Today I want to talk about the recovery after workouts. All of us are experiencing a bit of an upheaval still with our exercise regimes. Whether your gyms are reopening with limited capacity and you have switched to home workouts or perhaps even you have let this aspect of your life slip over the past couple months, we all are starting to feel the side effects on unfamiliar territory. One of these side effects is muscle soreness. While we always should have a little bit of soreness after a strength training regime, perhaps we are starting to experience new pains as we try (and sometimes fail) in new exercise plans. So what is “good” soreness, what is “bad” soreness and how do we recover faster?
To understand muscle soreness we need to understand where it is coming from. Providing you did not injure yourself, most muscle soreness comes from a combination of two different things that occur during a workout. One is the micro tears we create in our muscles as we did our strength training sets. Despite tearing sounding bad, this is actually a good thing! When we do micro tears in our muscles the body steps in to repair the muscle and creates slightly bigger and firmer muscles, which is what we want. The second thing that occurs is the leftovers of anaerobic respiration. When you get your heart rate up and start breathing really hard in your cardio or strength training session, the oxygen your breath is providing is not enough and the body starts breaking down the oxygen in your blood as it switches from aerobic to anaerobic respiration. Unfortunately, one of the byproducts of anaerobic respiration is lactic acid which will remain in the muscles after you work out. The lactic acid build up creates the soreness you feel the next day.
Rest and Feed your Muscles
Soreness usually resolves in a day or two, providing you rest and feed your body healthy food. Be sure to give yourself a full night's sleep after a grueling session and to increase your protein after your workout and throughout the day. If you give your body the tools it needs to recover then you will be feeling better in no time.
Warm up and Cool Down
Perhaps the most important and most underappreciated steps in the workout regime are the warm ups and cool downs. Sometimes it is a time constraint, but I really encourage a warm up and a cool down for every workout. It doesn't have to be an elaborate or long routine, simply brisk walking before and after cardio and a light 10 minute jog before strength training with a simple stretch after. The reason for this is because it eases the body into and out of anaerobic respiration which allows your muscles to get ready for the workout and for the lactic acid to work its way through your system after a hard session. I would go even further as to say you should give yourself one more stretch before bed if you are worried about soreness and increase your water intake to further encourage the discharge of lactic acid.
Foam Roller
For particularly stubborn or hard to reach soreness we can always ask our spouses, but for a constantly ready, willing and able massage invest in a foam roller. Though the mechanics of working one can be a little tricky at first, the payoff is well worth it. To use your foam roller, put down a towel or your yoga mat and lay on the floor. Position the roller on the sore part of your body and start using your body weight to apply pressure while rocking or rolling or body across the floor on the roller. When you find the right spot, you'll know!
Now what about when you do injure yourself? If you find yourself still sore several days after a workout there is a chance that you may have pushed it a little too far. Note though that if you haven't worked out in a very long time this could still be normal recovery. If you feel you have injured yourself, avoid vigorous activity until the pain subsides. This can sometimes be difficult so after 3 or 4 days you can give yourself a half workout test run and see how you do. The most important thing is to listen to your body and not to further injure yourself. This is especially true if the pain is in your knees or ankles. Allow joints to fully heal before resuming to workouts. If you find yourself repeatedly hurting the same area, take time to examine the root causes. Is your alignment in a workout off? Do you need a brace for an old injury? Maybe the exact workout isn't for you? Get advice from a trainer or doctor if you can't figure it out, but do not continue to do the same workout as you have been doing it if you find yourself being repeatedly injured. Remember, soreness 1-2 days after a workout means you had a great workout, anything longer than 5 days could be a sign of injury.
What are your favorite recovery tips? Reach out to us at info@bullionite.com with your comments and questions!