After a hard workout, it’s not unusual to have a few sore muscles for a day or two. The reason: Muscles develop tiny tears when they are worked hard. Those micro-tears lead to inflammation, which causes the muscles to get sore.
If your muscles are excessively sore, here are a few tips to help get you back to the gym as quickly as possible.
1 – Rest.
When you have sore muscles, your body is saying to you “Leave me alone so I can heal or else I’ll cause you pain.” So listen to your body and give those muscles 24 hours of downtime. Rest does wonders for soreness.
2 – Get a massage.
A good massage that targets your sore muscles will help reduce the inflammation that causes the soreness. Research shows that massage can increase the amount of mitochondria in your muscle. Mitochondria are important because they manage the energy supply to each of our cells. When you have more of it, your muscles heal faster.
3 – Get a foam-roller massage.
A foam roller is a great way to give yourself a healing massage. The roller allows you to work deep into the muscle tissue to get more mitochondria onboard.
4 – Ice.
Icing after a strenuous workout will help reduce the inflammation that leads to soreness.
5 – Over-the-counter drugs.
If your muscle soreness interferes with your daily routines, consider using an anti-inflammatory drug such as Ibuprofen. It can help reduce inflammation and pain.
6 – Think hydration.
An easy way to minimize muscle soreness is to make sure you are well hydrated before, during????, and after a workout. And when you properly hydrated, you’ll also be less likely to develop muscle cramps, too.
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