Have you done a workout for the first time and been surprised by how sore you are the day after? Wincing every time you had to get up or sit down and you didn’t even continue the workouts for 2 to 3 days because you couldn’t imagine working out the oh‐so‐sore muscles. What is the best thing to do when you have muscle soreness?
There are 3 types of muscle soreness:
- DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)
- Typical Muscle Soreness (TMS)
- Injury Caused Muscle Soreness
DOMS: deep muscular soreness experienced 2 days after the workout has been done, not the day after. Occurs when you first start a workout routine or when you train a body part extra hard. DOMS can last for a couple of days or as long as a week for some people.
What to do if you have DOMS: If it is time to workout again, the best thing to do is NOT REST but exercise the muscles in a milder fashion than usual. Stop before you reach muscular failure. This will help restore full movement in the muscle, and that aids in removal of lactic acid and other waste products that build up within the muscle. It also forces large amounts of blood into the damaged areas of the muscle and helps in its repair and growth. By the next day you will not be as stiff and sore as you would have been if you had skipped your workout.
TMS: muscle soreness experienced the day after a workout. Caused by micro‐trauma in the muscle and excess of lactic acid. Generally lasts 1‐3 days.
What to do if you have TMS: With this type of soreness, muscle function is not impaired as it is with DOMS, so do your workouts and work through it!
INJURY: Immobilizing and very sharp pain within the joints. Might be constant pain or pain only when moving the injured part.
What to do if you have an INJURY: Immediately after an injury, REST, ICE, COMPRESS, ELEVATE, and CONSULT A DOCTOR.
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A very important vitamin that helps with muscle soreness: VITAMIN C
Vitamin C may help you recover faster from your workout by suppressing the amount of cortisol (hormone that breaks down muscle and aids in accumulation of fat) that is released by your body during a workout. Research shows that if you take 1000 mg of Vitamin C an hour before a workout, it may significantly reduce muscle soreness and speed recovery. Just make sure you are drinking lots of water.