Avoiding soreness

[Mik]

I get sore after working out so easily!!!! This applies to pretty much every muscle if i hit the gym hard after a couple of lax weeks but even if i'm in perfect condition my chest will as a rule ache the next day(s) after a chest workout, and I work out 5 or 6 days a week so I cant normally just rest my whole body for each aching day!

 

Any ways to avoid soreness, regarding post workout nutrition or whatever would be pure gold to me! Thanks!

[sydneyvegan]

If it is just typical DOMS, then you can try taking BCAA (branch chain amino acids before and or after working out) or eat lots of Bananas. Stretching before and after working out can help, although I'm not a fan of static stretches. A nice hot shower after working out or sauna, can helpt too. If that doesn't work and the pain is really bad, massage helps.

 

I get muscle soreness, DOMS about 75% of the time after working out. I actually love the feeling and poke my muscles to make it worse. When I really smash my legs and can hardly walk sometimes...

[Mik]

its not a case of agonising pain...but it just stops me doing anything the next day, and even on days when i dont train i often pace around and shadowbox, run down to the shops etc, not always possible when i'm ridiculously sore :/

[slicknickns]

I too am looking for something that will help me recover quicker. Other than smoking mad weed, i need something that will help my muscles recover faster and allow me to work out more. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sounds like a steroid; but i'm going the good route gonna go to GNC and see if i can get some amino acid pills or some online help. Smoking mad weed during hard workouts has been my crutch since high *cough cough* high school and i'm looking for something, that you know, actually reduces inflammation.

[veganmomma]

Stretching after *not* before a lifting session helped me with soreness when I first started training. I don't stretch after sessions anymore. My body just got used to it after a while.

 

I do not think static stretching before lifting is a good idea. I've read that since static stretching uncontracts muscles and lifting weights contracts muscles, static stretching before a heavy lifting session makes muscles weaker.

[xphilx]

do not stretch after work out!

 

eat fast carbohydrates (bananas, potatos, etc.) after work out and take BCAA's and l-glutamin for a faster recovery and to avoid soreness.

 

if you already have muscle soreness you could just do the classic stuff like taking a hot bath/shower for better blood circulation.

[DaN]

I never stretch before workouts, I warm up the muscle groups I am going to do with very light weights first, thats my warmup.After the workout I do not tend to stretch as I dont feel like I need to, but the next 2 days I get tight muscles & a good stretching session makes me feel a whole lot better.

 

One thing I did see that noone else has picked up is you saying:

 

I work out 5 or 6 days a week

 

That does seem an awful lot of days to workout.Maybe try doing 3 or 4 days a week?

 

[RawVgn]

Muscles don't grow during workouts; they grow during recovery. You would probably get stronger faster if you allow full recovery between workouts; overr exercising is a major problem for many bodybuilders. Arthur Jones (the inventor of Nautilus) used to publish a standing challenge in bodybuilding magazines: he guaranteede to add 1/2 an inch to anybodys biceps in 3 days, or he'd pay all their expenses to his facility for the challenge. He knew that almost all serious bodybuilders overtrain, so they'd get to Nautilus and he'd have them sit on their butts by the pool for 2 days. Then they'd do one very brief high intensity workout, rest another day and then be measured. Jones never lost the challenge!

[Gaia]

Soreness and pain is a sign of inflammation. Inflammation is from producing microtears in your muscle tissue. Microtears are when you overload the muscle tissue, and certain muscle cells get torn. These torn cells release their contents, which in turn the neighboring healthy cells put out cytokines, biochemicals, for the immune system cells to come and clean up the debris. Cytokines also start a chain reaction of opening up the blood vessel walls so that the clean up crew can get there faster, and this causes swelling of lymph into the area. The cells from the immune system come and start to clean up. Meanwhile, the cells that are healthy are dividing and producing more new cells to take the place of the old cells, and as an extra caution, they fortify it with bigger cells to be able to handle the load (and more if need be) that happened last time.

 

Now if you don't let the recovery phase take place, can you see where you would get less than optimal gains? Refuel and refresh. Eat and sleep! Supplements can also help increase recovery time of the muscle tissue, and maybe even look into keeping your immune system working in optimal conditions. There are many supplements out there to try.

[xphilx]

I work out 5 or 6 days a week

 

That does seem an awful lot of days to workout.Maybe try doing 3 or 4 days a week?

 

as long as you have a good split programm this doesn't seem like a problem to me.

[veganmomma]

do not stretch after work out!

Why not? Is stretching after a workout detrimental to muscles?

[Mik]

I never stretch before workouts, I warm up the muscle groups I am going to do with very light weights first, thats my warmup.After the workout I do not tend to stretch as I dont feel like I need to, but the next 2 days I get tight muscles & a good stretching session makes me feel a whole lot better.

 

One thing I did see that noone else has picked up is you saying:

 

I work out 5 or 6 days a week

 

That does seem an awful lot of days to workout.Maybe try doing 3 or 4 days a week?

 

My fault...i missed out saying that only 3 or at most 4 days a week is hitting the weights, but I also box, go running and am shortly going to be doing MMA once a week too.

