Men’s Workout Recovery: What to Do Before and After a Workout
When time is tight, the warm-up and cooldown are often the first things to go. You arrive at the gym, head for the weights and start loading the bar. Once the workout is finished, you grab your things and leave. The exercises that count are done, right? Well, not quite.
The last minutes during your workout can change how prepared you feel when you begin and how you move when you finish.
A few well-placed habits can go a long way. Move before you train, stretch the muscles you worked afterward, and support recovery between sessions with enough food, water, sleep and rest.
Should men stretch before or after a workout?
Both can be useful, but they serve different purposes. Before training, your goal is to prepare for movement. This is where dynamic stretching belongs. Dynamic stretches take your muscles and joints through a controlled range of motion without holding one position for long.
After training, the pace changes. Your muscles are warm, the hard work is over and you can spend more time in static stretches, holding each position while your breathing settles.
The easiest way to remember the difference is:
Before your workout: Move through the range of motion you are about to use.
After your workout: Slow down and stretch the muscles you just trained.
Long static stretches can feel good, but they are not always the best way to begin a demanding strength workout. Save those deeper holds for the end of your session or a separate mobility routine.
What should a pre-workout warm-up include?
A useful warm-up should resemble the workout that follows. For instance, if you’re preparing for a heavy squat session vs. warming up for a chest workout, both warm-up routines would look different. There is little value in spending several minutes stretching your shoulders if your training plan is built around lunges, deadlifts and leg presses.
Start with light movement to raise your body temperature. From there, focus on the joints and muscles you are about to use. Finish with a lighter version of your first exercise. You should feel more mobile and alert by the end of your routine, not tired.
A quick upper-body warm-up
Try this routine before training your chest, back, shoulders or arms.
Neck turns
Keep your shoulders relaxed and slowly look from one side to the other. Only turn as far as you comfortably can. Complete five controlled turns per side.
Shoulder rolls
Lift your shoulders toward your ears, roll them back and bring them down. Reverse the direction after several repetitions. Complete 10 rolls in each direction.
Chest and upper-back openers
Place your fingertips behind your head. Bring your elbows toward one another as you gently round your upper back. Then open your elbows and lift your chest. Move slowly between the two positions for eight to 10 repetitions.
Arm swings
Swing your arms across your chest, then open them wide. Alternate which arm crosses on top. Complete 10 repetitions.
Upper-back rotations
Begin on your hands and knees. Reach one arm underneath your body, allowing your upper back to rotate. Reverse the movement and reach the same arm toward the ceiling.
Try to keep your hips relatively still. The movement should come primarily from your upper back. Complete five to eight repetitions per side.
Warm-up sets
Before reaching for your usual training weight, complete one or two lighter sets of your first exercise.
If bench presses are first, that might mean beginning with an empty bar or lighter dumbbells. The goal is not to tire your chest and shoulders. You are practising the movement and gradually introducing the load.
A quick lower-body warm-up
Use this routine before leg day, running or a lower-body conditioning workout.
Light cardio
Walk on a treadmill, pedal on a stationary bike or use an elliptical at an easy pace. One or two minutes may be enough to start feeling warmer.
Ankle rocks
Step one foot forward and keep the heel planted. Slowly guide your front knee toward your toes, stopping before the heel begins to rise. Rock in and out of the position for eight repetitions, then switch sides.
Ankle mobility can be easy to overlook, especially when attention is fixed on the hips and hamstrings. Limited movement at the ankle, however, can affect how comfortable a squat or lunge feels.
Climber steps
Begin in a high plank. Step one foot to the outside of the same-side hand, pause briefly and return to the starting position.
Alternate sides for five to eight repetitions.
Reverse lunges with a reach
Step one foot behind you and lower into a reverse lunge. As you descend, reach both arms overhead.
You should feel the front of the hip on your back leg open without forcing the position.
Complete five or six repetitions per side.
Bodyweight squats
Set your feet in a comfortable squat stance. Sit your hips back and lower with control, keeping your feet grounded.
The first repetition may feel stiff. That is fine. Give your body a chance to find the movement rather than judging your mobility immediately.
Complete eight to 10 repetitions.
Lighter sets of your first lift
Finish with one or two warm-up sets of the first exercise in your program.
Gradually add weight until you reach your working sets. Jumping straight from bodyweight squats to a heavily loaded bar may save a few minutes, but it rarely makes the first set feel better.
What should you do after a workout?
Cooldowns are a favourite part of the workout. They give you a moment to let your breathing and heart rate settle. Choose a few stretches based on the workout you completed.
Trained legs? Spend time on your hips, quads, hamstrings and calves. Finished an upper-body workout? Focus on your chest, shoulders, upper back and forearms.
