4 simple post run steps to make you a pro

How's your training going?

Running a fair few miles? Doing some good long runs? Chipping in with some speedier work? All-in-all you may be turning into a bit of a Paula Radcliffe without the head wobble.

But are you missing out on something that Paula does? Some things we can all very easily do to make our training easier and more effective, as well as making life in between sessions more comfortable.

What you do in the moments after finishing training will affect how tired or sore your muscles feel, how much energy you have for the next session, how your body shape and muscle definition improves and even how well you’ll be able to concentrate tomorrow.

Follow these easy steps to get more from your training

Warm down

The first thing you need to do is cool down. A few minutes of light jogging or walking will bring your heart rate down gradually and sustain for a short while at a level that allows the waste products from training to be flushed out by the oxygen rich blood. The harder you have trained the longer you should warm down for.

Stretch

Post exercise stretching relaxes your muscles, improves mobility far more than stretching before training, and helps circulation and that process of getting rid of the waste products. 

All this reduces muscle soreness and stiffness leaving you more ready for the next session. 

Drink

Once you have trained it is easy to forget the need for hydration. Keep drinking a little and often to re-hydrate and to keep yourself hydrated. Dehydration will add to tiredness, muscle soreness, make it harder to digest food and even reduce your ability to concentrate. So fill up your water bottle and keep sipping away for the next two hours.

Eat

From 30min to 2hr after exercise you body is far better able to absorb the nutrients from food. Ideally you should eat around 50g of carbohydrate within 30min of exercising and 200g within 2hrs. Protein will help your muscles rebuild and also with the absorption of carbohydrate. A sandwich, banana or Jelly Babies will do a good job but there are post exercise drinks and foods which are designed to give you just what you need.