Do you know what’s not cool?
Pushing yourself at the gym, only to have your body punishing you later for it.
It can be good to feel muscle tenderness after a long and challenging workout – but it is definitely not good when that soreness leaves you moaning and groaning every time you get up off the couch. Stretching before and after your workouts will always help with tenderness – but sometimes, you just need a little more assistance.
Having experienced soreness in the past myself, I decided to do a deep dive into muscle pain and the best ways to reduce it or avoid it, so let’s look into some tips and tricks on How To Reduce Muscle Pain After Working Out.
Tip #1 Massage The Area
I know what you’re thinking ‘oh wow, thank you for pointing out the obvious!’ – well, actually, yes, you can thank me, because I am here to tell you that massaging your tender post-workout areas really does work wonders with speeding up recovery – so keep doing it!
Now I don’t just mean rubbing or squeezing the area that hurts, I mean actually massage the area like you mean it, or if you have a partner or friend who can do the hard work for you – even better!
Tip #2 Drink Your Fluids
Not coffee, not coke – WATER, and lots of it! This means drinking before, during and after your workout. If you do your research you will see that muscle tenderness can be linked to dehydration, so in theory, drinking more water will make you less sore, right? Water also helps to flush out toxins from the body, which can also be linked to having sensitive muscles after working out.
Tip #3 Any Excuse for a Bath
Sorry if you are not a bath person – but this tip is proven to soothe even the most tender of muscles! Take a hot bath with Epsom Salts after working out. Epsom salt is actually not salt, but a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate, long known as a natural remedy for a number of ailments, with numerous health benefits. They have been linked to reducing muscle inflammation and pain, but even if that doesn’t work for you, at least you will be too relaxed in your warm bath to even care about those burning thighs.
Tip #4 Keep Moving
Although it is probably the last thing you want to do, stretching or doing a light workout will help to ease your pain and reduce the stiffness and aches. Unfortunately, sitting on the sofa or laying in bed all day, feeling sorry for yourself, is the worst thing you can do. Your muscles need to be used and stretched in order to heal – so get up, put your gym gear on and scream your way through a light jog!
Tip #5 Consult A Professional Before Working Out
There’s a difference between being sore from working out properly, and being sore because you hurt yourself while exercising inadequately: Consulting a personal trainer, a body coach or even a GP in some cases, it’s the best decision you can make to look after your body and health.
The next time you feel sore after working out, here are some words of encouragement:
“If you are aching after a workout, that just means you really pushed yourself – and shouldn’t we always push ourselves to do better? Embrace the pain if this means you are getting stronger, and once the pain passes, you will be able to do the same workout with a lot less pain the next time!”
