How to get rid of muscle soreness after workout:
If you are living an active lifestyle with workout routines and exercises being active part of your day to day life then I am pretty sure that many times you must have encountered muscle soreness after workout. Technically muscle soreness is the pain or stiffness felt in muscles after a heavy or tiring exercise. Muscle soreness typically happens from movements during exercises which your body is not used to and is mostly felt strongly 24 hours after the exercise. Remember the first time when you did those squats (assuming done with right form).
Actually sore muscles are happy muscles and for most like me it is the pain which makes us proud of our hard work, isn’t it? Still at times muscle soreness after workout reaches a point that it becomes hard to deal with. Here are few important tips which will equip you with right knowledge and help you get rid of muscle soreness after workout.
1. STAY ACTIVE
Yes you heard it right. When your muscles are sore instead of taking rest of 2, 3 days in a row it is advisable to be active with some low intensity workouts. This will warm up and trigger blood flow and circulation in muscles which will result in muscle soreness cure
2. WARM UP
Do warm up stretches or exercises of the particular muscle you are training same day after finishing the workout. If you are training for back then do some calisthenic exercises or light weight exercises to warm up the back muscle and end with some back stretching. Example: Finish your hamstring workout with three sets of body weight Tbends exercise
3. STRETCH
Always stretch before and after workout particularly when you know that your body part is not used to such exercising movements which you are about to perform. This strategy will greatly help in reducing the muscle soreness after workout.
4. TRAINING METHODOLOGY
Do not train a particular sore muscle for couple of days. Give it a break to recover for muscle soreness cure.
5. COLD AND HOT FOMENTATION
I advise cold or hot fomentation to all my health club members especially the newbies and first timers for whom the magnitude of muscle soreness after workout will be on the higher side. I advise everyone, newbies and pros both to always keep a Hot water bag handy, just in case if required. At times we have seen regular gym goers at our health club pulling muscles for various reasons. and fomentation triggers muscle soreness cure.
6. APPLICATION OF PAIN RELIEF OINTMENT/ SPRAY/ OIL
Apply any good pain relief ointment or spray at least 3 times a day for treating the muscle soreness after workout
7. REST/ SLEEP
Sleep is the biggest remedy to deal with muscle soreness. Sore muscle means body is tired, listening to body that time by giving it rest always helps reducing muscle soreness after workout.
8. MASSAGE
As you are working out on a regular basis it will be nice if you pamper your muscles with some kind of massage. Doesn’t mean that you have to spend your hard earned money at those expensive Spas, you can even do it using your hands at home, obviously till where ever you can reach. You can also use foam rollers to reduce muscle soreness after workout.
9. DRINKING ENOUGH WATER
Remember dehydration increases muscle soreness so drink enough water all day long to reduce muscle soreness after workout
Read: How much water you and your family should drink
Read: Importance of water in fat loss
Hope these tips will help you keep going irrespective of any muscle soreness which comes your way. Don’t break your workout routine next time when your muscles are sore because always remember consistency is the key to achieve the physique you are looking for.