Five Ways of Easing Sore Muscles Every Athlete Should Try

Hi everyone, today we have one of our favourite guest posters –
fitness enthusiast Luke Douglas from Ripped.me to give you some tips for easing sore muscles. This will definitely be relevant to most of us. Enjoy!

If you have been exercising for any amount of time, and exercising well, then you know how debilitating and demoralizing it feels to be so sore that you can barely walk up the stars, let alone push your next workout to the max. Yes, sore muscles as a pain (pun intended), and if left untreated they can take a heavy toll on your emotional and psychological well-being and more importantly, your physical readiness as well.

However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of things you can do to alleviate the pain from your lower back (arguably the most troublesome area) and your entire body for that matter, banish inflammation, and get back in the gym stronger than before. Here are the five ways to do just that.

One: Start by optimizing your workout

When inexperienced athletes think about recovery and treating muscle soreness, they tend to concentrate on the post-workout treatment exclusively. In reality, though, you should be thinking about your post-workout recovery while you’re still in training. Quite simply, by optimizing your workout with proper warm-ups, stretching, cardio, and mobility work, you can minimize the risk of muscle soreness to a significant degree.

Be sure to warm up with dynamic movements as well as resistance bands in order to loosen up tight areas, improve blood flow, and even get your head in the game before hitting the weights. When you’re done, don’t just head for the showers but rather take the time to cool down properly and stretch your entire body. It shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes, and the benefits will be worth the effort.

Two: Tidy up your nutrition

If your nutrition is off point and if you’re not drinking enough water, then there is little that can help you prevent muscle soreness, spasms, and inflammation in the long run. Complement plenty of fresh aqua throughout the day with a tailored nutrition approach and you will have an easier time eliminating sore muscles and preventing CNS fatigue.

Nutrition might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re trying to think of ways to ease muscle soreness, but it’s important to recognize its important role in the matter nonetheless. For example, numerous crucial vitamins and minerals are responsible for a myriad of processes in your body, including proper muscle activation, blood flow, as well as muscle repair and growth.

Three: Massage the toxins out of weak areas

Massage and myofascial release are considered to be the pinnacle of healthy post-workout recovery in the fitness industry. Quite simply, if you are sore or if your muscles are cramping, then getting someone to massage the inflamed tissue would be a wise decision. This is why professional athletes always include a professional massage as a vital part of their recovery, as it speeds up the process by elongating the muscle tissue, boosting blood flow, and pushing toxins out of the inflamed areas.

There are numerous types of massages you can get, ranging in intensity and length, and if you’re unsure of the best option for you, then you can always let the masseuse make the decision for you. Remember though, as an athlete you should opt for the most intense of massages in order to really dig deep into the inflamed tissue and eliminate soreness at the source. It might be a bit unpleasant at first, but in a couple of minutes you will be sighing with relief.

Four: Stay mobile, stay active

Another important element of post-workout recovery, one that many athletes tend to overlook, is staying active. When people take a rest day, they tend to take the concept way too literally. A rest day is your time to recover and recuperate, it’s not a day to slouch on the couch from dusk till dawn. Instead, you should stay active and tend to light exercise even such as a bit of boxing, maybe go out jogging, or just do a few exercises at home to keep the blood flowing. Whatever you choose to do, just keep it moderate and balanced.

Five: Banish inflammation modern medicine

When the going gets tough, you can always rely on western medicine to save the day. Sometimes, the inflammation in your muscles and CNS can be so severe that there is no other way to recover than to pop a pill in your mouth, so don’t be afraid to take a pain medication if you need to. Before you do, make sure to check if what you’re experiencing is severe soreness or if the pain runs deeper – perhaps you have injured yourself and are yet to realize it.

Regular exercise is infinitely rewarding and highly empowering, but sometimes we tend to push ourselves too hard and end up sore all over. This soreness you’re experiencing is not doing you any good, so instead of trying to push through it, be sure to implement these remedies into your routine in order to recover fast and get back in the gym stronger than before.

Thanks to Luke for his contribution. Click on the image below to check out Ripped Me, and also do check out his profile on Facebook and Twitter.

Check these out too: