5 Ways To Prevent Muscle Soreness

You've likely experienced it before. You have a really terrific workout session one day to wake up the next more and struggle to get out of bed. You're muscles scream out as you try and move to your feet - it may be almost enough to make you turn right around crawl back into the comfortable confines under your covers.

If this is something you are dealing with, take relief in knowing there are a few quick and relatively simple ways you can reduce the pain and soreness you are experiencing. Note though that if it is a sharp, more joint-related pain, you should likely speak with a doctor or professional just to make sure you haven't done any real damage. If it is strictly muscle related however, and feels more like a deep ache when you push on the muscle or stretch it in a certain way, you can be sure that you've just overdone it at the gym and are in need of some good pampering.

1. Go For A Rubdown

You don't have to see a professional masseuse in order to relieve sore muscles. Even getting a loved one or a friend to massage the muscle will help to warm up the muscle and get the blood flowing to it faster. This will also help to increase the speed of the healing process so you can get back into the gym to train quicker. Even if you can't find someone else and are really stuck, try massaging the area yourself (provided of course you are able to do so). Press on the affected area with enough force that you can feel the muscles around the knot tensing but not so much that you are in extreme pain. After pressing for a good 20-30 seconds, release the pressure and rub the area, thinking of trying to 'rub' out the pain.

2. Ice Is Your Friend

Immediately after you feel soreness you should turn to an ice pack. This is the best method to instantly reduce the inflammation in the deep muscle tissue. If you don't have a good ice pack on hand, a frozen bag of peas or corn works perfectly as it is able to bend to the shape of your body. Use it for about 20 minutes every hour at maximum (generally try and do this frequently at the start of the injury and then decrease the frequency as time goes on and swelling is reduced).

3. Increase Your Intake Of Vitamin C

While you may be tempted to load up on aspirin or other over-the-counter pain medications, it may be in your best interest to take a good vitamin C supplement instead. About 500 milligrams of vitamin C has been shown to be a great way to prevent aches and pain, likely do to the antioxidant properties that vitamin C provides. To make this treatment work most effectively, take it both before and after your workout (taking more than 2000 mg/day is not recommended however)

4. Don't Neglect Post Workout Nutrition

Immediately after you workout your body is in the best position to utilize any carbohydrates or protein you give it. It needs the proteins to help repair and rebuild the muscle cells and the carbohydrates to provide your body with the energy to do so. Make sure to have a snack as soon as possible after you are out of the gym - one that combines carbohydrates and protein in about a 2:1 ratio (or if you just performed a very intense or longer duration session you may wish to go with a 3:1 ratio since you will need more carbohydrates to refill your muscles glycogen supply).

5. Never Forget To Warm-Up

Sometimes prevention is simply the best method to decreasing muscle soreness. In this case, you always want to make sure your body is thoroughly warmed up before performing intense exercise, particularly if you are working out first thing in the morning. Having the muscles warm and ready will make them contract faster and easier thus reducing the chances they need to over exert themselves when they are not fully prepared. Take 10 minutes at the start of your workout to perform some simple basic movements to get the blood flowing. Alternatively, another option is to take a hot shower right before your workout to increase your bodies' internal temperature.

So don't let muscle soreness stop you again. Doing one or more of the stated tips will help to greatly decrease the chances that you end up feeling weaker after your workout rather than stronger.

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livelonger says:
3 years ago

I've heard that caffeine after a workout helps, too. (Not sure if it's true--my college roommate told me)

beachnut says:
3 years ago

Shannon, This was good info! Thanks!

Shannon Clark says:
3 years ago

I could see caffeine helping slightly as it'd likely raise the metabolism a little, which could potentially help increase blood circulation and the removal of waste products, but overall, I personally think caffeine would be better used before the workout. Definitely worth a try though.