Muscle Soreness Prevention

Super sore after a crazy workout? Here are 8 ways to prevent Delayed-Onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Go hard and get results.

1. Stretch. Stretching is your first line of defense before and after a good workout. “When you train, you contract the muscles, and the muscle fibers get shorter,” says Steve Edwards, Vice President of Fitness and Nutrition at Beachbody®. “Lengthening them after a workout promotes mobility, and can lead to a more thorough recovery.”

2. Eat for rapid recovery. Make sure to get enough healthy proteins (fish, skinless chicken, lean red meat > or = to 95%), carbs (sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans), and fats (avocado, raw nuts, hummus), which play important roles in repairing and maintaining muscles. Beyond that, consider strategically-timed protein supplementation. After working out and bedtime is when muscle repair increases. Post workout -scoop of Beachbody Performance Recover (delicious!) and a scoop of Beachbody PerformanceRecharge before sleep assures your body access to amino acids. “Amino acids are your body’s building blocks,” explains Beachbody’s Director of Nutrition Content, Denis Faye, “consuming them at the right times assures they’ll be there when you need them.”

3. Ice it. Immediately after a tough workout, ice your muscles to reduce inflammation. “Inflammation is one of nature’s defense mechanisms, but it works like a cast—it immobilizes you,” Edwards says. “When you keep inflammation down, that area is free to keep moving, and movement promotes healing.” Icy Hot works for me!

4. Change your diet. Add foods that contain anti-inflammatory properties and that are rich in omega-3s (salmon, free-range meat, flax seed, avocado, walnuts). Drink plenty of water! You should be drinking half your body weight in ounces per day. 

5. Massage your sore spots. Myofascial release is a popular massage. You can also use a foam roller for a “do-it-yourself” massage. There are many types of foam rollers, but the grid foam roller is my favorite. BUT before you foam roll, rehydrate and wait for your heart rate to be back to normal. “When your muscles are hot and loaded with lactic acid, you might make it worse,” Edwards says. If you’re unsure on how to use a foam roller, Pinterest and YouTube can show you.

6. Get heated. Icing works great immediately after a workout; heat, however, works when your muscles have returned to their resting temperature. If you heat your muscles immediately after your beast mode of a workout, your already-damaged muscles can be aggravated and more inflamed. Edward says “Heat increases circulation, especially focused heat in a Jacuzzi, where you can hit areas like joints that don’t normally get a lot of circulation…when your body heat is already high and you have a lot of muscle breakdown, sitting in a hot tub with the jets would be counter intuitive.”

7. Move it. Don’t skip your workout! (Unless of course your pain is from injury-not muscle soreness.) Skipping your workouts until your soreness has gone away, will just create the cycle all over again. Keep your body circulated-just don’t overdo it. “Active recovery” is low-intensity exercise that gets your blood flowing without taxing your muscles. What qualifies as low-intensity? It depends on your typical workout. But, Edwards says, the easiest way to engage in active recovery is to exert around 50% of your max effort, and keep your heart rate below 140 bpm or so. Most Beachbody workout programs include a recovery workout, but if yours doesn’t, a gentle yoga class or going on an easy hike are good options. PiYo is one of my favorite fitness programs-you stretch and strengthen at the same time.

8. Pop a painkiller.—if you MUST. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen can relieve pain, but many experts aren’t sure if they’re worth the risk. “A lot of athletes call it ‘Vitamin I,’” Edwards says. But he cautions that NSAIDs can cause nasty side effects and accelerate muscle breakdown. “The only time they might help is if you’re in so much pain that you can’t do low-level exercise—you can’t get off the couch,” Edwards says. In that case, meds might help, but be careful not to overdo it—because if you’re not feeling pain, you may push too hard and cause an injury. I like drinking honey lavender or chamomile tea! It relieves my tension.

Reference: http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/fitness/recovery-done-right-8-ways-prevent-muscle-soreness