[hilary wright]

do not stretch after work out!

 

eat fast carbohydrates (bananas, potatos, etc.) after work out and take BCAA's and l-glutamin for a faster recovery and to avoid soreness.

 

if you already have muscle soreness you could just do the classic stuff like taking a hot bath/shower for better blood circulation.

 

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with stretching after a work out! I relaxes and elongates the muscles, and promotes circulation. Stretching done with gentle contraction and release can help flush the muscles. I have always stretched after working out, and even at my age rarely get injured or sore. I also maintain a 5 to 6 day a week workout schedule. Making a statement like "don't stretch after work out", with no reasons to back it up makes no sense.

[veganmomma]

Making a statement like "don't stretch after work out", with no reasons to back it up makes no sense.

I agree.

[VeganEssentials]

I don't get sore in many places, but the things that have helped me in the areas that do are:

 

- plenty of warm-ups before getting in to heavy training. For example, for legs I'll do sets of box jumps to a 24" box, light leg presses (weight I could do for 100 reps, but just done for a few sets of 10-20), adductor/abductor machine done light, calf stretchout on the leg press for 60 seconds at a full stretch (highly recommended by some top trainers for loosening up for heavy leg work) and roll out on a 6" foam roller for my glutes, hamstrings, IT bands and quads. That's what I'll do before I even start squatting with an empty bar, because I realize now that it's important to be properly warmed up to get the most out of my session for major body parts.

 

- mild stretching during training once the heavy sets start up. Again, using legs as an example, once I'm at my top weight sets I'll do a few quick 5-10 second stretches for toe touches and quad stretches. No bouncing, no long periods of time, just a few seconds on each leg in each position as it makes me feel better during my heavy sets.

 

- a bit more mild stretching post-session, and more rolling out on a foam roller using legs as an example once more.

 

I've been doing this for my last few leg workouts, and I can safely say, I have nearly zero residual soreness the following days. It used to be that I was walking bow-legged after leg workouts for up to 2 days afterward, now, with a bit of stretching, good warm-ups and rolling out, I no longer get leg cramps post-workout, have nearly no soreness, and find that I feel recovered and refreshed more quickly.

 

Other body parts don't offer as much of an ability to warm up and stretch them as well as legs do, but for other tricks on smaller parts, there are still things you can do. If you can get anyone to massage you post-workout, that would be a big help that would replace the rolling out. Also, contrast showers are supposed to help some people quite a bit - basically, in the shower you'll want to blast the trained area with cold water for maybe 10 seconds, then warm water for a bit, and repeat for maybe 3-5 minutes on the area. Some people swear by it, so it's worth a shot!

[Im Your Man]

Making a statement like "don't stretch after work out", with no reasons to back it up makes no sense.

I agree.

I agree, and making this statement w/ no reasons to back it up too :

There is absolutely nothing wrong with stretching after a work out!

You can do other things to " relaxes and elongates the muscles, and promotes circulation". Like massaging the muscles. Not stretch them ! They've already been stretched and torn and teared ! Like Gaïa said, lifting heavy loads creates microtears. By stretching the muscles before those microtears healed, you're tearing them even more, and it slows down recovery and grownt.

 

There's no benefits in stretching the muscles before the work out neither. Like Hilary said, it relaxes the muscles. Do you want to do meditation or an intense workout ? You need to warm up your muscles, with fast and repetivive movements like DaN said.

 

The best moments to stretch your muscles are before and after sleep. That way it's not too close to workout. When you wake up, follow the good examples of cats. And before sleep, it can help to relax and release tension in muscles. Or a good massage can have the same benefits.

[hilary wright]

Proper stretching using relaxation, breath and gravity to elongate the muscle will not further break down the muscle the way lifting or aerobic exercise does. Stretching, done improperly with force and/or bouncing can further damage the muscle, but will damage/tear them whenever done incorrectly, not just after working out . . . there is absolutely nothing wrong or damaging with stretching (properly) after a workout. The muscles are warm and ready to stretch. A focused, contemplative stretch session offers more benefits than a massage IMO. Although I am a firm believer in the wonderful benefits of massage (both self and by someone else), rolfing etc., I find a special mental clarity and heightened practical body awareness are gained by slow proper stretch sessions.

If you are bouncing, forcing or getting sore from stretching, you are doing it incorrectly and don't understand the dynamics behind proper stretching.

[sydneyvegan]

A few people have touched on Stretching before working out and static stretches, so here is a bit more about statitc stretching.

Apart from Lifting weights I also play Rugby, before a Rugby game we definitely don't do static stretches.

Studies on Rugby Players have shown that Static stretches can INCREASE injuries (particularly joint injuries) as well as reducing power and strength

We do dynamic stretching - Legs, shoulders, back, neck as well as pushing against other players in scrum drills.

We do static stretches after training and the game.

Dynamic stretching before lifting I think will help reduce soreness, a few light warm up sets, shoulder circles etc.

