The best type of cardio is compound exercises, which employ many different joints and involve more than one muscle group. These exercises improve coordination and elevate the heart rate quickly and they allow you to get a complete workout in less time and they are more similar to real movements.

It is best to do cardio workouts two to three times a week, and if cardio is new to you, you will feel the changes quickly. After 3-4 weeks, your body will start to adjust to the training and you will be able to see some results.

Instead of doing your typical jog, you can do a circuit of cardio exercises of your choice. It is best to rest for 30 seconds between each circuit and you will continue to feel your heart racing during this time.

Here are some effective ideas for getting your heart rate up.

Skaters

Cross your right leg behind your left leg and bend your left knee at a 90 degree angle. Extend your left arm out to the side and swing your right arm across your left leg. Take a small, quick hop to the other side, switching the position of your legs and arms to complete one rep. Do 6-8 sets of 8 reps of this exercise to work out your hip abductor muscles and glutes. This move helps you do single-leg explosive movements, and if you are able to do a larger jump when you alternate your legs, you can make it even more of a challenge for your body.

Rollbacks

Start by standing up and in one swift motion, sit down onto the floor and lean back, as to roll, and push your hips and heels up towards the ceiling. Roll forward again and return your feet to the ground and stand up to complete one rep. Do 4-5 sets of 10 reps of this move to work on coordination, mobility, and strengthening your core.

Burpees

Start in a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Drop your hips down and put your palms on the floor, then jump back and bend your knees and lower your body down to the floor. Then, jump forward back into your original squat position. To make this even more difficult, when you just back up, rotate 180 degrees. Repeat this on the other side to complete one rep and do 6-8 sets of 8 reps. This is a great complete body workout that targets your shoulders, chest, quads, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings. If you add in the change in direction, it will help enhance your coordination and spatial awareness.

Lateral Shuffle Taps

Standing with your feet wider than hip distance apart, shuffle your feet a couple paces to one side and bend over to touch the ground. Shuffle back to the other side and touch the ground with your other hand to complete one rep. Continue doing this for 10 sets of 4-5 reps. This speed drill challenges your reaction time and works your lower body.

Bench Runners

Stand in front of a box and put your left foot firmly on top of the box and your right foot on the floor. Quickly tap the box with your left foot before immediately switching feet and tapping the box with your right. Do this 10 times to complete a set and do 4-5 sets to improve your agility and strengthen your legs.

Jump Rope

Do a traditional jump rope movement by keeping your elbows in and maintaining a straight spine. You can also try doing this on different planes by jumping side to side and forward and backward.

Do 6-8 sets of jump roping for 20 seconds each to improve the elasticity and resilience in the muscles in your lower body. Jumping rope also quickly raises your heart rate and when you work on different planes, you will work on your cognitive motor skills as well.

Banded Vertical Jacks

Put a mini band around your legs above your ankles. Jump and slice your legs up and back, while moving your arms in the opposite direction of your legs. Keep as much resistance in the band as you can while maintaining your speed. Do 4-5 sets of 10 reps to work your hamstrings and your gluteus muscles.

If you can’t get to the gym or you dislike the monotony of running, try these cardio workouts to get your heart rate up and stay fit.

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Looking down all day can lead to neck pain, problems with your posture, and muscular imbalances, which can all lead to injuries. Having tight muscles is a quick way to become injured when you’re working out because you don’t have the range of motion that you need to perform loaded movements safely and effectively.

If you try to life weights with tight muscles, other muscles may work harder to compensate for the weaker ones, which would make you build muscle in places that you do not intend to do so. Taking the time to improve your posture at the gym and during the day can impact how you feel, help you avoid injuries, and help you reach your fitness goals.

To alleviate tight muscles caused by sitting all day at your desk, you have to move more. Take frequent breaks from your desk and stand up to walk around. Sitting puts constant tension on your tissues and standing up helps hit the reset button to help reduce the negative impacts of sitting.

