Post workout soreness isn’t uncommon for people who regularly exercise.
It can be a sign that you’re getting stronger and making progress with your workouts.
The pain can sometimes be unbearable, especially after intense physical activity, so it’s essential to know how to ease your muscles after a workout.
Muscle soreness can hinder you from doing your day to day tasks since each movement can feel painful.
However, you do not need to endure it if there are ways to lessen your body’s discomfort.
You can try the following activities to ease your muscles and recover from exercises faster.
5 Tips To Ease Your Muscles After Workout:
1. Massage Your Muscles.
Another remedy you can do to ease your muscles is a massage.
This will encourage increased blood circulation throughout your body, which will help lessen your pain.
You can stroke the sore parts with adequate force to promote blood flow and allow your muscles to recuperate from strenuous workouts.
You can also use a massage therapy gun after a rigorous workout to lessen the tightness around your muscles.
It works by pounding and repeatedly applying pressure on the specific body parts that are sore.
It can be expensive to visit a massage therapist after your gym sessions, so investing in tools that can deliver the same results can be a better choice.
2. Stretch.
If you’re not a novice to working out, you know the importance of stretching before exercising.
Warming up before you start will prepare your muscles for the movements you’ll do.
This way, your body won’t be shocked by the sudden increase in physical activity and will prevent injuries from occurring.
Stretching is also a must after each of your workout sessions. Your muscles will be worn out after various intense movements, which usually results in the soreness you feel the next day.
Light stretches will ease the tightness in your muscles and promote better blood circulation.
This way, the delayed onset muscle soreness, the DOMS you’ll experience won’t be too painful. A cool down will also help your body recover from workouts faster.
You can perform a 5 minute stretching routine that targets all your muscle groups to ensure that you won’t experience too much soreness in your body the day after your workouts.
3. Move Your Body.
The worst thing you can do the day after a high intensity workout is to lie in bed all day.
Although it’s difficult to move your body when you feel sore, doing light movements will help speed up your recovery.
Your muscles will stiffen and cause more discomfort if you don’t try to exercise.
Of course, it doesn’t mean you need to continue with your regular workout routine.
Activities such as walking or doing yoga will increase your muscles’ blood flow and encourage its repair process.
DOMS can occur 24 hours after a high intensity physical activity and can last up to 72 hours.
It’s best to schedule light exercises the day after so you can go back to doing your regular workouts once the pain starts to disappear.
Remember to give your body time to recover, or you’ll risk losing the gains from your exercises.
4. Eat Protein.
Whenever you perform difficult physical tasks that strain your body, your muscle fibers tear, resulting in the pain you feel afterward.
This is normal, especially if you’re trying to build your muscles.
The fibers will break apart whenever you increase your workouts’ difficulty. Your muscles will then fix themselves, which can take a few days.
In order for your body to heal from intense workouts, you need to consume nutrients that are essential for muscle repair.
You can eat protein rich foods such as tofu, beans, chicken, or meat after your workouts.
These foods will supply the nutrients needed by your body to repair itself.
Eating protein will also help build your muscles and speed up your recovery from DOMS.
5. Use a Hot or Cold Compress.
You can also ease your muscles’ pain by applying either a hot or cold compress on the sore area.
There’s no hard rule on what type of temperature therapy you should use to lessen DOMS’ effects. It all depends on what feels more relaxing to you.
A cold compress can help reduce swelling that may occur along with extreme soreness. It may also help numb the pain you feel and alleviate any discomfort you may have on your joints.
On the other hand, heat can minimize tension in your muscles and encourage blood flow, which can lead to lesser pain.
If you prefer a hot treatment to address soreness, you can take a hot shower to ease your muscles.
Something else you should know:
You can’t avoid muscle pain if you’re exercising regularly or trying to build and tone your body.
Although it can sometimes be a bother to feel soreness after a workout, there are ways to lessen the discomfort you feel.
Stretching, doing light exercises, or massaging your muscles can all help ease your pain and allow you to recover from post workout soreness faster.