Hold each position for roughly 20 to 30 seconds. You should feel tension, not pain. There is no prize for forcing yourself deeper into a stretch than your body wants to go.
Post-workout stretches for the upper body
Cross-body shoulder stretch
Bring one arm across your chest. Use your opposite arm to gently draw it closer, holding above or below the elbow rather than pressing directly against the joint. Keep the stretching-side shoulder away from your ear.
Triceps stretch
Reach one arm overhead and bend your elbow so your hand moves down your back. Use your opposite hand to apply light pressure to the elbow. Keep your chest lifted and avoid exaggerating the arch in your lower back.
Child’s pose
Begin on your hands and knees. Sit your hips toward your heels while reaching your hands forward and lowering your chest.
Depending on your position, you may feel the stretch through your shoulders, upper back and sides.
Forearm and wrist stretch
Extend one arm with your palm facing upward. Use your opposite hand to gently guide your fingers toward the floor. Turn the palm over and repeat in the other direction.
This can be especially useful after exercises that require a lot of gripping. Your back or biceps may have been the focus of the workout, but your hands and forearms were working too.
Lying torso rotation
Lie on your back with your arms extended in a T shape. Bring your knees toward your chest and slowly lower them to one side. Try to keep both shoulders close to the floor. Repeat on the opposite side.
Post-workout stretches for the lower body
Half-kneeling hip-flexor stretch
Kneel with one foot planted in front of you. Keep your torso upright and gently shift your hips forward.
You should feel the stretch through the front of the hip on your back leg. If the movement is coming mostly from an exaggerated arch in your lower back, ease out of the position and reset.
Pigeon or figure-four stretch
From your hands and knees, bring one knee forward and extend the opposite leg behind you. Stay upright or lower toward your forearms if the position feels comfortable.
Pigeon stretch is not comfortable for everyone. A seated or lying figure-four stretch can target a similar area without placing as much pressure on the knee.
Single-leg hamstring stretch
Sit with one leg extended and bring the opposite foot toward your inner thigh. Lengthen your spine and hinge forward from your hips.
Reach toward your shin or foot without rounding and pulling aggressively. A slight bend in the knee is completely fine.
Quadriceps stretch
Stand beside a stable surface or lie on your side. Bend one knee and guide your heel toward your glutes, holding your ankle or the top of your foot. Keep your knees relatively close and your hips facing forward.
Groin stretch
Sit with the soles of your feet together and allow your knees to open naturally.
Sit tall and lean forward slightly from your hips. Avoid pressing your knees down to make the stretch look deeper.
Calf stretch
Place your hands against a wall and step one foot behind you. Keep the back heel grounded as you bend your front knee.
Repeat with a slight bend in the back knee. The two versions may feel different through the calf and ankle.
Forward fold
Stand with your knees soft and hinge forward from your hips. Let your head, neck and arms relax.
This is not a test of whether you can touch your toes. Stop wherever you feel a comfortable stretch through the back of your legs.
Will stretching prevent muscle soreness?
Stretching may help you relax after training and improve flexibility over time. What it probably will not do is completely prevent delayed-onset muscle soreness after a difficult workout.
It can help you work on your range of motion, notice areas that feel restricted and shift out of workout mode gradually. Along with sleep nutrition, hydration, training volume and resting between hard sessions can also influence how you recover.
What else supports recovery after training?
Start with the basics:
Replace lost fluids
Drink water after training, particularly if you exercised in a hot environment or sweat heavily.
There is no single amount that works for every person or every workout. The weather, workout length, intensity and your individual needs all matter.
Eat enough to support your training
A balanced meal or snack containing protein and carbohydrates can help replenish energy and support muscle repair.
The exact amount you should eat before your workout depends on your goals and overall nutrition needs. Recovery nutrition does not need to become a complicated calculation every time you leave the gym.
Give muscle groups time to recover
Training hard can be productive. Training the same sore muscles intensely every day usually is not.
Your program should allow enough recovery between demanding sessions, particularly when you are lifting heavy or increasing your total training volume.
Keep moving
Complete rest is sometimes necessary, but soreness doesn’t always mean you need to remain still all day.
A walk, an easy bike ride or a short mobility session may feel better than doing nothing. Keep the intensity low and pay attention to how your body responds.
Make room for sleep
Recovery happens between workouts, and sleep is a large part of that time.
One perfect night will not fix an exhausting training schedule, just as one poor night will not ruin your progress. Consistency matters more than perfection.
Explore recovery rooms at select GoodLife locations
Sometimes you want more than a few stretches before heading home.
Select GoodLife locations have Recovery Rooms with amenities designed to complement your post-workout routine. Available features may include massage chairs, cryotherapy loungers and other recovery tools.
Not every gym has a Recovery Room, and the equipment available can differ by location. Check the amenities listed for your GoodLife gym before visiting.