Then, take time to stretch out some common tight areas by nodding your head and stretching your neck on both sides. Do some shoulder rolls in both directions to loosen up that area.

You also want to stretch out your wrists. You can do this by lacing your fingers together and facing your palms outward. Raise your arms to make a cross with your body while pushing your palms out.

For your upper back, put both of your hands on your desk while you’re seated and straighten your arms while rounding your back. Press your hands gently onto your desk and try to widen your shoulder blades as you breathe in. The more you do exercises like this, the more relaxed your muscles will be.

Doing regular static stretches every day will help loosen your muscles, so consider adding these some of these movements to your daily routine.

Reverse Tabletop

Sit up in a chair with your back straight as you normally would and place your palms directly behind you with your fingers aimed toward your body. Breathe in while gently pushing your hands and feet to the ground to lift yourself up from the chair and extend your hips upwards. Let your breath out and pull your shoulder blades together to open your chest and look up toward the ceiling. Hold this for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat the position until you have stretched for an entire minute.

Cat/Cow

Get down on all fours and flatten your back like a tabletop while keeping your toes tucked underneath you. Breathe in, relaxing your stomach so it expands toward the ground, and gently arch your back inward. Release your breath as you round your spine, bringing your chin close to your chest, and releasing your toes. Do this 6 to 10 times.

Bird Dog

Remaining down on all fours, tuck your left toes underneath your foot and lift your left leg out behind you, lifting it off the floor to hip height. Engage your core and slowly reach your right arm up to shoulder height with your palm facing inward and your thumb pointing up to the ceiling. Hold this position for 7 to 8 seconds before returning to your starting position and repeating the stretch on the opposite side. Repeat this 6 to 10 times on each side.

Fixing Your Posture at the Gym

To avoid getting injured, it is imperative to do a proper warm up before working out. You only need about five minutes to warm up, and if you skip this step, you may be forced later on to take a lot more time off if and when you get injured.

You can warm up by hanging from a bar to stretch your muscles, doing some deep breathing exercises, and stretching out on all fours. Make sure to focus on your spine and shoulders while you are warming up so you can also focus on them while you’re working out.

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You want to get treatment to fix the immediate pain, but what are you supposed to do about the tough reality that you have to take a break from training for a while? Sometimes, the thought of this is even worse than the thought of getting injured. In fact, about 68% of people think the worst part of an injury is being benched during recovery.

No matter how bad your injury is or how long your recovery lasts, it is critical to allow your body to have ample time to heal itself. As you begin to get back into the gym, you have to be extra careful to not do anything that could either re-injure yourself or cause some setbacks for your recovery.

If you are strategic about your recovery, you can be back into the gym in no time without the risk of further injuring yourself. Here are some useful tips from experts to help you return to your routine. Listen to this advice, but be sure to also listen to your body and your doctor.

Look at Your Calendar

Your specific injury will impact the time frame for your return, but you can use a formula to give you a general idea of how long this could be.

For example, the time it takes to get your cardio back up is usually proportional to the amount of time that you stopped exercising. So, if you stop for two weeks, it will take two weeks of working out to gain back your lost endurance.

However, if you experience a major setback like surgery or a broken bone and you are out for a really long period of time, you might have more work to do to regain your strength.

Start simple and make small increases over time, without straining your body too much. If you move too quickly, you will risk more injuries. Use your level of soreness to gauge if you are ready to progress to the next level. If you don’t experience soreness after working out, you can slightly increase your intensity during your next workout.

Lighten the Load

You may have high hopes for your first few workouts, but aim low. Instead of going for a long run like you are used to doing or lifting the heaviest weights, do a bit less than you think you are able to do. It is much better to be safe than sorry in this situation and you want to ease your body back into the routine of working out.

Remember, you have a lot of time ahead of you to get back to your normal routine. You will get there faster if you don’t strain your body right away. Even though the workout you do at first may feel easy, changes are still happening in your body that are necessary in order to make a full recovery.

