Set yourself up for success
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It’s important to be honest with yourself about your fitness level before you exercise, especially if you’re new to it or returning after a break. Too often, people jump into a fitness routine where they left off months or even years ago.
“They’ve got the mentality of a time machine, thinking, ‘Five years ago I could lift 20 pounds [9 kilograms], so I can still do that,’” Shirokobrod says.
Instead, think about the minimum amount of exercise you need to become fitter in the beginning. If it helps, write it down, make a plan – or have a coach make a plan – and stick to it. If you do get sore, resist pushing through it during the next workout. Doing so prevents your muscles from recovering and increases your risk of injury. Also, progress is made when your muscles have time to recover.
Eat and sleep well
Whether you’re new to fitness, returning after a break or a seasoned, consistent athlete, you’re going to face soreness now and again. Instead of attacking the pain from the outside, with massage guns or ointments, start from the inside. Studies point to both sufficient sleep and good nutrition as factors in injury prevention, including muscle soreness.
At the first sign of soreness, or after a particularly taxing workout, “think about extra calories and protein, or some extra sleep,” Shirokobrod says. “They support your tissues and help you move forward.”
Force yourself to get moving
While it’s not good to exercise hard while sore, low-intensity movement is helpful. Lighter duty exercise gets the blood flowing and helps move the recovery process along.
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Think easy walks, swimming some gentle laps or even performing a few sets of body-weight squats if your soreness came from weighted squats, for instance.
“If I’m feeling sore and rundown from an intense workout, I’ll dial back and do a short, easy run the next day,” says Jamie Hershfang, 30, an ultrarunner from Chicago who set a record for the fastest time on the Chicago Lakefront Trail in 2020. “This always gets my muscles loosened up and feeling better.”
Easing pain is not fixing muscle
Resist that urge to take ibuprofen, which some research suggests makes no difference or can even be detrimental. “The research shows that NSAIDs will reduce your feelings of soreness, but they will blunt the actual healing,” says Jason Sawyer, director of the exercise and movement science program at Bryant University.
What about hot tubs, massages, Epsom salt baths or hot/cold contrast baths? They won’t cause any harm, and you might have the perception of feeling better, Shirokobrod says.
But “understand that’s only sensory relief” and doesn’t affect the strained muscle or fascia itself, he adds. You might emerge from these treatments feeling less stiff and sore, he says, but they cannot penetrate the tissue at a deeper level.
Be aware if it’s more than just soreness
Some post-workout pain might actually be injury. One indicator is where you feel soreness. If the pain is global – felt in both legs, for instance – you’ve probably only overdone a workout. Injury, on the other hand, tends to be localised. In addition, injuries often cause immediate pain, while you usually don’t feel soreness until after.
If you suspect an injury, dial back on the aggravating activity and see a doctor.
When it comes to beating soreness, simplicity rules the day. “Provide your body with the building blocks it needs to heal,” Sawyer says, “and it will do the rest.”
The New York Times
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