Your SEAL-Inspired Guide to Post-Workout Recovery

Your SEAL-Inspired Guide to Post-Workout Recovery
written by evan Seale

You just completed an incredible workout. You set a personal record, everything felt great, your endorphins are pumping, making you feel like you are on top of the world. There is nothing better than successfully completing a workout, especially one you know challenges you to perform at your best. You want to keep that feeling, have the victorious high. So how do you make it happen? The key to successful growth is interlaced into one key component: post-workout recovery.


What is post-workout recovery?


Post-workout recovery is your body’s response to pushing your body to work smarter, faster, and harder in your exercise routine. In order to get fitter, you need to push your body to perform at its best, which naturally creates stress on the body. Just as your body needs the rigor of a high-performance workout, it needs rest periods in which your body builds muscle so that you are stronger, fitter, and faster than before.


Why is post-workout recovery important?


Post-workout recovery is your body’s key to avoiding burnout. No matter the fitness level, pushing your body too hard with no rest periods does not give your body the time it needs to restore and build back even better. During workouts, your body taps into carbohydrate storage, or glycogen. Recovery allows your body to replenish these levels, which fuels your body for further exercise. Overtraining your body not only leads to decreased levels of performance, but can cause injury when not rested well enough. Post-recovery allows your body to build off of all the important gains you make during a workout, while also providing insurance against negative side effects of overwork.


What can we learn from the SEALs when it comes to post-workout recovery?


If anyone knows the importance of post-workout recovery, it's the SEALs. With their twice-daily intensive workout routine, fitting in the appropriate post-workout routine is crucial to not overworking and for injury prevention. SEALs are known for their top physical performance, from running eight-mile conditioning training along with hundreds of push-ups, their bodyweight routine training allows for the peak of physical fitness. For SEALs in training, injury is not an option. Here’s how they do it:


  • Restorative Diet: Health and wellness is a holistic practice, with nutrition a crucial aspect of this practice. Foods that are packed with proteins, such as chicken, fish, and legumes, along with carbohydrates can aid in recovery and restore glycogen stores. Along with this, supplements that aid in recovery can help maximize physical restoration. VRB Lab’s Recovery Cream is crafted for the very purpose of helping athletes to recover and stay in the game as much as possible.

  • Think Mobility: For SEALs, there are no days off. As with everything in the military, all things are meticulously planned, down to when and how to exercise for maximum efficiency. Even SEALs have their limits, and that is where differentiating exercise comes to play. For days when stringent, stressful routines cannot be completed and motivation is low, mobility training is the proper tool. Whether replacing your high-grade workout with a light cardio workout, or yoga class, mobility training promotes muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility.
  • Listen to Your Body: After a hard workout, your body knows best. At first you might feel great, but if you are not resting, that high can make way for soreness and pain. This can be avoided by building in the proper amount of recovery. Even though a level of soreness is to be expected when pushing your body to the limits (even needed!) avoiding overexertion is your strategy to your best physical and mental self. Also, just like your training, remember to try new ways of recovery too. Enter: The MOAB.

    • What steps govern successful post-workout recovery?


    Post-workout recovery is going to look different for everyone based on goals and level of fitness. However, a few guidelines can ensure a successful post-workout recovery.


  • Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. One of the most impactful, easy steps you can add to your workout routine is hydration. Replenishing fluid levels is key to allowing your body to function and restore itself as best as possible.

  • Eat Restoratively: Just like the SEALs, eating to give your body its best chance at top performance is a key feature of post-workout recovery. Inserting healthy proteins and choice carbohydrates is one way to ensure that your body is getting what it needs to recover.

  • Rest: So you just killed a challenging workout? Celebrate with a little extra snooze time. Along with boosting energy levels, sleep is where most recovery happens, so look no further than the pillow for a restorative session. For those who need extra help capturing those quintessential Zzzs, VRB Lab’s Sleep Blend provides supplements critical for recovery to boost your performance after rest.

  • Ease Into It: High-velocity training requires high-quality recovery. Maybe you are starting back into your fitness journey after an injury, or you are training for a marathon. Although the goals are different, the aim is the same: to become an even better version of yourself. Listen to your body, let it rest and recover, and have a schedule for when you are resting and pushing yourself full force. Looking at online training plans or even consulting a physical trainer can be great ways to regiment your recovery.

    • Is post-workout recovery the same for each workout type?


    Short answer: No. Each workout is different as each person is different. Recovery will look different depending on your goals and fitness level. For cardio, especially training for longer exercises, building in strengthening routines can prevent injury and maximize fitness. For weight training, differentiating muscle groups by targeting certain muscles on specific days is another form of recovery. Making sure to not overexert a certain muscle group cuts down on recovery time and enhances physical fitness.



    How can athletes shorten their post-workout recovery times?


    Along with an effective rest routine, lifestyle choices play a major role in shortening recovery times. For example, avoiding things that will detract from your body’s recovery such as alcohol, too much caffeine, and tobacco is one way to ensure a quicker recovery. Rest, a healthy diet, and hydration all play a crucial role in shortening the time for recovery. Along with this, utilizing supplements such as VRB Lab’s Focus + Calm Blend reduces the inflammation caused by exercise, while also providing energy to get back up and do the work to be at top performance.