The most important part of a workout may happen after it ends.<\/p>\n
As adults age, muscles can become less responsive to protein and other muscle-building signals, making\u00a0post-exercise recovery\u00a0critical for repairing tissue and preserving strength.<\/p>\n
Jacob Zemer, a New York-based fitness coach, focuses heavily on recovery with his clients, who primarily range from 35 to 55 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of my clients are really\u00a0focused on longevity<\/a>,\u201d he told Fox News Digital. \u201cThey\u2019re not people who are looking to be bodybuilders or power lifters \u2013 they want to age well.<\/a>\u201c<\/p>\n Zemer shared the following six ways adults over 35 can recover more effectively after exercise.<\/p>\n No. 1: Get enough quality sleep<\/p>\n \u201cGetting seven to nine hours of quality sleep is vital<\/a>,\u201d Zemer told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n He suggested the following steps to support deeper, more\u00a0restorative sleep<\/a>.<\/p>\n Experts recommend adhering to a predictable sleep schedule. baranq \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Stop eating a couple of hours before bedtime, which will \u201cdramatically reduce your resting heart rate.\u201d<\/p>\n Adhere to a set bedtime every night.<\/p>\n Discontinue any\u00a0screen use\u00a0a couple of hours prior to bedtime.<\/p>\n Try not to have stressful conversations close to bedtime.<\/p>\n Take a hot shower \u2013 this will raise the body\u2019s core temperature, which then drops afterward and may help promote sleep.<\/p>\n Keep the bedroom temperature between 60 and 65 degrees.<\/p>\n Make the bedroom as dark as possible<\/p>\n No. 2: Get regular bloodwork<\/p>\n Getting\u00a0regular checkups\u00a0and completing recommended lab work can also help identify issues that may interfere with recovery, according to Zemer.<\/p>\n \u201cMake sure you\u2019re keeping up with what\u2019s going on with your hormones,\u201d he advised. \u201cMake sure everything in your body is functioning properly, because as we age, our bodies change.\u201d<\/p>\n Fitness influencer Jacob Zemer encourages\u00a0regular checkups\u00a0and completing recommended lab work to identify issues that may interfere with recovery. Instagram\/@jacobzemer<\/p>\n Experts emphasize, however, that preventive testing should be personalized based on factors such as age, gender, symptoms and medical history.<\/p>\n The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for conditions including\u00a0high blood pressure, prediabetes\/type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.<\/p>\n No. 3: Use warmth to support recovery<\/p>\n Heat exposure\u00a0may be another way to support muscle strength and recovery after exercise, Zemer suggested.<\/p>\n Warmth causes blood vessels to widen, increasing circulation to tired muscles and potentially helping to deliver nutrients involved in repair.<\/p>\n A 2025 review of 22 studies found that nearly half of participants reported improved muscle-function recovery with heat therapy.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t have access to a sauna, taking a hot shower after your workout releases heat proteins that may help with recovery \u2013 and actually it helps improve what we call \u2018gains\u2019 from the gym,\u201d the trainer told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n No. 4: Stretch<\/p>\n \u201cAfter you get done working out, your muscles are shortened,\u201d Zemer said. \u201cAnd so you want to re-lengthen them by stretching.\u201d<\/p>\n As\u00a0strength training\u00a0can put significant wear and tear on the body, it\u2019s important to maintain full mobility<\/a> by moving through a complete range of motion and stretching afterward<\/a>, according to the expert.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter you get done working out, your muscles are shortened,\u201d Zemer said. \u201cAnd so you want to re-lengthen them by stretching.\u201d Delcio\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n No. 5: Fuel and hydrate<\/p>\n Getting adequate protein after a workout to aid in muscle repair and rebuilding, Zemer emphasized.<\/p>\n The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends targeting about 20 to 40 grams of high-quality protein after training. For active adults, the general guideline is roughly 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.<\/p>\n Protein needs should be individualized, however, particularly for people with certain\u00a0medical conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t drink enough water, you\u2019re really setting yourself up for failure when you\u2019re in the session, which is going to cause you to have lackluster results,\u201d Zemer said. C Malambo\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Hydration is also important prior to working out<\/a>, Zemer added.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t drink enough water, you\u2019re really setting yourself up for failure when you\u2019re in the session, which is going to cause you to have lackluster results,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n No. 6: Give your body time to de-stress<\/p>\n \u201cYou just did something that, even if it\u2019s healthy and has a positive impact on your body, still stresses your body,\u201d Zemer said.<\/p>\n \u201cYour cortisol\u2019s high. So getting a\u00a0good meal\u00a0and a little bit of rest before you move on with your day\u201d can help the body recover.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it takes you a full week to recover, you simply trained too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf it takes you a full week to recover, you simply trained too hard,\u201d Zemer said. bernardbodo \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n The goal is to give the\u00a0nervous system\u00a0and muscles the resources they need to recover.<\/p>\n A 2026 review described exercise as a cycle of \u201cstress response, adaptation and recovery,\u201d noting that the benefits of workouts depend on sufficient recovery time, sleep and energy availability<\/a>.<\/p>\n The difference between \u2018good sore\u2019 and \u2018bad sore\u2019<\/p>\n While it\u2019s normal and generally a good thing to feel sore after exercise, Zemer said there\u2019s a fine line between \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cbad\u201d soreness.<\/p>\n \u201cThe soreness should be only for a short period of time, like maybe a day or so after you\u2019re done training,\u201d he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it takes you a full week to recover, you simply trained too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have extended amounts of soreness that exceed two or three days, you did too much,\u201d he said. \u201cIf your knees and joints ache, you did too much,\u201d Zemer said. Instagram\/@jacobzemer<\/p>\n