Don’t Push Yourself

If you start to feel good during your first few workouts, don’t push yourself. Let down your competitive edge and give yourself time to build up the strength you need to hit those super intense moments. Make sure that you are able to assess your tolerance so you don’t try to go too far.

Focus just on what you can do rather than what may be dangerous. For example, if you are injured in your knee, focus more on upper body exercises and keep your knees rested for as long as you can. This way, you are still getting exercise, but you are not risking hurting your knee again.

Make sure that you allow yourself to feel accomplished with every small victory. It is important to be patient because it will certainly take a bit of time to return to your previous self after an injury. Just remember that this is nothing to be ashamed of and you should take as many breaks as you need. Always remember to listen to your body.

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So here is a test: Do you think you know which exercise moves are superior to others? Let’s give it a shot.

Which is better for your metabolism, a mountain climber or a squat jack?

If you said “squat jack,” you are right. This move will help increase your metabolism better than mountain climbers. Squat jacks make you open up your hips, which lets the exercise target your legs, butt, and abdomen more than a mountain climber.

Which is better for six-pack abs, v-ups or sit-ups?

The answer is v-ups because this move is better at targeting all of the muscles in your core, which will result in more sculpting of your abs and obliques.

Are supermans or renegade rows better at toning your back?

While these are both great moves, when it comes to toning your back, the superman pulls ahead. This is because this move keeps your back engaged for the duration of the entire move, working all of the muscles at the same time. It also helps work your butt and shoulders, so it gives you an extra benefit.

If you want to sculpt your legs and abs at the same time, should you do squat jumps or offset dumbbell lunges?

Both of these workout moves engage every part of your leg, including your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. However, the offset dumbbell lunge is slightly more effective than squat jumps. The offset dumbbell lunge requires your body to make a bit more tension in your muscles than the squat jumps do, which will benefit your lower body more in the long term.

Should you do foot-elevated pushups or decline pushups?

Both of these types of pushups are a great arm workout, but the decline pushup is just a bit better if you want to gain muscle definition and increase your overall strength. This is because you have to engage more upper-body muscles when all of your weight is put onto the lowest point during a decline pushup. When there is more weight on your chest, shoulders, and triceps, you will increase your strength at a faster rate.

In order to sculpt your arms and butt, should you do reverse lunge and curl sliders or dumbbell reverse lunge sliders?

While it is hard to go wrong with either of these moves, you’ll see slightly better results from the reverse lunge and curl sliders. This is because the curl is able to target your biceps without the help of other muscles, which gives them a tougher workout.

Is a lying leg raise or a stability ball knee tuck more effective for sculpting your lower abs?

The stability ball knee tuck is actually a bit more effective than the lying leg raise because it activates the lower abs more and puts less stress on your back muscles.

What about underhand bent-over rows or dumbbell hammer curl to presses for your biceps?

The dumbbell hammer curl to presses wins this one. The hammer curl part of this move is a single joint exercise, but the curl part is only driven by your biceps with no help from other large muscles. The press also works your biceps because they help stabilize your arm while your shoulders and triceps are doing the work.

Are plank knee taps or a sweep plank more effective?

Sweep planks are better at sculpting your obliques because your abs are maximally engaged for the duration of the entire exercise without having a break. Additionally, you have to control the weight of your leg from being shifted while it is underneath you.

If you want to tone your butt, should you do a glute bridge with bench or marching glute bridge?

The glute bridge on a bench is more effective because the elevation and instability of the bench require your glutes, abs, and quads to work harder to lift up your body.

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However, stretching is a really important part of exercising. After making your muscles move in the same motion for an extended period of time, you need to give them some time to recover.

Doing the right stretches that allow you to move your muscles in various planes of motion and prevent them from becoming tight can help you keep a good running form, increase your flexibility, and reduce your risk of becoming injured.

