You have just completed their training and are really feeling the tension in your muscles. You congratulate yourself on how hard you worked and dream about how much stronger you are as a result.

What you are forgetting, however, is the second key component of a great workout: muscle relaxation. Not only is it necessary to stimulate the muscles to grow, you must also provide them with enough rest and relaxation to heal and repair themselves so they will grow stronger.

Below are 12 ways to relax the muscles after a workout.

1. Breath
This technique is best done during cool down or stretching part of your workout or before going to bed at night. Concentrate on controlling your breathing, taking slow, deep breaths in a score of 4:04 seconds, inside and out. As you exhale, imagine all the tension and negative energy slowly moving out of your body. Feel the muscles relaxing and if you're lying in bed, growing heavier. Work your way through your entire body, concentrating on relaxing one muscle group at a time.

Breathing this way will help increase your awareness of body-mind and focus your energy on muscle relaxation.

2. Elongation
This often overlooked part of your training is essential to promote recovery and reduce muscle stiffness. Perform these exercises right after your workout, when muscles are at their warmest and most agile.

Hold each stretch for a count of 15 to 30 seconds, pushing yourself until you feel a good pull on the muscle without any significant amount of pain. Some portions are large:

Hamstring stretch: Stand or sit and try to touch your toes.

Quadriceps stretch: Bend one leg at the knee and holding the foot behind you, pull the knee back.

Oblique stretch: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lean to the side, letting his hand slide to the side of your leg and repeat on the other side.

Tricep stretch: Extend one arm over your head, bend your elbow and push your arm behind your head with your other hand.

Calf stretch: Find a step and put your foot to the back half is hung. Then slowly put your weight on the foot and lower your heel to the calf muscle feels a slight tug.

Back stretch: Kneel on the floor and stretch your arms as far forward as possible. Round back to make the move to release all the tension in the muscles of the back.

By including these stretches in your workout, you will increase your range of motion, allowing you to target more muscle fibers during strength training.

A good night sleep, properly plan your exercise routine and techniques to help relax tense muscles