How To Deal with Muscle Soreness After A Workout

Eeeeek! Ouch! Can you feel yesterday’s workout today? You can’t completely prevent muscle soreness, but we have some tricks up our sleeves to ease muscle pain after your workout. Here are some of our top tips to deal with muscle soreness. 

#1 Stretch

It may sound obvious, but a lot of people skimp on this part of the workout. S T R E T C H! We can’t emphasise this enough. Did you know that your muscles are relaxed and more flexible when they’re warm? Use the time after your workout while your muscles are still warm to stretch. It also circulates blood away from your muscles and back to your heart to aid in recovery, an article from The Family Doctor states. Stretching will greatly improve muscle soreness and the length of recovery.

#2 Water 

Drinking enough water is another tip that may sound obvious, but it really assists with recovery. Why the hype about water? Well, water helps to control your body temperature, loosen your joints, and transport nutrients to create energy (The Family Doctor). Without water, your body will struggle to perform at its highest level. You may have muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, or more serious symptoms. 

Challenge yourself to drink at least two litres of water per day. It’ll definitely help with your recovery process, too! 

#3 Choose your muscle groups 

Don’t work the same muscles at the same intensity, two days in a row. Wait at least 48 hours if possible. Limited or lighter exercises in the same muscle group can actually help. If you are sore after your leg day, go for a brisk walk or bicycle ride. This will give one muscle group some time to rest and recover to ensure it can perform at optimal health. Try to avoid complete immobilization.

#4 Technique 

It’s vital to focus on the right technique during an exercise. By doing exercises the right way helps prevent muscle strain or injury. Make use of proper form. When you’re in the gym, ask a professional for help or make use of tutorial videos. It also helps to film yourself to see if you are doing it correctly. 

#5 Get some help

Make use of a foam roller or massage gun to ease muscle soreness. Botthms explains that massage guns help to relax and recover your muscles’ soft tissue by a massage head penetrating into the objective part and effectively decomposing the muscle lactic acid that was generated during sport, work, and general life. 

A foam roller can help to increase range of motion and reduce DOMS, a review published in November 2015 in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. Foam rolling, as well as other types of massage, increases circulation to deliver more nutrients and oxygen to the affected area, which helps reduce swelling and tenderness, Arent explains.

#6 Experts and supplements 

The right supplement can help to ease those pains. Try NPLs protein range, or any creatine product, or glutamine, and see the difference it makes. Feel free to pop our team at NPL an email for any supplement advice. 

Very important! According to The Family Doctor, you should contact your health or medical professional if: 

• Your muscle soreness lasts for more than a week.
• Your pain is unbearable and prevents you from moving.
• Your pain gets worse with exercise.
• Your pain causes dizziness or trouble breathing.
• You notice redness, swelling, or warmth in the sore muscles.
• You feel pain in the joint, over the bones, or in the tendons.

Conclusion

Muscle soreness is part of the No Pain No Gain workout mantra, but the tips above will ensure that you ease that muscle soreness. If your muscle soreness is persistent, we suggest you seek medical help.

Do you have any tips that help for muscle soreness?  

Resources

https://familydoctor.org/sore-muscles/ 

https://botthms.co.za/pages/massage-guns 

https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/quick-fixes-for-sore-muscles.aspx