Dominic Stone
Muscle fatigue is a normal side effect of exercise, and it is your body's way of adapting to a fitness regimen and signalling that you have reached your metabolic or psychological limit. There are several ways to delay muscle fatigue, including getting good sleep, staying hydrated, and eating a balanced diet with sufficient protein, magnesium, and potassium. For those engaging in intense exercise, it is also important to pay attention to muscle imbalances and incorrect movement patterns and follow a regular stretching program.
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What You'll Learn
Eat potassium-rich foods like bananas
Eating potassium-rich foods is an effective way to delay muscle fatigue. Potassium is a mineral that is essential for normal cell function, and it helps your heart and other muscles work properly. A deficiency in potassium can lead to muscle fatigue, so it is important to include plenty of potassium-rich foods in your diet.
Bananas are an excellent source of potassium and are easily accessible. Other fruits that are rich in potassium include oranges, cantaloupes, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit, and prunes. Dried fruits such as raisins and dates are also high in potassium, with dried apricots providing about 755 milligrams of potassium per half-cup.
In addition to fruits, certain dairy products like milk and yoghurt are good sources of potassium. Low-fat or fat-free options may be preferable for those conscious of their fat intake. Vegetables such as spinach and potatoes are also potassium-rich and can help you meet your daily requirement.
Consuming a variety of these foods can help increase your potassium intake and delay muscle fatigue. The recommended daily intake of potassium for adults aged 19 and older is 4,700 milligrams. However, it is important to note that excessive potassium intake can lead to health issues, particularly for individuals with kidney disease. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor or a dietician to ensure your potassium intake aligns with your specific needs and health status.
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Consume enough water and electrolytes
Staying properly hydrated is essential for delaying muscle fatigue. Water assists in restoring the body's natural balance, preventing muscle strain, and speeding up recovery. Aim for 10-12 8-oz glasses of water per day, and during exercise, consider drinking sports drinks or electrolyte-rich fluids to replace lost electrolytes and maintain fluid balance.
Electrolytes play a crucial role in muscle function and performance. They are minerals that carry an electric charge and are essential for maintaining proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. The body loses electrolytes through sweat during exercise, so it is important to replace them to prevent muscle fatigue and cramping.
Potassium and magnesium are key electrolytes that can help delay muscle fatigue. Potassium-rich foods like bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, and spinach can help increase muscle strength and prevent spasms and fatigue. Magnesium, found in dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, assists in protein synthesis and strengthens body muscles.
In addition to consuming enough water and electrolytes, proper sleep and recovery are vital for delaying muscle fatigue. Adequate sleep allows for muscle repair and growth, while improper recovery can lead to stunted muscle growth and increased exercise-induced stress.
Supplementation can also play a role in delaying muscle fatigue. The antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) has been shown to delay fatigue, especially during prolonged exercise. However, it is important to consult a healthcare professional before taking any supplements to ensure they are safe and appropriate for your individual needs.
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Get good quality sleep
Sleep is essential for preventing and reducing muscle fatigue. It is during sleep that the body repairs and restores itself, and a lack of sleep can lead to reduced protein synthesis, hindering the body's ability to restore muscle damage. This, in turn, can result in stunted muscle growth and increased exercise-induced stress.
To ensure you are getting good quality sleep, it is important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, aiming for 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. This allows your body to enter into a deep, restorative sleep, which is crucial for muscle recovery.
Additionally, creating a relaxing sleep environment can promote better sleep quality. This may include keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, as well as ensuring your mattress and pillows are comfortable and supportive.
It is also worth noting that certain foods can impact your sleep quality. For example, consuming protein-rich foods before bed can interfere with muscle repair as protein synthesis normally occurs while you sleep. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid eating shortly before bedtime and to instead focus on getting adequate protein intake throughout the day to support muscle health and recovery.
By prioritizing sleep and creating a sleep environment that allows for optimal rest and recovery, you can effectively reduce and delay muscle fatigue.