Here are seven stretches that every runner should do after their workout. These stretches will target your main running muscles along with some smaller muscles in your upper body and feet.

Hamstring Stretch

To do this, lie on your back and extend both legs. Lift one leg up and reach your hands behind the knee of the lifted leg. Gently pull your leg toward your body to feel a stretch. Extend and flex your ankle five times. Pull your leg further toward your body for a few seconds for a deeper stretch. Repeat this move three times.

This is important because the nerves in your legs are able to get caught up in your muscles and limit the range of motion in your hamstrings, which can lead to pain. Stretches like this performed regularly can help loosen the area and give your hamstrings the range of motion they should have.

Downward Dog

Start in a plank position, lift your hips and straighten your arms to create an upside down “V”. Alternate pressing each heel into the ground while in this position.

This is an important stretch for the calves because it will let them move efficiently and reduce possible injuries such as shin splints, Achilles tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. This exercise can also stretch your shoulders, which can help your during running due to arm swing power.

Adductor Stretch

Get down on all fours with your arms under your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Place your right leg out to the side, keeping your foot flat on the ground and your toes facing forward. Sit back toward your heels while maintaining a neutral spine. Stay in this position for three seconds before walking your hands forward past your starting position. Do this ten times for each leg.

This set of muscles helps in hip extension and stabilizing the knees. Both of these are important in running and are used throughout the entire workout. Keeping these muscles mobile will help prevent injuries.

Three-Way Dynamic Quad Stretch

Get down on one knee, making sure your hips and knees are at a 90 degree angle. Put your hands on your left knee while squeezing the glutes in your right leg. With a neutral spine, slightly move your body forward, lifting your left knee towards your toes. Repeat this on the other side.

This stretch will help loosen up your muscles and reduce the tension in your hip flexors. Stretching these muscles in all of their ranges of motion will help decrease the likelihood of experiencing tight muscles.

Tibias Anterior/Superior Foot Stretch

Stand up straight and lift your right foot behind you slightly off the ground. Point your toes and put some pressure on the tops of your feet while keeping your pointed, while slightly moving around the tops of your toes. Do this on both sides. Doing this will help keep the muscles around the front of your shin flexible, which will give you maximum momentum when you push off of the ground. —that way it can help produce maximum drive as you push off the ground.

Glute Stretch

Lie on your back with both of your knees at a 90 degree angle and your feet resting on a wall. Rest one foot on opposite knee and gently push against the elevated knee for 30 seconds. This will help stretch the gluteus maximus which can become painful if it gets too tight.

Sleeper Stretch

Lie on your right side with your right arm stretched perpendicular from your body. Roll your left shoulder back just a bit so your shoulders are not exactly aligned. Bend your right elbow at a 90 degree angle. Then, using your left hand, gently push your right hand down toward your feet. Once you feel the stretch, hold it for 30 seconds before switching to the other side.

Because your shoulders are important to your form while running, making sure they’re flexible can give you more mobility and help you become a more efficient runner.

If you run on a regular basis, try these 7 stretches to make sure that you stay in shape and prepared to keep running. Your body will feel great after you take care of your muscles, especially if you are doing the repetitive motion of running on a regular basis.

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You probably are already familiar with doing a squat, as they are an effective way to sculpt your legs and they are easy enough to do in the correct form. However, adding weights to this move can intensify it so it will work even harder for you. This will help your muscles become more defined and leaner to get that sculpted beach body.

If you want to get the most out of your squats, have you considered doing variations such as the goblet sumo squat or the dumbbell squat thrust? These two moves add a little extra effort to the traditional squat, but make an incredible difference in the outcome. They add weight and an increased amount of motion, which will force your body to work a bit harder, but it will also produce greater results.

