The Recovery Mistake That Could Be Making Your Workouts Feel Harder After 40
If you're still judging a workout by how sore you feel the next day, you may be focusing on the wrong metric. As more men over 40 embrace strength training for healthy aging, experts are placing greater emphasis on what happens after the workout. Research has found that maintaining muscle mass and strength is closely linked to physical function, independence, and even longevity as we age. That means recovering well enough to train consistently may be just as important as the workout itself. That's why managing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the stiffness and aches that can show up 24 to 72 hours after exercise, matters. Excessive soreness can make it harder to train consistently, which may ultimately hinder long-term results. Here are five recovery strategies, ranked by importance. 1. Prioritize Sleep Sleep is where much of your recovery happens. During deep sleep , the body increases production of hormones involved in muscle repair, including growth hormone. Most adu...
