Post workout soreness?

rissadiane

How do you deal with post workout soreness?

Sp1nGoddess

Ice if I'm really sore, and some very light cardio & stretching. I have taken aleve or ibuprofen and it really does not help. I find if i workout at least 2x per week i'm not that sore.

cschu544

I don't pay much attention to it anymore since I pretty much have it every other day. The best thing you can do for your muscles is to keep going...and drink a protein shake after working out. It helps repair the damage you did during the burn.

niknak0508

I use aleve after my workouts if I have done a lot of weights. I also drink a protein shake right after my workouts, which helps with the muscle aches too. Sometimes just taking warm shower or bath may relieve some muscle aches too. I just try these things and push through the next day.

deblc6836

A whey protein shake within an hour of your workout is a great way to minimize soreness.

tbrewst

I read in Fitness mag the other day where tuna helps....go figure! It must be the oil.

Eleanorjanethinner

Stretch, gentle walking/ swimming, heat rub (like Voltaran or whatever product you have), bath (preferably with epsom salts). And be proud of yourself - you're growing muscle!

debussyschild

Always stretch before and after, makes a big difference. Some protein after I workout seems to speed up recovery and ease the soreness. If it gets rough, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium work well to reduce inflammation. If you're working out hard all the time, you'll always be sore It just comes with the territory. As long as you're not experiencing pain that's debilitating or persistent (like in your back, knees, shins, ankles, shoulders, etc... then you might have to rest up), you're probably experiencing fairly normal soreness. Take it as a sign that you're working hard!! For me, NOT being sore is pretty unusual, lol. If I'm not sore SOMEWHERE just a little bit, I feel like a lazy bum.

RollinDawg

Couple of advils, a bottle of water and go again. The soreness gets better as you get used to it. If the soreness doesn't go away, you might want to get it checked out to make sure it isn't an injury.

goldfinger88

It's perfectly normal. You should wait at least 24 to 48 hours before you workout again (if you're talking about resistance training.) You should not lift every day --- at least not the same body parts.

debussyschild

Only way I know is to work through it.. if you rest for a couple of days you will be sore again when you start up.. if you work through it... it will ease to stiffness, than tiredeness than be gone.

Definitely second this one. Avoid the temptation to rest for too long (2 days is TOO long) between workouts. I always put a day of cardio in between my resistance workouts, that helps a lot. Doing those back to back doesn't always workout well. You need to keep working through the soreness for your body to get used to it. Eventually you won't be as sore anymore, but you'll need to keep working through it.

MercenaryNoetic26

Learn to love it. It's awesome.

A slight soreness is great on the muscles you worked. Now pain is a whole other matter. When you have pain it prevents you from doing your workout. If you can do it and get sore, you did something right. Just help your body heal with the right nutrition and supplementation; vitamins, protein shakes, water, etc.

Good luck!

jarrettd

Always stretch before and after, makes a big difference. Some protein after I workout seems to speed up recovery and ease the soreness. If it gets rough, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium work well to reduce inflammation. If you're working out hard all the time, you'll always be sore It just comes with the territory. As long as you're not experiencing pain that's debilitating or persistent (like in your back, knees, shins, ankles, shoulders, etc... then you might have to rest up), you're probably experiencing fairly normal soreness. Take it as a sign that you're working hard!! For me, NOT being sore is pretty unusual, lol. If I'm not sore SOMEWHERE just a little bit, I feel like a lazy bum.

^^^This, exactly! The soreness distressed me at first, but it's a pat on the back from an old friend now.

mashame

Your muscles are sore post-workout for several reasons:

- Using a muscle group for exercise leads to many small tears, which are normal, but take time to repair
- Lactic acid accumulates in your muscles when O2 supply runs out
- Inflammation

A few suggestions to relieve soreness:

-Stretch: Post-workout and throughout the day; Good circulation means better muscle repair and maintenance
-Water: Drink water to help your body provide your muscles the metabolic materials they need and to remove those they don't
-Anti-inflammatory meds: These block the pain-causing molecules in the inflammatory response you're experiencing post-exercise
-Avoid injury: Determine the difference between pain and injury for your body and stop before you reach injury
-Cross-train: Don't exercise the same way every day. Mix and match: Running, boxing, weights, yoga, dancing, and more!

It's generally a good idea to eat a healthy diet that minimizes processed foods and covers all of your nutritional requirements. This is one of the best ways to guarantee your body has the best chance to maintain, protect, and recover through all physical activity.

Hope this helps!

tambamis

Lots of water like everyone said, but I also like to "rest" the next day by doing Yoga instead of a hard cardio or strength exercise, gets everything moving.

rissadiane

Thanks everyone

I do drink a ton of water. I think I was just pushing myself too hard. I'm starting to run and I'm up to 10 minutes at 4.0 (which is a huge accomplishment for me - nothing for some of you I'm sure!) and today I pushed myself extra hard. So I think tomorrow I'm going to do 1 rest day, and use that time to go to Wal Mart and get some epson salt and protein shake.. Any good suggestions on shakes?

rissadiane

Also, what are good stretches to do before and after running?

BenderFitness

Stretch! What type of soreness are you experiencing? Stretching and light cardio can actually work out some of the lactic acid build up that causes muscle soreness. It's important to give your muscles proper recovery time so you get optimal results. You also have to make sure you don't take to long off, so you have time to build the muscles that will promote calorie burn.

BenderFitness

Also, what are good stretches to do before and after running?

Have you ever tried yoga? There are a lot of stretches that are great for runners. I like to do a Sun Salutation before and after to stretch everything out.