Ouch!!! That feeling after a heavy leg day and you try to walk up the stairs…
I hear this all the time from new clients and students. So I put together this simple list, 10 of my favorite ways relieve muscle soreness after a hardcore work out!
How to recover from muscle soreness:
1. Take a relaxing bath in Epsom salts.
2. Drink extra water to rehydrate the muscles, more than you would normally.
3. Take a day or two off intense exercise and go for a relaxing walk to get blood flowing.
4. Eat protein to repair the muscle.
5. Do some restorative yoga or stretching.
6. Foam roll or use a lacrosse ball to break up muscle tissue.
7. Get enough sleep, I recommended 8 hours, but everyone is different.
8. Sit in a sauna or steam room.
9. Use muscle rub on the sore spots.
10. Rub some eucalyptus oil on the muscle and breatheeeee.
There are two main types of muscle soreness: DOMS and PEMS.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) may only occur 2-3 days after an intense work out, this means you have pushed yourself too far and over worked the muscle. Cut back in weight until you build up resistance. This tends to happen when you have done a new type of work out and used muscles that aren’t usually worked.
Post Exercise Muscle Soreness (PEMS) happens a day after exercises and lasts for about 2 days, this is the good soreness! This means you have done the right force of weights and power and the muscle is sore but growing.
Technically, when we lift weights we tear our muscles, then with the right help (like the 10 things above) the muscle will repair and GROW! This is why rest and recovery is SO important. If we don’t allow our muscles to rest they will not grow. Rest is as important as exercise. So go and relax, you wont lose your “gains” or waste your hard work, you will be getting stronger!
