12 Tips To Relax Your Muscles

February 1, 2006

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3. Sleeping

Who doesn't love a good night's sleep? Not only is sleep important for your mental functioning, but it also provides your muscles with much-needed rest and regeneration time. Skimping out on sleep not only reduces your rate of recovery, it also increases stress levels in your body (due to an increased release of cortisol), making your muscles tight and tense.

Aim for at least seven hours of sleep every night, and if your schedule allows it, take a 20-minute power nap in the afternoon.

4. Hanging upside down

It may seem like an unconventional way to get your muscles to relax, but by allowing gravity to do its work, you can achieve a deeper state of relaxation. After you have completed your workout, find a bar that you can reach comfortably, lift your knees and wrap them around the bar. Then, slowly release your arms and let yourself hang for a minute.

Concentrate on completely releasing any tension in your muscles and letting gravity pull you downward. Do not stay in this position for an extended period of time, however, as excess blood accumulation in the head can cause many health concerns.

5. Proper periodization

No matter how much effort you put into your workouts, if your routine is not properly planned, you won't recover optimally and you'll begin to feel it in your body in the form of tight, tense muscles.

When deciding on a program, plan at least one day a week for total rest and make sure to give each muscle group at least 48 hours of rest between sessions. Pay particular attention to your synergistic muscles, such as triceps and biceps, as these play a key role in many other lifts; make sure you don't end up overtraining them.

Also, consider taking an entire week of rest every three months or so to give your body time to fully recover.

6. Massage

A massage goes a long way when it comes to relaxing your muscles; it is best to get one on your rest day after a week of hard training. Look for a certified deep tissue massage therapist and book a full-body treatment. A deep tissue massage reaches muscle fibers that you aren't able to target with everyday methods like stretching. During the massage, focus on the breathing technique described above to relax your muscles even more.

7. Bath, sauna and steam room

All of these options warm up your core body temperature and increase your blood circulation, transporting more oxygen and nutrients to your healing muscles.

These treatments work best right after your workout or later on in the evening, since they're also a great way to relax and unwind psychologically. If you're suffering from an injury, however, ice should be applied before heat immediately after training, as it reduces inflammation, which is a priority for injured muscles.

Stay in the bath, sauna or steam room for about 10 to 15 minutes — enough time to fully relax but not so long that you begin to feel lethargic. If you want, you can also perform some stretching exercises during this time, as your muscles will be very warm and at their most flexible state.

Meditation, cardio and dietary supplements to ease your muscle tension...