First off, let's get this out of the way: No, you do not have to be sore after each and every workout. Muscle soreness does not dictate a great workout.
I get that question posed to me a lot, and I even have clients who don't feel like they got a good enough workout unless they are sore the next day.
These clients would make horrible torture victims as I torture them on a regular basis and they never seem to break.
However, physiologically muscle soreness is nothing more than tiny micro-tears to the muscle tissue due to excessive loads (i.e. heavy weights), high impact (i.e. plyometrics), continuous eccentric loading of the muscle (i.e. running downhill) or just plain ol' too much, too soon training.
These micro-tears, science believes, cause inflammation and this in turn causes our muscles to be sore.
In the 24 to 48 hours after the workout, these tears quickly start to rebuild into stronger and denser muscle fibres.
Want to know 10 proven ways to help that re-building process happen faster? Read on.
Warm-up. Yep, your recovery is going to begin within those first few minutes of your workout. Make sure you give your body ample time to get ready for the stresses you are about to place on it with your workout.
A good warm-up should address all the major joints (neck, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles) and muscles as well as keep you dynamically moving for at least five minutes (preferably eight to 10 minutes). A good warm-up should also take about 50 per cent of your effort. You aren't trying to break any records with a warm-up. You are simply preparing the body for what you are about to do.
Sleep. Sleep, or in particular deep REM sleep, is closely linked to muscle recovery. Sleep deprivation will stunt the muscle rebuilding process and have a negative impact on your athletic performance.
Eat meat. Just joking.
Eat any type of protein, so settle down all you vegans.
Any protein source, plant or animalbased, will help with the tissue rebuilding process. Protein has important amino acids that are needed to repair the micro-tears that we have done to our muscles.
When is the best time to eat protein? Science tells us before a workout, after a workout, before bed and for breakfast. So, pretty much any time of the day your body will benefit from eating clean sources of protein. Roll it out. Rolling with a dense foam roller is the poor man's/woman's massage and it should be a regular part of your routine.
Rolling will help increase blood flow to the tissue, and with fresh blood comes fresh nutrients to help repair the muscles. Rolling also helps keep the muscles pliable and breaks down the adhesions that form in the muscles when we exercise.
Ice. Inflammation hates the cold. So, if you are sore, have an ice bath or use ice to help calm a localized area (such as your quads or glutes). Ice numbs pain while narrowing blood vessels, which helps limit the amount of swelling and inflammation.
Compress it. Try compression garments. These form-fitting pieces of clothing help to decrease the time it takes for muscles to recover between exercise sessions and they also suck in all the jiggly areas too. Brilliant!
Massage. Just like rolling the muscles out, massage will help to increase the circulation and break up any adhesions in the muscles. And, it just feels damn good too.
Rest. Without sounding too much like Captain Obvious here, if you are sore give your body a break. Don't do intense workouts back-to-back and respect what your poor body is telling you and give it a rest.
Each person is unique, so each person's recovery will be specific to them. Age, fitness level, sleep, diet and RSP contributions all play into how well a person will recover after
a workout. (OK, I might have made that last one up. Just wanted to check to see if you are still paying attention.)
Cherry Juice. Drink tart cherry juice. The antioxidants found in cherries, anthocyanins, are believed to help reduce inflammation and ease muscle soreness.
Grab a cup of Joe.
I saved the best for last.
Studies and research are now showing that caffeine is associated with pain reduction and performance enhancement.
PJ Wren is a local personal trainer in the Delta area. You can reach her at www.fitnesswithpj.com.
