How to Handle Post Work out Soreness

One of the main reasons people give up their exercise routine is because of that uncomfortable post work out soreness. Although soreness can not be eliminated completely, post work out, it can be controlled as long as you follow proper recovery regime.

What happens during the recovery period? During exercise  muscles are subjected to forces that caused tiny tears in the muscle fibers. It is during the recovery period that the body repairs these fibers and builds new blood vessels to the stressed area.

However to insure that this process does occur the appropriate amount of rest and recovery is need. So here are some ways to get the rest and recovery necessary to both reduce soreness and enhance your fitness:

#1 - Nutrition
Immediately after a workout, you have a maximum of about two hours, to most efficiently absorb what you eat as energy and repair fuel. If you do not eat, you may not have enough carbohydrate energy for your next workout, you will certainly not have the protein you need to repair muscles, and you will not have enough healthy fat for your hormones and joints. Try a bowl of quinoa or brown rice with chicken, a protein smoothie with whey protein powder, or cottage cheese and a banana

#2 - Hydration
Your muscle cells need water to recover so hydration is the key.  One should aim to drink  20-24oz  of water for each hour of exercise.   A time on honored trick to tell if you are well hydrated, is your urine should be light yellow or clear in color, a couple of hours post work out. If it is dark yellow, then you are not hydrated properly.

#3 - Compression
Performing a brief cool-down after a workout helps contracting muscles milk out excess soreness-generating fluids.  A foam roller can not only help to move inflammatory fluids out of the muscle, but also can remove adhesions and sore or tight spots from the worked muscles. If possible, use a foam roller once a week (or after every strenuous workout) and schedule a massage once a month. Here are some exercise videos on foam rolling.

#4 - Stretching
 A light stretch after a work out can help with the circulation of blood in and out of  stressed body parts, which will improve the speed of recovery. Proper circulation will remove the muscle bi products and bring proper nutrition to the area.



#5 -Epsom salt baths

Bathing in a warm bath for 10-to-20 minutes with 200-to-400 grams of Epsom salt , will aid in relaxing your sore muscles, decrease inflammation by increasing the blood flow to the stressed body part and as an added bonus… Epsom salt baths also prevents bloating helping you get a flatter stomach.  If bathing is not your thing, you can soak a rag in warm water with Epsom salt added and then place the warm rag over the sore muscle, which will also help reduce muscle soreness.


Excessive soreness is generally an indication that you either increased  intensity far too quickly in your exercise routine, or that you did not recover properly. But there is no reason that getting fit should be painful.   Try to these the techniques describe above to decrease the length and intensity of soreness that you feel post work out.