By Sean Barker
Author
of The Dad Fitness System
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I
remember it like it was yesterday...
Squatting down to pick up my
books out of my high school gym locker and screaming in agony
because my legs were so damn sore from my very FIRST squat
workout!
But pain soon turned to laughs
as I also heard my best friend and training partner at the
time scream out profanities as he tried to bend down at his
locker just down the hall.
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We have all experienced this one time
or another, the painful muscle soreness that follows an intense
workout or what the exercise geeks (me included) refer to as DOMS.
For the best way to relieve, or better
yet, even prevent muscle soreness, read on.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness...
This can occur whether you have been
working out for years or are just starting to exercise.
Despite what most people think the
day after is not the worst, as muscle soreness usually peaks around
48 hours after exercise.
Your body needs time to recover, that
includes not only your aching muscles but also your central nervous
system as well. Your CNS is your body's communication path way that
allows your brain to tell your muscles what to do during those intense
workouts and after 8-10 weeks of heavy and intense training your
body will let you know it's slipping into overtraining mode as you
begin to lose your motivation to train and your strength gains come
to a screeching halt.
Basically DOMS, is the microscopic
tearing of your muscle fibers that causes the inflammation and swelling
of the muscles putting additional pressure around the surrounding
joints.
But I bet what you really what to
know is how to avoid it or even relieve muscle soreness when you
do get it.
The first thing you can do is leave
your ego at the gym door!
1. Try not to do much too soon and ease into any exercise program
whether its lifting weights, running or your favorite recreational
sport. Whatever workout routine you are starting, just do half of
the exercise volume to introduce your muscles to the exercises and
increase your intensity over time.
2. Warm up properly BEFORE you workout
and stretch AFTER you workout to remove the lactic acid from your
muscles and start the recovery process.
3. To help relieve it when you do
over do it from doing too much or doing something new, get some
"active rest" by going for a walk with your family or
playing with your kids at the playground (lying on the couch watching
24 is not considered active rest!).
4. Also take rest days from your workouts
which means don't work those sore muscles with heavy weight training
until the soreness subsides.
5. Make sure you are eating high quality
protein throughout the day to provide your body with the nutrients
and amino acids it needs for muscle repair and stay hydrated by
drinking lots of water. Supplements like L-Glutamine and Vitamin
C has been shown to aid in muscle recovery as well as hot saunas
and deep tissue massage.
6. Getting lots of omega 3 fats in
your diet through fish or fish oils, mixed nuts and avocados will
also help to scavenge free radicals and reduce inflammation in your
muscles and throughout your entire body
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These
recovery tips all help but...
7. The best way
to relieve muscle soreness is to MOVE. Despite the initial
discomfort of moving your sore muscles, getting around and
increasing your blood flow will help to nourish the damaged
muscles with nutrient rich blood to aid in muscle repair.
Light recreational
exercise such as power walking, swimming and even body weight
exercises are a great way to loosen up those sore muscles
and get you moving again.
So before you start
piling on the plates, remember you can't rush progress. Be
smart with your workouts and give your body the time it needs
and it will reward you with the results you're looking for....or
you can limp around for days like a muscled up mummy...the
choice is yours.
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CLICK HERE to learn more about Sean's
book "Dad Fitness". You can also
read our review of the book by clicking
here.
About
The Author
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Sean Barker is a nationally
certified personal trainer. C.P.T., a worldwide award winning
bodybuilding competitor and most importantly, a proud dad.
He has been involved in the health and fitness industry for
over 15 years and have appeared in High Performance Muscle
Magazine, been on health and fitness radio shows and was selected
as a sponsored athlete by one of the top supplement nutrition
companies in the world. He is affiliated with the top trainers
in the industry and has provided fitness consulting to numerous
people over the years helping them get real-world results
in the shortest amount of time.
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