A New York-based fitness coach who works mainly with clients between 35 and 55 says the real payoff from a workout often comes from what happens after it, not during it.
Jacob Zemer told Fox News Digital that most of his clients aren’t chasing bodybuilding trophies. “They’re not people who are looking to be bodybuilders or power lifters – they want to age well,” he said.
As people age, muscles become less responsive to protein and other signals that drive repair, which makes recovery more important, not less, with each passing decade. Zemer outlined six practices he recommends to help clients rebuild strength safely after exercise.
Sleep
“Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep is vital,” Zemer said. He recommends steps to support deeper, more restorative sleep as part of any recovery plan.
Regular Checkups and Lab Work
Zemer said routine bloodwork can catch problems that interfere with recovery before they become bigger issues. “Make sure you’re keeping up with what’s going on with your hormones,” he said. “Make sure everything in your body is functioning properly, because as we age, our bodies change.”
Health experts note that preventive screening should still be tailored to the individual, factoring in age, gender, symptoms and medical history. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for conditions such as high blood pressure, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Heat Exposure
Warmth widens blood vessels and increases circulation to fatigued muscles, which may help deliver nutrients involved in repair. A 2025 review of 22 studies found nearly half of participants reported improved muscle-function recovery with heat therapy.
“If you don’t have access to a sauna, taking a hot shower after your workout releases heat proteins that may help with recovery – and actually it helps improve what we call ‘gains’ from the gym,” Zemer said.
Stretching
“After you get done working out, your muscles are shortened,” Zemer said. “And so you want to re-lengthen them by stretching.” He said strength training puts significant wear on the body, so moving through a full range of motion afterward helps preserve mobility.
Protein and Hydration
Zemer emphasized getting enough protein after a workout to support muscle repair. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 20 to 40 grams of high-quality protein after training, with active adults generally targeting 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That guidance, too, should be adjusted for people with certain medical conditions.
He also stressed hydration before exercise. “If you don’t drink enough water, you’re really setting yourself up for failure when you’re in the session, which is going to cause you to have lackluster results,” he said.
Rest and a Real Meal
“You just did something that, even if it’s healthy and has a positive impact on your body, still stresses your body,” Zemer said. “Your cortisol’s high. So getting a good meal and a little bit of rest before you move on with your day” helps the body recover, he said.
A 2026 review described exercise as a cycle of “stress response, adaptation and recovery,” noting that the benefits of a workout depend on adequate recovery time, sleep and energy intake.
Knowing the Difference Between Good and Bad Soreness
Zemer said mild soreness is normal, but there’s a line between helpful and harmful. “The soreness should be only for a short period of time, like maybe a day or so after you’re done training,” he said. “If it takes you a full week to recover, you simply trained too hard.”
He said the body adapts gradually, so people should ease into new routines. “If you have extended amounts of soreness that exceed two or three days, you did too much,” he said. “If your knees and joints ache, you did too much.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean quitting the gym. “It just means maybe drop back what you did by 30% and start from there,” he said. “For example, if you did six sets of legs, try instead to do four sets of legs the next time you train. That’s going to make it far more effective for your recovery.”
Zemer also cautioned that endorphins released during exercise can mask pain in the moment, meaning discomfort that feels manageable in the gym can hurt worse afterward. “If something hurts in the gym when you have your endorphins going strong, it’s going to hurt really bad later – and that’s the last thing you want, because if you’re hurt, you’re not going to be able to train consistently.”
