Sore muscles are a natural part of getting in shape. Unfortunately, it can often feel like the pain from your muscles can limit your ability to stay fit. If you’re looking for a way to get back on your feet without dealing with soreness, there are a host of solutions you can try. Below are eight of the most common, each of which can help to reduce pain, shorten the amount of time that it takes you to heal, and can ultimately help you to make sure that your sore muscles become nothing more than a brief nuisance in the middle of your training process.
1. Stretch
As anyone who’s ever had a sore muscle can tell you, one of the best ways to alleviate your pain is to stretch a bit. While stretching is almost always great advice, it’s important to stretch in the right way. Targeting your stretching to make sure that you’re working the right muscle groups is almost always the best way to alleviate minor pains and help you to get back to work.
When trying to alleviate pain, you’re going to want to focus on a static stretch that helps to focus on specific groups of muscles. A static stretch is usually a stretch that requires you to hold a position for about twenty seconds to a minute. When you do these stretches, pay attention to which muscles are giving you the most trouble. The goal is to stretch those muscles out, not to cause permanent damage. If you feel intense pain when you’re stretching that does not fade, make sure you stop.
You may need to try to stretch in several different positions in order to deal with your pain. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of motion if necessary. In some cases, what works best for you won’t be what is recommended for others.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]2. Foam Roll
A foam roll is a useful tool for sore muscles, especially if you don’t have anyone else around to help you. This long piece of foam can be used to roll across a muscle, elongating the muscle tissue and breaking up any scar tissue or other issues that may have begun to accumulate. This is essentially a quick and cheap way to give yourself a deep-tissue massage without the help of anyone else, so it’s recommended for those who might be in a hurry or who need a bit of regular soreness relief. Foam rollers are rarely expensive, so think about adding one to your workout collection.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]3. Massage Spots
As any athlete can tell you, a good massage is an ideal way to relieve sore muscles. You don’t need just a general massage, though – you need a massage that will target specific spots on your body. These myofascial trigger points can be massaged even if you don’t have a trained masseuse around, especially if you know where they are located. Some of these spots can be very uncomfortable to reach, though, especially if you are already in a great deal of muscle pain. Knowing when to try this alone and when to get help is a key part of being able to recover quickly. If all else fails, book an appointment with a professional.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]4. Eat For Rapid Recovery
Yes, what you eat can have a huge impact on how quickly you recover from having sore muscles. Typically speaking, what you’re looking for here is protein and anti-inflammatories. Cottage cheese and nuts are great for the former, while cherry juice and turmeric are great for the ladder. Focusing on lean, healthy foods like salmon or even sweet potatoes is actually a great way to help your body to heal while also helping you to reach your fitness goals. If you want to reduce your downtime, make sure to start eating right. Try different foods to help speed up the healing process.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]5. Heat Your Body Up
Heat can be an important tool for helping you to deal with sore muscles. After all, heat is very useful for helping your muscles to relax and to improve blood flow. Helping your muscles to unclench and return to a resting state can help to solve many of the common problems associated with soreness, and it’s certainly something that’s recommended by many physical therapists. It’s important to remember not to use extreme heat, though – you are looking for a gentle heat that will promote healing, not for the kind of heat that will cause your skin damage while you are trying to get a bit of relief. If you use your best judgment, though, you should be able to get some relief.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]6. Favor Fatty Acids
Fatty acids are a compound found in several different foods, but they’re perhaps most commonly found in fish and fish oil supplements. These compounds have significant effects on inflammation and may even play a role in how the mind perceives pain. If you’re suffering from soreness after you work out, you might either want to add fish to your diet or you may want to start taking supplements that contain omega-3 fatty acids. These supplements are fairly common and are sold in most big box stores, so you won’t have to put in too much effort to find them and add them to your medicine cabinet.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]7. Keep Moving
While it might seem counterproductive, the last thing you want to do with a sore muscle is to keep it still. You actually want to keep exercising it and keep the blood flowing, which will help to alleviate the pain and keep your muscles in working condition. It is very important, though, that you know the difference between a sore muscle and a more serious injury. While you should absolutely keep moving to keep soreness at bay, moving around too much with a more serious injury can cause major problems and set back your healing by a significant amount of time. If you feel safe moving, though, doing so can be quite helpful.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]8. Ice It
While heat is good for sore muscles, so too is cold. If you’ve got sore muscles or inflamed joints, you might want to consider getting an ice pack. If you’ve ever watched professional athletes train, you know that ice baths are a big part of their post-game routines. While you might not go to this length, soaking your impacted muscles in a cold bath can be a good way to get some relief. If you’re just looking at a small area or a spot that is hard to submerge, using an ice pack can be a great way to get the same benefits without having to sit in cold water. If you’re really looking to deal with extreme muscle soreness, you may even want to switch between icing your muscles and using heat.