These moves are superior because they cause you to move up and down, creating tension on your muscles until you are finished with your entire set. Your muscles are then working constantly throughout the duration of the exercise so they remain activated and engaged. This helps build size and strength and keeps you moving through the entire exercise so your muscles don’t get a break until all of your reps are complete. It is best to do these exercising until your muscles are fatigued.

The dumbbell squat thrust is great at putting stress on your glutes during the squat exercise, but it lets that tension go as you jump out of your plank position. This means it is a bit less powerful for your legs than the previously stated goblet sumpo squat. However, this phase of the exercise is powerful for the upper body and abdomen, which are both important muscle groups to pay attention to when you are doing weightlifting.

Both of these moves are very helpful to do in your exercise regimen, but if you really want to focus on your backside, the goblet squat jump is the best. Try adding these moves to your exercise routine at least three times a week (but no more than four) to increase the strength in your muscles

How to do a Goblet Squat Jump

Hold onto the head of a heavy dumbbell directly in front of your chest. Stand with your feet a bit wider than your shoulders with your toes slightly facing outwards. Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower your body. Stop here for a minute to feel the tension in your muscles before slowly straightening your legs back up to the position in which you started.

How to do a Dumbbell Squat Thrust

Stand with your feet directly below your hips while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees and push your hips back to get into a squatting position. Put the weights down on the floor and hop back up into a push up position. Stay in this position for a moment to feel the tension, then do the movement in reverse and return to standing.

After doing these exercises, make sure to give your muscles time to relax and recover. Stretch them out a bit and stay hydrated so they don’t become tense or tight. After doing these exercises for a few weeks, you will start to notice a change in the shape of your body and in the amount of strength you are able to put forth.

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We spend a lot of time sitting these days, which causes our glutes to become weak and undertrained. There are a lot of reasons why you should work out your glutes, mainly because they help keep your hips loose and your pelvis stable, helping prevent injury. Also, working out your glutes will ensure that you have a healthy and attractive derriere.

Whatever your reason is, it is important to create a strategy for your glute workout because doing squats all day is boring and won’t necessarily give you the sculpted muscles that you are looking for.

It is best to do heavy compound lifts such as deadlifts, squats, and hip thrusts twice or three times each week. To make sure that you are getting a well-rounded glute exercise regimen in throughout the week, add in two or three other exercises that are specifically targeted to your glutes so you are able to get maximal muscle recruitment.

It is important to note that doing these exercises two to three times each week is enough. The time spent in between your exercises are your recovery days, which are very important for glute strength. The recovery time that everyone needs is different, depending on what kind of exercise you are doing and your level of intensity and experience. However, a general rule of two to three times each week is good for heavy compound lifting. This allows your muscles the time that they need to recover and rebuild after the strain that is put on them during the exercise.

Make sure to pay attention to how you feel after you exercise and look for any noticeable decreases in strength between each workout. If you think that your strength is lower on your second day of heavy compound lifting, take an extra day of rest between workouts for the next week to see how your performance changes.

A common mistake that people make when doing workouts is failing to focus on exercises that are specifically targeted to glutes. It is easy to assume that some tough lower body moves automatically target your butt muscles, but they may just be working out other muscles that are in that area. If your goal is to increase your glute strength, and you only do leg presses, leg extensions, or work on the curl machine, you are not targeting your glutes, rather you are only focusing on your quads and hamstrings. While this is also important, it will not give you the results that you are looking for.

If your priority goal is your glutes, you need to do exercises that work all three of the gluteus muscles, which are the minimus, the medius, and the maximus. A lot of glute exercises will also work your quads and hamstrings, but adding two specific moves will help keep your emphasis on your glutes.

1. Sit on the floor in front of a bench with your upper back resting on the bench. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips up, forming a straight line from your chest to your knees while resting your upper back on the bench. Stay here for 5 seconds before returning to your original position. Do this 12 times.

2. Hold two dumbbells with an overhand grip while standing, and bend at your hips and knees. Brace your abs and keep a slight arch in your lower back. Pull back your torso and move your hips forward while you stand up with the dumbbells. Do this move while squeezing your glutes. Lower the dumbbells to the floor. Do this 10 times.

