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How to Optimize Muscle Recovery

By Jill Levy

August 5, 2026

Muscle recovery is an important element of daily life, regardless of your age. When your muscles are recovered, your energy levels are back to normal and that sense of fatigue is gone, your limbs feel light and loose rather than heavy and stiff, and your joints feel healthy rather than achy.

If you don't feel that level of muscle recovery, then not only are you not ready for your next run, bike ride, yoga session or weight lifting workout, you're likely in need of certain post-workout supplements, therapies, foods, drinks and lifestyle tips that can help to speed up or support the recovery process. 

See how to help repair microscopic muscle tears, replenish your energy stores, balance recovery hormones and more below:

• Lifestyle tips

• Best foods

• Best drinks

• Best supplements

• Immediate post-workout therapies 

Lifestyle tips

1. Don’t overtrain

It’s important to leave time for muscle recovery in between workouts. While you may think that overtraining will lead to better results, the lack of rest can actually do more harm than good.

Of course, the length of your recovery largely depends on the type of exercise you've recovering from. Here's a sample of certain types of exercise and the general recommended recovery times:

• Light walking, low-impact yoga: Cause little micro-damage to muscles, so you can repeat daily.

• High-intensity fitness classes like HIIT or spin: These combine metabolic and muscular fatigue, so you need at 1–2 days of rest to clear lactic acid and restore heart rate variability.

• Long-distance exercise, such as running or cycling: Depletes cellular energy stores and stresses joints, requiring 1–2 days to refill glycogen stores and get adequate joint recovery.

• Strength training, particularly heavy lifting: Needs 2–3 days per muscle group because eccentric movements (lowering weights) cause deep micro-tears (that lead to muscle growth). Additionally, multi-joint moves like squats or deadlifts stress large central nervous systems and require longer recovery than small isolation moves like bicep curls or shoulder flyes. Laslty, pushing sets to muscle failure delays cellular repair and increases local inflammation.

Allowing your muscles and connective tissues to recover is critical for building muscle, staying away from injury, improving future performance and maintaining healthy joints.

In order to avoid risk of injury, please seek advice directly from your physician, especially if you have existing medical issues, before beginning any exercise or nutritional program. Also, be sure to stretch after exercise to avoid muscle and joint tightness.

2. Get enough sleep

Muscle recovery happens while you’re sleeping and resting your body, so make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Opt for at least seven hours a night and ideally closer to eight. Deep sleep triggers the release of growth hormones needed for optimal tissue repair and muscle growth.

Good muscle recovery depends on a combination of quality sleep, proper nutrition (especially protein and carbohydrates), adequate hydration, and sufficient rest between intense training sessions.

3. Reduce stress

Stress and heightened levels of cortisol are going to slow down muscle recovery, so manage your stress by taking time to rest, walk outdoors, meditate or try other calming activities that put your body and mind at ease. 

4. Get outdoors

Not only will getting outdoors reduce stress and boost energy levels, but getting enough vitamin D from exposure to sunlight has shown in some studies to improve muscle strength, especially among older adults. Try forest bathing.

Best foods

1. High-protein foods

What to eat after a workout? Eating good quality protein before and after a workout can help with muscle recovery.

High-protein foods will give your body the nutrients it needs for muscle and tissue recovery, including helping to rebuild damaged fibers. In general, lean high-protein foods are considered the most optimal muscle-building foods. Some of the best foods for muscle recovery include grass-fed beef, organic chicken, lentils, beans, nuts and eggs.  

2. Complex carbohydrates

Your body needs to restore glycogen to maintain healthy energy levels after exercising. Glycogen is a readily available source of glucose and energy for tissues, and it helps to refuel the body and aid muscle recovery.

The best glycogen foods that should be consumed after a workout include are healthy carbohydrates like complex, starchy carbs (like sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash), whole grains, legumes, beans and organic dairy. 

3. Healthy fats

Healthy fat foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids support a healthy response to inflammation and may benefit muscle recovery. Some great options include wild-caught salmon, walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds. 

4. Anti-inflammatory foods

Eating nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory foods can support healthy muscle repair and growth. Some of the best options are green leafy vegetables, broccoli, ginger, turmeric, berries and coconut oil. 

Don’t eat processed or packaged foods that are often made with trans fat and other inflammatory ingredients, and reduce your sugar intake, sticking to natural forms of sugar from fruits and vegetables instead. 

Best drinks

1. Water

It’s important to drink plenty of water after exercise, especially if you’re sweating and losing liquids. Staying hydrated can support muscle recovery and help prevent overheating. It's also good for the skin. You can drink plain water, lemon or lime water, or coconut water. 

