Post-workout muscle soreness due to microtrauma can occur in both beginners and avid athletes. How to deal with it?
Regardless of the intensity of training, microdamage always occurs in the muscles. If the muscles are not prepared for intensive training, soreness occurs. They can last up to several days after the workout. When they are light, they cause only minor discomfort. However strong soreness will make getting out of bed a challenge. It is worth knowing what to do to prevent soreness and how to deal with it when it does occur.
This old life truth is true in many aspects of our everyday existence. It also applies to sore muscles. It is better to first think about what you can do to prevent your muscles from getting sore instead of worrying later about what you can do to deal with the nagging pain. If you don’t want lactic acid to start building up in your muscles during your workout, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you want to prevent soreness, then:
–remember to warm up your body properly before training – this will get your muscles moving and prepare them for the training challenge. You’ve probably been aware of the importance of warming up since elementary school, and yet you stubbornly avoid it. Warm up all of your major muscle areas and the risk of soreness will decrease significantly;
–Don’t forget to stretch – stretching is just as important as a properly performed warm-up. Opinions are divided when it comes to stretching – some say it should be done right after the workout, while others say we should schedule flexibility training for another day. Either way – when you finish your workout, make sure to cool down properly. Don’t stop suddenly. Even professional cyclists get on the trainer after finishing a stage of a race to cool down their muscles;
– Adjust theintensity of exercise to the capabilities of your body – do not overestimate your capabilities. This is the shortest route not only to soreness but also to injury. There is still time for intensive training. Start with exercises of a relatively low intensity. This way you will gradually get used to the effort and there is a chance that you will avoid painful and unpleasant soreness.
If you perform a warm-up and stretching and do not overdo the intensity of your training, there is a good chance that you will avoid soreness.
Sometimes training is not conducted in an optimal way and soreness occurs. What to do then? How can you reduce the unpleasant feeling in your muscles? A bath can help, especially if you put hot water in the tub. Your muscles will relax and you will feel relief, at least temporarily. If you want to speed up muscle recovery, take a shower. Alternating hot and cold water on the sore spot will make you feel better. Another way to relieve soreness is to massage. You can massage the sore spot on your own, but if you want a good result, go to a professional masseur. Be prepared for it to hurt!
Proper diet is also important for muscle recovery. Do not forget that the main building block of muscle is protein. If you want your muscles to recover as quickly as possible after an exhausting workout, you need to provide them with regenerative building blocks. Make sure that your daily diet contains as many products rich in protein as possible. Don’t avoid carbohydrates either!
There are other ways to deal with sore muscles. If a regeneration bath is not enough and your muscles are still sore to the point where normal functioning is significantly impaired, use an ointment or gel to speed up recovery which has a soothing effect on muscle pain.
