“Everything hurts and I can’t move“, sound familiar? If you started an exercise routine you might have gotten a little too excited and pushed a little too hard too soon and now you’re paying the price – DOMS has set in (delayed onset muscle soreness) – optimal muscle soreness usually kicks in 36 hrs post workout.
Don’t worry here are some great solutions to get you PAIN FREE ASAP!
- Take A Hot Bath/Shower – increasing body temp will warm up your muscles and give you temporary relief. Add epsom salts to your bath – there’s quite a bit of evidence that it can help reduce muscle soreness
- Anti-inflammatories/Ibuprofen – take max dosage if allowed by your dr to speed up your pain relief.
- Get A Massage – I know this sounds counter-intuitive to put pressure on sore muscles but definitely do some self massage with a foam roller and/or tennis ball to speed up your muscle recovery and reduce pain. YES it will be painful during but you will feel 10x better afterwards. Here’s a great 10 min self massage video I put together for you http://personaltrainerincherryhill.com/cure-joint-muscle-pain-self-massage-tutorial/
- Rub some balm on it – topical menthol/balm treatments really can block pain receptors and give you almost instant relief – even it its only temporary. Try menthol topical creams (Bio-Freeze or Rock Sauce) or Tiger Balm.
- MOVE – The most important thing is to keep moving and NOT stay stationary. The more you move the warmer the muscle temp and less pain. Do some light stretching and cardio like walking/tai chi/gentle yoga to alleviate excessive muscle soreness.
- Have a Cup of Coffee – yep caffeine has proven to be a wonderful anti-inflammatory for muscle soreness. So drink about 2.5 cups/day or take in a supplement form.
- Dose with BCAA’s – dont forget your protein supplements. Taking a BCCA (branched chain amino acid) has shown to significantly reduce muscle soreness – optimally take a few days pre-workout & pre/post workout too. There are several pill and powder BCAA’s – dont just take Leucine (BCAA) by itself
- Get Juiced – try some Tart Cherry or Blueberry juice – evidence reveals much less muscle soreness post workout when taken pre/post workout. Gotta love those anti-oxidants
PS: Yes you can workout when you are sore – just go slow –
HOW TO PREVENT MUSCLE SORENESS: Do an extra long warm up (10-15 mins) with light cardio and dynamic movements to increase muscle temperature thus decreasing liklihood of intense DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). And make sure to do some extra stretching and self massage with a foam roller/tennis ball post workout so you dont keep walking like your 110 years old. And take some of the supplements mentioned above to reduce soreness as well.
CLICK HERE =====>>>>Here’s a great post workout stretch routine http://bit.ly/2qSH6QT
Train smarter not harder!