability to adapt, and giving it what it needs to thrive. The workouts challenge us, but the recovery transforms us.

References

The information and insights we've shared about muscle recovery after gym workouts are backed by credible research from leading health institutions and peer-reviewed scientific studies. We believe in providing you with evidence-based guidance you can trust as you work toward your fitness goals.

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We're committed to keeping this information current and accurate as new research emerges. After all, the science of recovery is always evolving, and we want to make sure you have the best, most up-to-date guidance to support your fitness journey.