Sore Muscles? Follow These Simple Tricks

You know the feeing – the day after a hard workout, your muscles feel so sore that you can barely move. In a strange sort of way, it’s quite nice. The feeling of soreness is one that makes you feel like you’ve had a really productive workout, and you know you’ve worked hard and pushed yourself. In fact, some people get so used to this soreness that they really miss it when it’s not there, and start to worry when they don’t feel some kind of pain after a training session, thinking that they didn't train hard enough.
 

Even if you’re not feeling sore after your workout, it’s worth practicing some post-workout aftercare anyway, as you may be suffering later on, or the following day. You’ll certainly regret it if you skip your post workout stretching, only to feel like you can’t move off the couch the next day! This post workout cooldown is an essential part of recovering from the work you did.

What are your best options, beyond the stretches nearly every experienced gym-goer will be doing anyway, though?

 

Light Exercise

With lactic acid, hydrogen ions and various toxins still circulating around your muscle fibers in the days following a workout, soreness is a highly likely result. By far the best way to get rid of these chemicals is to keep moving, but gently. You don’t want to train too hard, as this will cause further muscle breakdown, but definitely don't come to a complete standstill either.

 

 

Why? When you get into the habit of performing some light exercise, such as walking, gentle jogging, a small swim, or some mobility work after you have had an intense workout, you have adopted a great way to flush blood through the muscles, warm them up, and push out all the soreness-causing toxins. Swimming is a particularly good choice, as it’s non weight bearing, so won’t cause any more muscle damage.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is by far the most painful soreness relieving trick, but it works a treat and you won't regret it after you are done. A foam roller is a dense cylindrical tube made of foam. These rollers can range on length from 12 inches to 36 inches, and come in various densities, from soft to very dense. You place a certain body part over the foam roller, place your weight on top, and roll across it for the length of the muscle.

If you’ve never foam rolled before, be warned – it can be excruciating at first, so start with a softer roller, and don’t place too much weight on it. Like light exercise, foam rolling increases blood flow to the muscles, but it also pushes out any knots and adhesions which may be causing soreness and restricting mobility.

Sports Massage

If you want to reap the benefits of foam rolling but without the discomfort and effort, then a sports massage might be a better option for you. While sports massages can be painful, you can ask the therapist to start off slightly lighter, and work up to a more intense massage. The masseur will also be able to get to areas that the foam roller can’t, such as smaller muscle groups like your calves and adductors. Likewise, if you’ve been foam rolling for a while, and find that it’s no longer as effective, a good sports massage therapist will be able to increase the tension and pressure, making a massage even more effective than foam rolling.

Nourishing Nutrition

In order for them to grow, your muscles need the right fuel. This means the right food! Have you ever noticed that you’ll often feel more sore when you’re dieting or trying to lose weight? This is because you’re not consuming as many calories as usual, so your muscles aren’t getting enough nutrients and energy to rebuild and grow unless you plan your meals carefully.

You can combat this effect by consuming the majority of your daily calories before and after training in your pre and post workout meals. In both meals, have a portion of protein, such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs or a protein supplement. Protein is responsible for building muscle tissue, so is a vital component of recovery nutrition. Add lots of fruits and vegetables for nutrients and antioxidants, along with some carbohydrates from root vegetables, grains or a sports drink, and a small serving of healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocado or olive oil. If you’re still feeling sore, have a protein shake to speed up muscular recovery.

Try these simple, practical, and easy tricks after your next workout, and hopefully you’ll never experience debilitating soreness again.