No Pain, No Gain?

After a grueling night in the gym, I woke up this morning to aches and pains in muscles I didn’t even know existed. As I was shuffling around my room like a ninety year-old woman, I wondered, should I being feeling this way?

Here’s the facts:

Soreness is natural.
When you exert your muscles in any way, whether it’s in the gym or simply doing everyday housework, tiny tears form in your muscle tissue. It sounds bad, but it happens every day. Your body responds by repairing these microscopic tears and building stronger muscle tissue in its place. This is how athletes build muscle mass.

You can help prevent muscle soreness.

1. Stretching before working out is an important way to prevent muscle injury. Loose muscle
are more pliable and less likely to tear.

2. Warm up and Cool down!!

3. Stay hydrated.

4. It’s also important to create a workout plan before you go to the gym. Working specific
muscle groups on an alternating schedule gives your body more time to repair itself.

Here’s an example:
Monday-Upper Body
Tuesday-Lower Body
Wednesday-Abs and core training
Thursday- Upper Body
Friday- Lower Body

Giving your muscles one or two days to rest will help build stronger muscles without the risk of overexertion. And as an added bonus, it keeps working out interesting. I know how easy it is it get bored without your workout routine.

5. Don’t forget that stretching after a workout is just as important. During a hard workout,
lactic acid builds up in your muscles. In short, your body responds to a lack of oxygen by
producing a chemical which unfortunately has the nasty side effect of causing sore muscles.
Stretching helps push the acid through your muscles and release some of the pain.

Often times, however, sore muscles simply cannot be prevented. Icing the pained area and taking an anti-inflammatory such as Tylenol can help reduce discomfort and get you moving again. For a complete list of tips on how to get rid of sore muscles visit the linked page. And please post your own ideas, my aching muscles will thank you.