Next time you do lower body workouts, focus more on your glutes specifically in order to really gain muscle in this important area of the body.

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The calm process of meditation and the intensity of a HIIT workout might seem like complete opposites. When you are trying to work out at your maximum level of effort, it is not likely that you are also focusing on being as calm as possible. While you may be noticing your deep and heavy breathing, it is not in the same way that you do during meditation.

However, there are some lessons that are taught in the world of meditation that can help with your high-intensity interval training workouts. Meditation is all about keeping yourself focused and committed to the task at hand. Learning how to stay calm and control your breath are very important in meditation and are also a critical part of effective HIIT training.

During training, being able to take control over your breathing and your pace is essential for improving your athletic performance and increasing your gains. If you lose control of your breath or your pace, you are likely to get out of rhythm and have to keep taking breaks to get back on track. This can take away from your workout.

During the practice of meditation, the breath is used to help focus the mind and relax the central nervous system, which has an effect on your physiology and psychology. If you can bring your focus to your breath during HIIT training, you will be able to achieve a greater rhythm of pace. Once you achieve a proper pace, it will be easier to get into the groove of a workout and continue it until it is complete. It is important to learn how to properly pace an intense workout.

Meditation can also teach athletes to focus on their performance so they are able to track their results and measure their progress. This will help athletes avoid plateaus or stick with doing the same routine for several weeks without changing it up at all. HIIT is more effective if you are able to focus and intentionally calm yourself down to a place of meditation during times of extreme movement. Research has actually shown that athletes who practice daily meditation are able to improve their attention and performance when they are doing their high-intensity work.

Meditation also teaches people how to use their breath to control their heart rate. It allows people to correct shallow breathing by taking deeper breaths and getting more oxygen to the cells and blood, which increases energy. It can also change your mindset to beat negative and self-defeating thoughts during exercise and channel that energy into positive thinking. HIIT is a mentally challenging thing to do, so learning to control your focus and recognize self-doubt can certainly change the outcome of a workout.

To bring mindfulness meditation into HIIT, you can do some meditation before heading to the gym or once you are at the gym and about to get on the floor. Keep your awareness on your breath throughout your warm-up and into your workout routine. After your workout, do some stretching and sit for 60 seconds to practice some more mindfulness, focusing on your breath to center yourself and appreciate your hard work. Be sure to practice mindfulness meditation outside of the gym as well so you can perfect the art. This will carry over into your workouts at the gym and help you achieve greater success in muscle gains and physical fitness as you use mindfulness to get you through even the toughest workouts.

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Whatever your reason is for looking for some new moves, you have obviously hit a workout fatigue that needs some adjusting. You need some new motivation to get to the gym on a regular basis and continue gaining muscle. Boring workouts can result in a willingness to quit, which will not help you reach your goals.

However, you don’t have to completely rework your routine, especially if you still enjoy doing certain parts of it. Making little changes can help you set your routine on the right path. Here are six ways to add variety to your workout to keep your motivation high.

1. Try Some New Moves

While it may be an obvious answer, adding in some new moves to your current routine is one way to switch it up and keep it exciting. You will always resort to doing the exercises that you are used to doing because you like them and they are comfortable for you. Instead, you need to put forth some effort to add in new moves.

This may require giving some things a try that you never really thought you would do. Maybe there is a sport that you have never tried or even a new type of exercise that you have seen people doing. How about a new class that you never considered or even a bootcamp?

Trying new things will not only allow you to have a more well-rounded fitness routine, it will also make you healthier in the long-run. Also, you might discover that you like something that you had never considered doing before.

2. Change Up Your Current Moves

If you really like what you do now, you don’t have to come up with an entirely new routine. You can take what you currently do and just change it up a bit. Make some little tweaks so you don’t feel like you have to give up what you love.

