How to ease post-workout muscle soreness

When it comes to the end of a workout session there is one thing that you may sometimes end up being from, it is muscle soreness. It is one of the most common issues people face after a good gym session that demotivates the individuals. In some cases, the soreness is so harsh that it completely demotivates the person making them quit the gym. Muscle soreness science is one of the world’s most misunderstood fitness and gymming-related topics. In my opinion, it is not something you should be demotivated by but instead something that should give you the motivation to better yourself. Soreness after working out means your body is growing. We should always accept and embrace muscle pain after exercise.

Muscle soreness (also known as delayed onset muscle soreness or “DOMS”) is something we can all relate to. The sore legs and various other sore muscles we experience after a hard workout can be an uncomfortable feeling. Although this is perfectly normal, sore muscles become a problem when it interferes with your muscle recovery. If your muscle soreness after a workout sticks around until your next workout, this is going to negatively impact your workout AND further interfere with the muscle recovery process. Thus, it’s essential that you optimize your muscle recovery after a workout in order to minimize muscle soreness. Foam rolling after your workout may also help reduce the intensity of DOMS. It helps to decrease perceptions of muscle soreness and also improves blood flow and oxygenation to the painful area, which then helps in the perceived reduction of DOMS.

The top 3 tips to ease the soreness is

1. Prioritize hydration — researchers and practitioners have postulated that if dehydration increases soreness, then increased levels of hydration can minimize it. The main theory behind here is that water helps flush out waste products. And when muscles break down, they release waste products and toxins that need to be filtered out of the body, and these waste products are associated with increased soreness.

2. High protein intake — We all know that proteins are the building blocks of life, and that’s because every single cell is made up of protein. Damaged muscle fibers always get replaced with stronger fibers. High protein intake basically gives your body a steady supply of protein. And this steady source will be like a constant fuel source for those damaged muscles to make stronger muscles in the future. So the higher you keep the protein intake, the better it is for your overall recovery.

3. 8 hrs sleep / Proper rest — Sleep is the world’s best supplement to reduce muscle soreness. It’s so simple, but it will make a huge difference. Making sure you get enough shut-eye after a tough workout can give your muscles the time they need to efficiently repair themselves.

Your muscles may get sore right away. This is known as acute soreness. You may feel them ache or tighten up about 12 hours after you exercise. In some cases, the discomfort may peak 48 to 72 hours afterward. This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness. During this time, your muscles repair and strengthen themselves. Sore muscle pain can improve quickly or last several days.

To help relieve muscle soreness, also try:

Gentle stretching.

Muscle massage.

Rest.

Ice to help reduce inflammation.

Heat to help increase blood flow to your muscles. Even a warm bath or shower can help.

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicine, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen (brand name: Advil).

OTC creams and gels (brand names: IcyHot and Aspercreme) that contain menthol or capsaicin can ease muscle soreness.

Workouts that include a lot of eccentric exercises are more likely to leave you hobbling the next day. Strength exercises have two obvious phases: the concentric (the phase when the muscle is shortening, typically the lifting part) and the eccentric (the phase when the muscle is lengthening, typically the lowering part). The eccentric phase is where you’re actually creating tears in the muscle fibers, and it’s also where your muscles are working at their strongest. (Downhill running can also count as eccentric exercise, which is why DOMS can be more likely to occur after it too.)