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Try hydrogen therapy
Molecular hydrogen therapy, or H2 therapy, has been the subject of several studies in recent years, and it has shown promising results in delaying muscle fatigue. While further research is needed to fully confirm its benefits, preliminary results suggest that it can be an effective strategy to combat muscle fatigue.
H2 therapy has been found to improve both patient-reported and clinician-reported outcomes in a range of pathologies and disorders, including metabolic diseases, chronic systemic inflammatory disorders, and even cancer. Its benefits in the context of muscle fatigue, however, are particularly notable.
In one pilot study, elite athletes who drank hydrogen-rich water before exercising experienced reduced blood lactate levels and improved muscle function compared to those who drank placebo water. This is significant because, as previously mentioned, the accumulation of lactate and hydrogen ions in muscle tissue contributes to muscle fatigue and the burning sensation associated with it. By reducing blood lactate levels, hydrogen-rich water may help delay the onset of muscle fatigue.
Another study involving male cyclists found that drinking H2-saturated water improved performance during intermittent cycling exercises longer than 30 minutes. Additionally, a larger-scale study found that drinking H2-enriched water enhanced endurance and reduced psychometric fatigue in both trained and non-trained individuals compared to those who drank placebo water. These findings suggest that H2 therapy can improve exercise performance and delay muscle fatigue.
Furthermore, H2 therapy has been shown to positively impact the healing of acute sports-related soft tissue injuries when used in conjunction with standard care. This suggests that H2 therapy can not only help delay muscle fatigue but also aid in the recovery process after intense physical activity.
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Improve your lactate threshold
Lactate threshold (LT) is the highest level of sustainable physical exercise before lactate reaches a critical level in the body. Lactate is a substance produced in the body during physical exercise. It is a by-product of glucose utilization by muscle cells. Large amounts of lactate cause a reduction of muscle pH, resulting in acidosis. Acidosis reduces muscle contractility and lowers force production. Therefore, exceeding your lactate threshold means lactate is produced faster than your body can clear it.
To improve your lactate threshold, you need to increase the amount of time you spend exercising at your lactate threshold. This will delay the point at which lactate levels start to rise uncontrollably. A higher lactate threshold means you’ll be able to exercise harder and longer before increasing levels of lactate force you to stop.
You can estimate your current lactate threshold using a simple DIY assessment. All you need is a heart rate monitor and an app for your data. Some activity watches also have built-in LT tests. You can do this test by running, cycling, or using any cardio machine in the gym. If you are a runner, you should do a running-based LT test. Here are the steps to follow:
- Warm up for 10 minutes
- Increase your pace gradually so that you finish feeling warm but not tired
- Rest for five minutes but keep moving so you don’t start to cool down
- Do a 30-minute time trial at your highest sustainable pace. Use the first ten minutes to build up and fine-tune your speed, and then maintain that speed for the remaining 20 minutes
- After 30 minutes, stop your heart rate monitor and cool down for a few minutes
You can also improve your lactate threshold by upping your training. The authors of one paper recommend gradually increasing your total training volume by 10–20% each week. For example, if you rode your bike for a total of 100 minutes one week, you could bump it up to 110 minutes the next week. Additionally, incorporating resistance training with aerobic exercise can help improve your lactate threshold.
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Frequently asked questions
Here are some ways to delay muscle fatigue:
- Get a good night's sleep.
- Eat a balanced diet with plenty of potassium and magnesium-rich foods.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day and sports drinks during exercise.
- Improve your aerobic capacity with interval training.
Eating bananas is a great way to keep your muscles healthy and relaxed. Bananas are rich in magnesium and potassium, which provide energy to your muscles and prevent spasms and fatigue. Consuming starchy vegetables, fruits, grains, and other carbohydrates before and during exercise can also help reduce muscle fatigue.
Sleep is vital for muscle repair and recovery. Sleep deprivation results in reduced protein synthesis, which decreases the body's ability to restore muscle damage.
Sprint training can improve neuromuscular capacity and power, which can delay muscle fatigue. You can also try lactate threshold workouts, such as running at a pace that is 5 to 10 seconds per mile faster than your lactate threshold pace.