2. Electrolyte drink

Electrolyte drinks have many advantages for muscle recovery, including supporting muscle function, replenishing minerals lost through sweat and supporting energy production at the cellular level.

Ancient Nutrition’s Multi Collagen Advanced Hydrate includes electrolytes alongside collagen peptides, making it a multifunctional option.This formula supports hydration while also promoting a reduction in joint discomfort and stiffness plus improved exercise recovery. You can use Multi Collagen Advanced Hydrate Mixed Berry or Lemon Lime.

Ancient Nutrition’s Rapid Hydration formulas are designed for fast electrolyte replenishment using clinically studied ingredients. These blends include optimal ratios for enhanced absorption.

3. Avoid boozy, sugar and artificially sweetened drinks

Don’t drink alcohol during the muscle recovery and rest phase or drinks that are made with added sugars or artificial sweeteners. 

Best supplements

1. Whey protein

Whey protein is one of the most popular proteins for athletes and bodybuilders because of its muscle-enhancing effects. It works to build muscle while speeding up the recovery of broken down and stressed muscles after exercise.

Ancient Nutrition's Whey Protein specifically supports recovery after exercise while helping to build strength and increases lean muscle mass. This formulation also includes collagen for joint benefits, including helping to reduce joint discomfort.

2. Creatine

One of the most popular muscle recovery supplements is creatine monohydrate. Studies indicate that creatine may help improve muscle recovery and recovery from exercise, such as maximizing results from strength training.

In one study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, participants taking creatine monohydrate showed significantly better strength recovery and lower plasma creatine kinase levels — a marker of muscle damage — compared to those on a placebo. Researchers suggested that creatine may enhance calcium regulation within muscle cells, promoting faster recovery.

Similarly, a 2021 Nutrients study found that creatine supplementation can shorten recovery time between intense exercise sessions by maximizing muscle health.

Ancient Nutrition’s Creatine + Collagen is the only creatine on the market that combines creatine with a specific collagen ingredient. This formula combines 5g of creatine monohydrate and clinically validated fermented eggshell membrane collagen to promote lean body mass, recovery and cognitive health.

3. Multi protein

Consuming different types of protein supports muscle recovery by providing the amino acids needed to repair and rebuild muscle fibers after exercise. It also stimulates muscle protein synthesis — the process that helps muscles recover, adapt and grow stronger. By supporting tissue repair and recovery, adequate protein intake can help improve performance and promote long-term strength gains.

Ancient Nutrition's Multi Protein Animal-Based + Creatine powder is an all-in-one formula made from grass-fed whey, bone broth, A2/A2 milk protein, collagen peptides and colostrum. It delivers 26g of complete protein and 5g of creatine monohydrate per serving to support your muscles, joint health and post-workout recovery.

4. Collagen

Muscles need collagen and protein after exercise for recovery and growth, which is why collagen protein aids muscle recovery and helps reduce stiffness.

Ancient Nutrition offers several different products that can aid muscle recovery:

• Multi Collagen Advanced Muscle Capsules use select ingredients to boost lean body mass. In addition, this product promotes muscle endurance and helps alleviate the effects of stress and tension.

• Multi Collagen Advanced Lean Powder (cinnamon flavor) is a healthy weight management* supplement that also increases muscle mass and strength plus boosts energy and reduces fatigue.

• Multi Collagen Protein features 10 types of collagen that supply amino acids including proline, glycine and arginine that support healthy connective tissues in the joints and ligaments. 

5. Omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids promote a healthy response to inflammation and can help support healthy joints and muscles, contributing to muscle comfort after exercise.

Ancient Nutrition's Ancient Omegas capsules provide this essential type of fatty acid and offer other body-wide benefits as well. 

6. Protein powder from bone broth

Ancient Nutrition's Bone Broth Protein powder is a superfood protein that supplies essential minerals and compounds, including glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid.

These components work together to support your muscles and joints, which is why taking Bone Broth Protein after a workout can help “feed” your connective tissues and muscles, helping to support healthy muscle recovery. 

Immediate post-workout therapies 

1. Foam roller exercises

Foam roller exercises are a form of massage that loosen sore muscles and tight joints. Foam rolling may decrease muscle tightness, reduce post workout stress and ease stiffness after exercise. 

2. Massage gun

Using a massage gun after working out may help to improve responsiveness after a workout and delay muscle soreness. This is a type of vibration therapy that can improve range of motion and shock absorption, while easing muscle tightness. 

3. Cold bath or cryotherapy

Taking a cold bath or doing a cryotherapy treatment, which involves exposure to extremely cold air, may help to support recovery and reduce muscle soreness. 

Cold immersion, such as taking an ice bath or cold plunge shortly after exercising, can help decrease delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS), especially when you combine it with active recovery.