Relieve Sore Muscles in Seven Easy Steps

Hi everyone, we hope you have been exercising well. Today’s topic is about relieving sore muscles – which of course are a side effect of starting a workout program. While it is covered in great detail in the Lifelong Fitness Blueprint, we find that it’s always refreshing to get another opinion on it. As such we have invited fitness enthusiast Luke Douglas from Ripped.me to offer us some tips. Here goes:

Sore muscles come as a result of intense workouts and they are nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes a bad night’s sleep has the same effect. If you feel like you can’t move without looking like you’re walking on a bed of nails, you might want to check out our article. Just remember that there is no instant remedy for muscle soreness because you need to allow your body some time to heal. Your muscles need to deal with microscopic tears within muscle tissues. However, there are some things you can do to help yourself relieve the pain. Let’s take a look.

One: Stretching

It’s plain and simple – stretch after your workout. Stretching is the first line of defense after an intense workout. Since you contract your muscles during the training session, the muscle fibers get shorter. So, lengthening them after a workout aids mobility and can lead to a more thorough recovery. On top of that, remember to stretch before and after your workout in order to prevent injuries. We recommend lunge and twist exercises since they target the entire body. With lunge and twist, you’ll relieve tension in the glutes, hamstrings, hips, groin, and torso, enhancing the range of motion throughout the body.

Two: Protein And Magnesium

It is common knowledge that protein repairs damaged muscles cells. That’s just one of the reasons why people drink protein shakes. However, quality magnesium supplements help treat muscle aches really well. Magnesium is quite important for our bodies, it allows us to sleep well due to its ability to relax muscles, but it is also another critical supplement that helps speed up recovery. Incorporating magnesium into your diet or taking magnesium supplements will help you improve muscle function, maintain electrolyte balance and reduce fatigue. Combining magnesium with zinc will have an even greater reaction in the body, as zinc has extremely high immune system values.

Three: Foam Roller

According to a study in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, using a foam roller to massage your sore muscles after a workout can considerably reduce muscle soreness. Make sure to give each major muscle group at least five rolls, starting with your calves and working your way up your body. Spend extra time on sore spots that ache more than other muscles.

Four: Massage

Don’t just use foam rolling as your usual post-workout routine. Do it between workouts to ease muscle soreness and boost mobility. According to the scientists at the University of Oregon, if you want to see significant improvements in mobility, you have to foam roll even on the days you don’t train. Many fail to see the benefits of foam rolling but you now have yet another reason to foam roll.

SaraJobling / Pixabay

Five: Heat As A Relief

It may sound odd but getting heated actually helps with sore muscles. Heat boosts circulation, especially focused heat like that of a jacuzzi, making it a powerful recovery tool between workouts—stress is on “between workouts.” Immediately after a training session, such heat can exacerbate inflammation, and the jets can pound your already damaged muscles, resulting in more muscle soreness instead of less.

Six: Ice The Sore Spots

Icing your muscles after a workout staves off inflammation. “Inflammation is one of nature’s defense mechanisms, but it works like a cast—it immobilizes you,” claims Steve Edwards, former Vice President of Fitness and Nutrition at Beachbody. “When you keep inflammation down, that area is free to keep moving, and movement promotes healing.” Like stretching, its effectiveness is up for debate—some researchers have claimed that ice is only effective for injuries and not for the usual soreness, but it’s a simple and safe option that many top-level athletes swear by. “Unless you ice so long that you give yourself frostbite, there’s really no danger,” Edwards says. “It seems to really speed up healing without any adverse effects.”

Seven: Don’t Stop Moving

Even though the last thing you want to do when everything hurts is to move, that’s exactly what you need to do. Going for an easy hike is a good option but a gentle yoga class won’t hurt as well. Fitness professionals call these activities “active recovery” activities but do know that if you find yourself winded or unable to hold a conversation while you do it, you’re over-exerting yourself. If you want to be technical about it, wear a heart rate monitor and stay below 140 beats per minute.

Thanks to Luke for his contribution. He contributes semi-regularly to our blog, and our fans have taken a real liking to his work. To those of you who are new, here’s his bio: Luke is a fitness and health blogger at Ripped.me and a great fan of the gym and a healthy diet. He follows the trends in fitness, gym and healthy life and loves to share his knowledge through useful and informative articles. You can check out his profile on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Also published on Medium.