[Im Your Man]

Of course light stretching won't damage more the muscles then from the microtears caused by weightlifting. But stretching to full extension and for 1 minute may . You can semi-stretch your muscles after a weight lift session.

In the morning I like to extend my muscles as far as I can. That's how I improve day after day my flexibility.

[DaN]

Some good points being made.

 

To avoid soreness it takes alot of factors, that have all been mentioned.

 

Good light weight warmups, a good workout, followed by a good diet, & crucially a good rest period.During the rest period, some light stretching & warm baths will help.

 

If you keep getting soreness you need to check & check again that you are getting all of these.

 

Good luck!

[hilary wright]

There is also nothing wrong with doing a full body stretch to full extension after a workout . . . this done properly will not damage the muscle and helps me to stay flexible. This also keeps me from getting sore. Use proper technique with breath, relaxation, and gravity. Bouncing and forcing is not stretch. I also use gentle contractions and relaxation to flush the muscle. If you are damaging your muscles by stretching you are not doing it correctly. I choose not to limit myself as to when I can or cannot do a full stretch. To put paramaters on that is self limiting, just like saying you can only lift weights at 2:12 in the afternoon or else you will injure yourself. I come from a martial arts and professional dance background. We have always stretched before, during and after workouts with good results (notice I don't encourage full stretches as a substitute for a proper warmup) . . . of course we know how to do it properly without force. Dancers like Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev would do full barres and body stretches after performances to keep supple and to prevent soreness for their next day performance. Limiting oneself to a "light" or partial stretch after a workout is nonsense. Just don't approach stretching with the same dynamic as lifting.

[xphilx]

You can do other things to " relaxes and elongates the muscles, and promotes circulation". Like massaging the muscles. Not stretch them ! They've already been stretched and torn and teared ! Like Gaïa said, lifting heavy loads creates microtears. By stretching the muscles before those microtears healed, you're tearing them even more, and it slows down recovery and grownt.

 

There's no benefits in stretching the muscles before the work out neither. Like Hilary said, it relaxes the muscles. Do you want to do meditation or an intense workout ? You need to warm up your muscles, with fast and repetivive movements like DaN said.

 

that's exactly my point and the reason why i said that you shouldn't stretch after your work out. thanks!

 

a light stretching sessions after weight lifting could be okay i think (although it would be still kinda useless). and i have to add that a massage can slow down the recovery progress, too in the same way (hard) stretching does. but a light and slow massage can be helpful.

[hilary wright]

You can do other things to " relaxes and elongates the muscles, and promotes circulation". Like massaging the muscles. Not stretch them ! They've already been stretched and torn and teared ! Like Gaïa said, lifting heavy loads creates microtears. By stretching the muscles before those microtears healed, you're tearing them even more, and it slows down recovery and grownt.

 

There's no benefits in stretching the muscles before the work out neither. Like Hilary said, it relaxes the muscles. Do you want to do meditation or an intense workout ? You need to warm up your muscles, with fast and repetivive movements like DaN said.

 

that's exactly my point and the reason why i said that you shouldn't stretch after your work out. thanks!

 

a light stretching sessions after weight lifting could be okay i think (although it would be still kinda useless). and i have to add that a massage can slow down the recovery progress, too in the same way (hard) stretching does. but a light and slow massage can be helpful.

 

Total nonsense. . . you obviously have no idea how to stretch or the proper dynamics of stretching. But we did get a good laugh out of your theories while talking this over with a Washington Redskins trainer today, so thanks for the laugh.

[VeganEssentials]

that's exactly my point and the reason why i said that you shouldn't stretch after your work out. thanks!

 

a light stretching sessions after weight lifting could be okay i think (although it would be still kinda useless). and i have to add that a massage can slow down the recovery progress, too in the same way (hard) stretching does. but a light and slow massage can be helpful.

 

Actually, many athletes use massage as a recovery tool to great effect, and not just light massage. In many countries, it's quite common practice for athletes to receive some pretty deep massage after training, and these are for top level athletes. I don't think that there's much to back up that it will hinder your recover, as I've had a few massages after workouts, and they've only made me feel better a lot more quickly (and I always prefer deep tissue massage, not the light stuff).

[Im Your Man]

anyway, what's the purpose of light stretching ? stretch or don't stretch. Don't do things only halfway. Stretching after dancing or after kung fu classes is not the samething than stretching after a bodybuilding session. The muscles lifted a total of at least 2 000 kilos and surely don't want to be stretched like a washing line afterwards. It only wants to rest. Stretching is not resting; who sleeps with the body all stretched. Muscles are made of fibers, of course when there are microtears and you stretch your muscles those tears will stretch too and become larger. Make a small incision between your thumb and index, then open your hand as wide as you can; it will take longer to heal.

Perhaps I'm wrong, maybe there's no disadvantage of stretching right after lifting heavy loads repeatedly, but I really doubt there's benefits. I'm sure there's benefits to stretching though, but not after a weightlifting session; wait that it heals.

We don't ask to someone injured on a road to stretch right after the accident, you wait many days or weeks until convalescence and then stretching is part of the readaptation.