Why Do Your Muscles Get Sore and How Can You Fix It?
With so many people hitting the gym these days, it feels like there’s a big event we’re all training for! You’ve probably felt those sore muscles after a tough workout if you are a gym regular. this would be a very fascinating piece.
Sore muscles are one of the less pleasant side effects of exercise. The degree of muscle soreness after exercise varies widely, ranging from hardly noticeable to unbearably severe, depending on the type and intensity of exercise.
Why Do Your Muscles Get Sore in the First Place?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), exercise-induced muscle soreness, commonly known as delayed-onset muscular soreness, or DOMS, indicates that you have damaged your muscle tissue.
According to Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS, a professor, chair of the University of South Carolina in Columbia’s exercise science department, and director of the school’s sports science lab, when this damage, or micro-tearing, occurs, your body starts the healing process by inducing inflammation at the injured site.
According to Dr. Arent, fluid builds up in the muscles, putting extra pressure on the damaged areas, leading to that familiar sensation of tightness and pain that usually starts to manifest 12 to 24 hours after your workout.
More damage and pain in the muscles will probably result from any activity, especially if it’s unfamiliar to you, harder than normal, or includes a lot of eccentric movements.
Some Muscle Soreness Is a Good Thing, but It Shouldn’t Last for Too Long
Torn, inflammatory muscles sound horrible, and because research indicates that chronic inflammation is a major contributor to many chronic diseases, we want to reduce inflammation in our day-to-day lives. However, Arent suggests that inflammation to some extent can be a crucial signal for muscle growth and repair.
Your muscles will grow bigger and stronger if you assist them in healing from the injury. “Our goal is to manage inflammation as quickly as possible, rather than to completely prevent it from happening,” explains Arent. And you probably want the soreness to go away so you can get back to moving and living pain-free.
Remember that an exercise might still be beneficial even if you don’t feel pain afterward. It’s not necessary to cause soreness every time you work out; damage is acceptable in moderation. Soreness is simply another word for damage. Your objective shouldn’t be that. Knowing you worked out well doesn’t require soreness.
6 Things You Can Do During and After Your Workout to Ease Muscle Soreness
While there aren’t any instant solutions — your muscles need time to heal — there are some strategies you can use to ease muscle soreness and aid recovery after a workout. Here’s what you should know:
1. Hydrate
Even though it might seem obvious, drinking enough water is essential for muscle repair. It may be hard to tell whether you’re dehydrated since, as Schroeder notes, you’ll probably feel dehydrated before you’re thirsty.
According to one review, you should drink about 13 to 20 ounces (oz) of water about two hours before starting exercise. To maintain hydration, the researchers recommend drinking about 5 to 10 oz every 15 to 20 minutes of exercise. It’s recommended to consume an electrolyte-containing beverage during workouts longer than 90 minutes, such as milk, coconut water, fruit juice, etc.
2. Use Foam Rollers or Massage Guns
Immediately after your workout, use a foam roller (self-myofascial release) or a massage gun. Self-myofascial release (SMR) is a technique used to release tension in muscles and connective tissues (foam rollers, and massage sticks are common SMR tools), helping to move the fluids that accumulate in the muscle after exercise.
One review found that foam rolling may help increase the range of motion and reduce DOMS. Foam rolling, as well as other types of massage, increases circulation to deliver more nutrients and oxygen to the affected area, which helps reduce swelling and tenderness, Arent explains. If you’re interested in trying a foam roller, your initial option should be a softer model.
The popular “percussive massage treatment” or “vibration therapy” massage gun is another popular piece of equipment to promote muscle recovery after an exercise. When these portable gadgets are put into your muscles, their rapid vibrations can help increase blood flow to certain areas. If you’re interested in using a massage gun post-workout, find an area that feels tight and lightly sweeps over the belly of the muscle. Add pressure as tolerated, but not too aggressively.
The Hospital for Special Surgery recommends doing three to five sweeps over one area at a time. Take care not to spend too long in one spot or you risk irritating the muscle.
3. Eat Within a Half Hour After an Intense Workout
Giving your muscles the nutrition they need to repair and grow stronger could help you recuperate more quickly, suggests Arent.
He suggests that you eat 20 to 40 grams of protein and 20 to 40 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes after finishing an intense or long workout (one that lasts 60 minutes or more) to expedite your recovery. (A bowl of Greek yoghurt garnished with a few berries and a tablespoon of honey makes a great snack).
Protein is necessary to supply the amino acids your muscles require to recuperate, while carbohydrates are necessary to replenish your muscles after a strenuous workout.
However, don’t stop at the post-workout snack; you won’t help your muscles recuperate if you don’t consume enough wholesome food the rest of the day or skip meals.
Prioritize mealtimes and maintain a regular daily protein intake to ensure that your tissues have access to an unbroken supply of amino acids throughout the day.
Although recommendations vary, 0.8 g of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight should be ingested daily. That’s what the ACSM says. In other words, if you weigh 75 kilograms, or around 165 pounds, you should consume 60 grams of protein on average every day.
4. Sleep
Arent says that obtaining adequate sleep is crucial for many reasons, but it also plays a major role in how quickly one heals from physical activity. “It might not seem to have an instant impact on [muscle soreness], but it can be beneficial for sure,” he says. Thus, it’s critical to receive adequate rest following physical activity.
Try to get at least seven hours of sleep per night, as recommended by the Sleep Foundation.
5. Do Light Exercise the Day After a Tough Workout
While resting painful muscles is a good idea, spending the entire day on the couch is not the ideal solution. To get some soft exercise, try swimming, cycling, taking a stroll, or even doing light resistance training. Try restorative yoga as well. The key is to avoid intense workouts on the same days with the same muscle groups.
Schroeder suggests striving for an effort level of 3 on a 10-point scale, where 10 is the highest level of intensity. You want to get blood circulating to the sore places without causing more damage to the muscle tissues so that the muscles can heal by receiving the oxygen and nutrients they need.
6. Avoid NSAIDs
Although it may be easy to pop a pill and call it a day, doing so may endanger vital stages in the process of building muscle. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil) can prevent your body from developing new, stronger muscles while also potentially lessening the discomfort associated with soreness in your muscles.
A small study found that taking the maximum dosage of over-the-counter ibuprofen stalled progress during an eight-week resistance training program geared toward building muscle and strength in young adults.
Bottom Line
So there you have it, gym warriors! Sore muscles are a sign that you’re pushing your limits and growing stronger. By staying hydrated, using foam rollers or massage guns, eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, doing light exercises, and avoiding NSAIDs, you can ease the pain and recover faster. Remember, the goal is to keep challenging yourself without overdoing it. Happy workouts!
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