I'm probably just like you! Many years ago I decided to
start running again. I hadn't exercised for a few years, so
I thought I would start slow by walking a few kilometers.
But, the walk felt too easy, so half way through I started
jogging.
Big mistake!
The next day my calves were so sore I could hardly walk! I
was in agony!
Muscle soreness has been known to cause many new exercisers
to discontinue exercising. And if I didn't know any better
I would probably have given up. The truth was, my muscle
soreness was self-inflicted and could have been avoided.
And, no, not by not exercising!
Some seasoned exercisers will experience muscle soreness
"the day after" a different type of exercise or workout.
They find muscles they never knew they had!
What is muscle soreness?
It's usually caused by an overload workout. It is the
breakdown of muscle fibers, which causes the release of
muscle cell content. The cell content attracts inflammatory
cells, which release chemicals that irritate nerve fibers,
causing pain.
But "No Pain No Gain" right?
Wrong! Muscle soreness is NOT an indicator of a good
workout. Muscle damage is often greatest in older or
otherwise susceptible muscle fibers.
So, how do you ease muscle soreness?
Here are 8 ways:
1 - Massage Away The Muscle Soreness - Start slowly!
Lightly massage the sore muscle and gradually increase the
depth of the massage. It might be painful in the beginning
but it will gradually ease the muscle soreness.
2 - Hot Bath The Muscle Soreness Away - Nothing beats a
long soak in a hot bath for muscle soreness. The heat will
increase circulation and provide a soothing effect.
3 - Flush The Muscle Soreness Away - Run hot (as hot as you
can bear) water over the sore muscles for two minutes and
then immediately switch to cold water for 30 seconds.
Repeat this process five times. This has the effect of
opening and closing your blood vessels which will flush the
acid from your muscles and ease the soreness. It is easier
to take a complete shower and do this, but it takes some
courage!
4 - Gently Exercise The Muscle Soreness Away - Go for a
slow walk and breathe deeply. This helps reduce the muscle
soreness by increasing the blood flow to the sore muscles.
As always, prevention is better than cure. It is easier and
less painful to avoid muscle soreness. Here's how:
5 - Warm Up Before Your Work Out - Muscles are working
parts and like any working parts they need to be warmed up
before any demands are made on them. A warm up before your
workout is essential to avoid muscle soreness, but more
importantly to avoid injury. It starts the circulation to
the muscles and warms the muscles and tendons, getting them
ready for the next muscle soreness avoidance tip -
stretching.
6 - Stretch Those Muscles - After your warm up your muscles
need to be stretched. It's very easy to skip this step or
do some hasty stretches, but you will pay for it the next
day or with an injury. If you are going for a walk or jog
you want to stretch your legs and back. If you are doing an
upper body workout then you need to stretch your shoulders,
neck and upper back. Don't bounce in the stretch and hold
it for 15 to 20 seconds. Stretch each muscle just to where
you begin to feel the stretch then maintain that position
until you feel the muscle let go. Bouncing or trying to
stretch too far will do more harm than good.
7 - Stretch After Your Workout - Stretching after your
workout is important to avoid muscle soreness the next day.
After your walk, jog or workout, make sure you stretch your
muscles for 15 to 20 seconds before they cool down. They
will be warm and elastic so they will stretch well.
8 - Don't Be A Hero - Going out and training hard might
feel great at the time, but when you wake up with stiff and
sore muscles the next day you will be tempted to take the
day off from exercise. You should start slowly, exercise
within your capacity. Make the exercise enjoyable with
moderate exertion and only increase the intensity by a
maximum of 10% the week after week. This will allow your
muscles time to adapt and prevent muscle soreness and
injury.
The big secret is "Don't do too much too quickly!"
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