This means that you can change to an exercise that has a new variation rather than trashing it completely. This is a great idea if the reason you want to change is that you keep developing the same injury that is being caused by repetition.

For example, if the back squats that you do hurt your lower back, try doing a front squat or a goblet squat. You can also change your workout by switching your dumbbells to barbells.

3. Change Your Sets and Reps

If you want to keep your old exercises but challenge your body a bit more, try changing up your sets and reps. If you are like most people, you probably tend to do three sets of 10 of your exercises. Instead, try doing 10 sets of three. Just make sure to increase your weight accordingly.

Also, don’t forget about doing drop-sets and getting to the last set until failure. Both of these will stimulate your strength and growth.

4. Make a Variation to Your Rest

You may not be great at sticking to an effective rest schedule. Do you ever find yourself chatting with friends or getting some water when you should be paying attention to how much you are resting between sets?

If you tend to take long rests, shorten them up by holding yourself accountable for only doing 50 seconds of rest. This should equate to a workout rest ratio of 1:1. This will help you build up your muscle endurance and make your muscles more resistant to getting tired.

5. Change Up Your Tempo

Try the time under tension theory when it comes to setting your pace. Consider how long each muscle is under strain during a set to help change things up. While you might be used to trying to finish your move as quickly as possible, this is not the best way to challenge your muscles.

Do the lowering part of your squat for five seconds, then take five seconds to come back up. This will help you increase the amount of time that your muscles are under tension in your workouts.

6. Add in Some Pauses

To make your workout more challenging, add a pause before you lift up from your movement. So, if you’re doing a push-up, lower your chest to the ground and pause before pushing back up. This takes some of the momentum out of your exercise, which will make your muscles work harder.

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Here are seven of the best tools available to help you alleviate the pain in all of your muscles before it even appears. These will allow you to feel great the next day after a hard workout.

1. Roll Recovery Roller

Massage rollers are great for any part of your body. You can use them on your IT bands, hamstrings, glutes, shins, calves, and even your arms. Massage rollers can help you get deep movement into your muscles that will allow them to relax, preventing them from being sore the next day.

2. Pro Massage Roller

These rollers are thin and target areas of your body that may be hard to reach, such as your Achilles tendon and your forearm. These rollers are also great for traveling because they can be packed up easily. They allow you to use as much or as little pressure as you feel necessary, so you can either gently or firmly get rid of the soreness in your muscles.

3. Massage Ball Set

Using a massage ball set allows you to loosen your muscles with the freedom to move the balls around as needed. If you need a little more pressure in one place than you do another, these balls are great for targeting exactly what you need in order to feel better. They are good for trigger points and places on your body that are difficult to reach. These balls are also very easy to bring along with you while you travel.

4. Vibrating Foam Roller

Professional athletes often use vibrating foam rollers to help relieve their muscles. With various speeds of vibration, you can allow these rollers to do the work for you while you just relax. After using a vibrating foam roller, you will likely not even be able to tell that you had a tough workout at the gym just the day before.

5. Resistance Band

It is really important to make sure that you stretch after every workout so you don’t develop sore muscles. Resistance bands make stretching much easier by giving you the resistance that you need without requiring that you reach in uncomfortable positions. Resistance bands come in varying degrees of resistance depending on your range of mobility, so find the right resistance for you and use them after every workout.

6. Heated Foam Roller

Applying heat to your affected muscles will allow them to relax while you are stretching them out. Use a foam roller that can be heated up in the microwave to relieve your sore muscles, or even stick it in the freezer to help reduce inflammation that may occur following an intense workout at the gym.

7. Trigger Point Foam Roller

This may be the right tool for you if you find that you constantly have pain in the same place after working out. The 3-D surface of a trigger point foam roller is great for digging into all of the kinks in your muscles. These rollers are not too hard and not too soft, allowing your blood to flow back into your muscles for a speedy recovery.

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