Jogging and regeneration - that's what matters

The best running training is only half as effective if your body can't regenerate in between. Our running expert Anna Gehring explains here how jogging and regeneration work together and what you should pay attention to. As the German student champion over 10,000 metres and an experienced cross-country and long-distance runner, she can give you valuable recommendations on regeneration in running.

spized | Running

January 21, 2026 |

Whats’ on this page

1. What does regeneration actually mean?

2. Regeneration after running

3. "Top up" for regeneration after jogging

4. Regenerate better with the right diet

5. Sleep is central to your body's regeneration after exercise

6. Build rest days or recovery weeks into your training schedule.

7. Regenerate better with compression garments

8. Ice (cold) can promote regeneration

9. Heat for better blood circulation and relaxation of the muscles

10. Easy training with the fascia roller

11. Regeneration does not mean being inactive: Active recovery

What does regeneration actually mean?

When your body regenerates, it "recovers" in a certain way. This is the case when your muscles, ligaments and tendons have been stressed, e.g. through sport. But this only describes one part of regeneration. Another important aspect of regeneration is that your body can adapt to certain stimuli during sport beyond the initial level. In other words, you become fitter and more powerful, your muscles build up and your ligaments and tendons become more flexible and stronger.

Regeneration takes place in the body on very different levels. This is what happens when you regenerate:

Your nutrient stores fill up again. This means you have energy available again. ("Your battery is full again")
Your hormone and immune system will be strengthened and rebuilt.
Cells in the muscles or other areas of the body rebuild and renew themselves.
Your nervous system readjusts and adapts to the new load. This optimises movement sequences, among other things.
Your cardiovascular system adapts to the new physical stress of training. This means, for example, that your heart muscle becomes stronger and bigger and your lungs can absorb more oxygen. In addition, your blood can transport more oxygen thanks to regeneration.

Based on these many points, it quickly becomes clear how important regeneration is for you during training. Let's therefore take a look at how you can support your body in regenerating.

Regeneration after running

An important component of recovery is that you do not stop running abruptly. Therefore, after a hard workout, focus on the cool-down. This means that you run out loosely or walk for a few minutes. Why does this help recovery? During a relaxed run, metabolic products produced during training are removed more quickly.

Tip: Of course, you can always reward yourself with something after a hard training session. A running shirt you design yourself won't regenerate your muscles, but it can give you an incredible boost of motivation for the next units after recovery.

"Top up" for regeneration after jogging

After training, you should consume carbohydrates, proteins and fluids.

With water you rehydrate your body, because during training you have lost a lot of fluid through sweat and breathing.

Anna's tip: Determine your fluid loss by weighing yourself before and after your run. The difference between the two weights is your fluid loss. You should take in at least this amount of fluid after your running session to support recovery.

With carbohydrates and proteins you improve muscle recovery. Carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores and help "repair" muscles and tendons. Proteins also support these processes, especially after intensive training.

Regenerate better with the right diet

A balanced diet with sufficient nutrients, proteins and carbohydrates can improve your recovery after running. Quick shakes are perfect for this. Anna's favourite recipe:

300-500ml milk or milk alternative
1 banana
If necessary 2-3 tbsp. protein powder
1 tbsp peanut butter

Sleep is central to your body's regeneration after exercise

Sleep is considered the most effective means of regeneration. It is not for nothing that top athletes from all over the world invest a lot of time and effort in optimising their sleep. Ideally, you should sleep between seven and nine hours a night. Of course, there are deviations from this, because each of us has our own "inner clock" and an individual biorhythm.

Anna's tips for better regeneration during sleep:

Stick to regular bedtimes and wake-up times as much as possible. This creates a sleep routine.
Do not drink coffee, black tea or caffeinated drinks in the afternoon at the latest.
Avoid blue light a few hours before going to bed. For example, refrain from working on the computer or "daddling" on the mobile phone.
Don't eat dinner too late and don't have any more liquids before bedtime.
Make sure that the room temperature is optimal. It is usually around 18°C.

Build rest days or recovery weeks into your training schedule.

A good training plan also takes into account regeneration during running. This applies at all levels:

Alternate intense tempo sessions with relaxed training sessions or rest days.
Make sure that the rhythm of loading and unloading is reflected in the weekly (rest days), monthly (unloading weeks) and annual rhythm (seasonal break).

In other words, successful regeneration depends on a balanced interaction between exertion and recovery. If you just power through, you increase your risk of injury and you will not be able to sustainably improve your performance.

Regenerate better with compression garments

Some people rely on compression socks or compression garments for running. Compression socks in particular are designed to increase the pressure on the leg veins. In this way, blood circulation is supposed to be improved by transporting the oxygen-poor blood (=venous blood) more quickly back to the heart via the veins. This should, among other things, remove harmful substances in the blood more quickly.

Important: Compression socks should not be worn, especially in the case of arterial circulatory disorders. If you are unsure, it is better to ask your family doctor or a sports physician beforehand.

Ice (cold) can promote regeneration

When you take an ice bath, you stimulate the blood flow to your muscles. The cold causes the blood vessels to constrict. This initially reduces the blood circulation. As soon as the vessels dilate again, the blood flow increases significantly. With the increased blood flow, waste products from the training are also removed more quickly.

An ice bath, the ice bucket or cold showers also have an anti-inflammatory effect and, for example, relieve pain from minor sports injuries.

What you should know: Ice baths do not increase the training stimulus and therefore do not improve your athletic performance. You can only achieve this through athletic training stimuli. Ice baths can only support or prepare for regeneration.

Heat for better blood circulation and relaxation of the muscles

After the cold, the heat comes into play. Basically, you should not cool down after training, as you are then in the immune window and your white blood cells circulate in lower concentrations in the bloodstream.

To improve regeneration, you can work with heat, e.g. with warm blankets or a hot water bottle. A heat patch can also help with acute inflammation. The heat is useful because it helps your muscles relax. It also stimulates blood circulation, which in turn helps to remove harmful substances from the blood.

Easy training with the fascia roller

Fasciae are part of your connective tissue and also surround your muscles, for example. By activating the fasciae with a roller, the fluid exchange of blood and lymph fluid can be improved. This in turn accelerates regeneration. Training with the fascia roller has another advantage, because you can reduce or prevent tension-related pain. Another advantage of fascia training is that rolling improves the range of motion of your joints in the short term. You can also use the fascia roller for warming up, for example.

Regeneration does not mean being inactive: Active recovery

Active recovery means incorporating small regeneration units into training. What are the benefits? You increase blood flow and metabolic activity in your muscles. The so-called "blood flow" is improved.

You can organise your regeneration units in different ways. The following is a good example:

Very easy endurance running on soft ground, e.g. forest floor or a grassy area.
Swimming in all swimming styles, but especially backstroke helps to stretch the back muscles
casual cycling on the exercise bike or outdoors
Aquajogging technique training and stability exercises

Ready for the next running training for beginners or already for advanced running training? Then you now know all the important tools for perfect recovery in running.