Muscle pain after training is a common occurrence, especially after long periods without training. We advise you, after returning from vacation, to start exercising slowly and not overload your body. If you still happen to feel muscle pain after the first few workouts, we have a few tips for your faster recovery!
Continue with a light activity
Activity such as walking is recommended because the activity stimulates circulation, improving blood flow throughout the body. This doesn’t mean you should go back to a regular way of exercising – we’re talking about light activities, like going for a walk or cycling. If you feel ready, try to do a very light strength training. We’re talking super-light workouts here because you don’t want to do even more damage to muscle fibers. Experts suggest using only 25% to 50% of the weight you would otherwise use or exercising with body weight.
Drink plenty of water
Although this has become universal advice for everything, fluid intake is very important for muscle recovery after a workout. Scientists say that if dehydration increases pain, then increased hydration levels may decrease it. The main theory here is that water helps flush waste products out of the body. When muscles tear, they release waste products and toxins that need to be filtered out of the body, and these substances are associated with increased pain.
Do a light stretching
Again, the keyword is light.Stretching can be a great way to relieve tension and increase range of motion while in pain – this can make you feel better, although stretching doesn’t actually heal tears in your muscles and doesn’t speed up the recovery process itself.
Get your protein in
Protein is a key nutrient for building and maintaining muscle and therefore plays an important role in the recovery of your muscles after a hard workout. Although you should eat enough protein at all times to prevent recurrent or prolonged pain during exercise, it can still be helpful to eat enough protein during muscle inflammation. Protein intake tends to vary, but people who exercise should ingest about 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For an active person who weighs 150 pounds, that’s about 95 to 136 grams a day, divided between all meals.
Most important of all – listen to your body! Sometimes it is better to prevent than to treat, so do not force your body during the training and allow it to return to its usual training routine.
Your Gyms4you team
