Muscle Soreness

Soak in a tub of HOT water with Epsom salt. It helped my leg soreness when I first started running.

It sounds like your not getting enough protein. I know when my muscles are sore that means I haven't eaten enough protein. And it could be that your body is telling you to take a day off if your working out every day. Muscles do need some time to recover. That's just my thoughts.

Water, bath in it and drink it!

Potassium is important, too. Bananas, orange fruits and vegetables (sweet potatoes, apricots, peaches, etc.), plus soybeans, white beans, yogurt....

Here's a list:

http://www.hoptechno.com/bookfoodsourceK.htm

I tyr to work insanity into my P90X routine and if I don't stretch a ton after the workout my calves will be killing me for for the next day at least. I'd try do some extra stretching for your quads, hamstrings and calves.

Also try the correct post workout recovery drink, the P90X one, which is full of carbs is what your body needs right after one of those brutal workuots. You muscles burn sugar for fuel, so thats what they need immediately afterwards not protein. Protein comes an hour or so later.

Tim

drink lots of water during the exercise. edit: drink water frequently, in general. The water will flush the lactic acids which otherwise build in the muscle tissue and cause the soreness. Stretching is good too. RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

Rest and Stretch!!!! It's not lactic acid, regardless of what was thought a few years ago and is still preached by some trainers. It's actual cellular damage to the muscles that is caused by the high intensity. Don't do an intense workout for at least 2 days to allow that damage to heal. You can do lighter workouts on the days in between like walking or swimming, but only f it is lower intensity and not similar movements to what you are doing to cause the pain. Stretching will stimulate the nervous system in those sore muscles to tell the brain to send the nutrients to them to help with the repair and recovery. Make sure you are getting plenty of carbs and protein. If you are focusing just on protein, some of it will have to be used for energy production and can't be used for muscle repair. If you make sure to get enough carbs to provide all the energy your body needs, then most of the protein you eat can be used for muscle recovery.

You will hear various opinions on ice and heat. Some will say use ice because heat will cause more usage of nutrients so they can't be used for repair. Others will say use heat because it speeds up the uptake of nutrients and speeds up healing. Ice does slow metabolic processes and heat does speed up metabolic processes, so there are valid points from either opinion. Personally, I tell my clients to try both and stick with whichever works best for the individual. For someone with arthritis, though, I specifically say to avoid ice because it can cause a stiffening of the affected joints.

Definitely make sure you have plenty of water (because the muscles are made of 75% water) and also plenty of electrolytes like sodium and potassium. When you do a workout as hard as Insanity, you sweat a lot and lose electrolytes with your water, so use a sports drink and lots of water after those workouts to make sure you get all of it back in the body.

As for soaks, Epson salts are great, but I've also had good results from a product called Bath Therapy that I get at the drug store. In addition to the salts, it has minerals like in a natural hot spring that seems to help too.