9 Essential Things to Do After Working Out

You’re a professional cheerleader or aspiring to be one. Surely, the gym is one of the places you go to. If not, you’ll at least have workouts done at home. 

Here’s a question to start: 

What do you do after a workout? 

Do you have a post-workout routine that you follow? Or do you just dash off?

To be quite frank, this may seem obvious to some but a lot of people out there overlook the need for a post-workout routine. I know we’re all busy people and we have a hundred things to take care of and even more to think about, but a post-workout routine is equally as important.

So hold your horses and take a breather!

If you don’t have a routine just yet, I got you covered with these 9 essential things to do after working out:

1. Cool down

You’re running on the treadmill and after burning a few hundred calories, you stop and suddenly feel dizzy and lightheaded? Have you ever felt that? Personal trainers always advise to cool down for a few seconds after every set. This is because when you’re working out, your body temperature rises and your blood vessels expand. You need to cool down for your vessels to come back to their normal size.

2. Do some stretching

I can’t emphasize the importance of stretching enough. You need to stretch during pre-workout and then again, post-workout. Your muscles stretch while doing exercise and you need to let your body return to its normal state before you started your workout. Stretching helps relax your muscles, reduce soreness and increase your range of motion. 

3. Drink!

Rehydration is important in post-recovery. You lose a lot of water when you’re working out, so replenish by drinking water after. It’s beneficial to your muscles as it increases flexibility while decreasing soreness. The recommended amount of water to drink is two to three cups of water for every pound you lose.

4. Track your progress

Nowadays, there are so many ways to track your progress thanks to technology. There are so many apps available for your mobile and the addition of smartwatches. Give yourself a pat on the back for your achievements.

5. Have a cool shower

If you’re a fan of a warm bath, cool it down a bit when you’re showering after a workout. This helps you heal faster and lessen soreness. Also, there is a lot of sweat involved in workouts. Shower for hygiene.

6. Change into fresh clothes

 It’s pretty basic to do this after a shower, so make sure you always pack an extra set of clothes whenever you’re going to the gym. Don’t just rush to your next appointment without changing into new clothes or you’ll harbor bacteria and end up with bad odor. 

7. Give yourself time to recover

Don’t do intense workouts on consecutive days. Not letting your muscles relax and heal will just make you sore and do more bad than good. Do a lighter workout in between.

8. Fuel your body

You’ll be tired after a workout and you’ll need the energy to keep going throughout the day. A lot of people take protein shakes for muscle recovery. The recommended amount is 20 grams. 

9. Snack on something healthy

Don’t throw away that progress by grabbing a bag of chips for snacks and think that you’ll just burn it in your next workout session. That’s a few hundred to burn when you could have burned little of those and more fat. If you’re not a fan of protein shakes, snack on healthy choices, like fruits or yogurt.

Conclusion 

Now that we’ve rounded that up, I hope these will help you with your next workout session. Remember, fitness doesn’t stop after you’ve placed the weights down or after you hopped off the treadmill. Post-recovery is an essential part of the routine that you shouldn’t disregard. You wouldn’t want to feel sore right on an audition or game.

Need a Great Workout Routine for Your Pro Cheer Audition Prep?

Pro cheerleaders stay fit, flexible, and strong so they can give out their best performance in the arena. However, achieving that wow-worthy, toned physique doesn’t happen overnight. You need to arm yourself with the right daily workouts.

Thinking of becoming a pro cheerleader? 

We are offering you our fun, FREE (for a LIMITED time) POM FIT™ INTRO CLASS that teaches you beginner-friendly cardio moves.

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