Dominic Stone
Muscle soreness is a common consequence of exercising. While it is a normal and healthy response to working out, it can be uncomfortable and get in the way of your fitness goals. The good news is that there are many ways to repair and prevent sore muscles. From warming up and cooling down properly, to getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, you can actively support your body's natural recovery process. In addition, you can try active recovery exercises, compression garments, and anti-inflammatory foods to speed up your body's healing process.
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What You'll Learn
Sleep and rest
To enhance sleep and promote muscle recovery, it is important to create a conducive sleep environment and develop good pre-sleep habits. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, is essential for facilitating sound sleep. Additionally, it is advisable to put away electronic devices like phones well before bedtime.
If you are experiencing muscle soreness or an injury, such as an intercostal muscle strain, proper positioning during sleep is crucial to keep your upper body aligned and supported. Using pillows to relieve pressure from the injured area and practising deep breathing can aid in managing pain and improving sleep quality. For intercostal muscle strains, keeping the spine properly aligned and the torso in a neutral position is recommended to prevent unwanted twisting or added weight on the injury. Elevating the upper body with pillows or an adjustable base during the initial days of recovery may also provide comfort.
While complete rest is essential for muscle recovery, it is important to note that gentle movements and light activities can aid in reducing soreness. Restorative yoga, easy walking, swimming, or cycling are recommended to get the blood flowing to the sore muscles, delivering oxygen and nutrients necessary for repair without causing further damage.
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Active recovery exercises
- Walking is one of the best forms of active recovery. It enhances blood flow and helps with recovery. Even a few minutes of walking the day after a tough workout can promote circulation and reduce stiffness and soreness.
- Swimming is a low-impact exercise that is easy on your joints and muscles. It is an excellent active recovery exercise, with one study finding that triathletes who followed a HIIT session with a swim performed better the next day.
- Cycling at a leisurely pace is another low-impact active recovery exercise. It can be done on a stationary bike or a bicycle outdoors and does not put pressure on your joints.
- Yoga, especially slow-paced disciplines like yin yoga, is great for active recovery. It can refresh you mentally and psychologically while aiding your physical recovery.
- Light resistance training can be done as an active recovery exercise. This includes weight training with decreased weight and repetitions.
- Stretching is another active recovery exercise that can be done on its own or in combination with foam rolling. Stretching circulates blood away from your muscles and back to your heart to aid in recovery.
- Foam rolling combines the benefits of exercise and massage. It can be uncomfortable, so beginners should start small and avoid applying pressure to bones and joints.
It is important to note that active recovery exercises should be done at your own pace, based on what feels like recovery to you. They should not be too challenging, and you should not be working at maximum effort.
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Anti-inflammatory foods and supplements
Inflammation can slow down the process of muscle recovery and regeneration. Therefore, consuming anti-inflammatory foods and supplements can help speed up recovery and reduce muscle soreness.
Anti-inflammatory foods
Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which are substances that prevent or delay cell damage and reduce inflammation. Some of the best sources of antioxidants include berries, especially blueberries, as well as red and yellow bell peppers, dark leafy greens, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes, and papaya.
Magnesium is another nutrient that can help decrease inflammation. Magnesium can be found in many foods, such as spinach, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, bananas, and dark chocolate.
Other anti-inflammatory foods include fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, and soybeans. These foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and promote muscle recovery.
In addition, garlic, ginger, pineapple, and turmeric are common foods and spices with high levels of anti-inflammatory compounds.
Anti-inflammatory supplements
If your diet is lacking in nutrients and antioxidants, supplements may help reduce inflammation. It is important to buy supplements from reputable manufacturers and follow the dosage instructions on the packaging.
Fish oil supplements, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, have been shown to reduce inflammation and promote muscle recovery. However, they may cause side effects such as fishy burps, bad breath, and gastrointestinal upset.
Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has been shown to decrease inflammation in various conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Green tea extract supplements, which contain EGCG, can also help prevent oxidative damage to cells and reduce inflammation. However, these supplements typically contain caffeine unless labeled otherwise.
Other supplements that may help with inflammation include vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and pineapple juice or capsules.
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Compression garments
Firstly, compression garments may reduce muscle damage. A biomarker of muscle damage called creatine kinase (CK) has been shown to be reduced after exercise when compression garments are worn. When CK levels are reduced, recovery time is improved due to the increased elimination of waste metabolites and the repair of muscle tissues.
Secondly, compression garments can reduce pain and inflammation. When it comes to inflammatory responses, compression garments can reduce both pain and inflammation after a workout. The results of two meta-analyses showed that compression garment use decreases post-workout leg soreness, muscle fatigue, and muscle damage from exercise.
Thirdly, compression garments can decrease soreness and fatigue. Compression likely reduces muscle oscillatory properties and has a positive effect on sensorimotor systems. Compression garments increase localized skin temperature and may reduce perceptions of muscle soreness and pain following exercise.
It is important to note that there is a breadth of research on exercise and compression garments, and while they are generally thought to be beneficial, the mechanisms and individual responses to their use are still unknown. The selection of a compression garment should be based on the type of exercise and the specific body parts that require recovery. For example, if you engage in running and cycling, a lower-body compression garment such as compression socks or running leggings would be suitable. If you experience soreness in a specific body part, such as your calves, selecting a sleeve for that area can be beneficial. Additionally, consider the type of exercise you perform, as some activities like weightlifting and yoga may require more flexible compression garments.
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Hydration and nutrition
Adequate hydration and nutrition are key to muscle recovery. When your body is well-hydrated, the building blocks for muscle repair are delivered efficiently to the damaged fibres, speeding up recovery. Water also helps to remove metabolic waste like lactic acid from your muscles, reducing muscle soreness and fatigue.
It is recommended that people drink 1.5 litres of water for every kg lost during exercise. This equates to roughly 3 cups of fluid for every pound lost. You can also try drinking fresh coconut water or an electrolyte drink following your workout to ward off dehydration, which can make muscle stiffness worse.
In addition to water, your body also needs the right nutrition to repair muscle soreness. A healthy diet, focusing on carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, is essential for muscle recovery. For example, fatty fish like salmon are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce muscle pain and soreness due to their anti-inflammatory properties. A 2020 review also found that consuming casein, the protein found primarily in cottage cheese, 30 minutes before bedtime helped speed up muscle recovery.
Certain supplements can also help enhance repair, but only when the foundation of energy, macronutrients, hydration, and timing is covered. For example, bromelain, curcumin, fish oil, and collagen are all supplements that can aid in muscle repair and reduce inflammation.
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Frequently asked questions
Getting enough sleep is critical for muscle recovery. Nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, for example, increases protein synthesis, which is needed to repair damaged muscles. Aim to score at least seven hours of sleep, as recommended by the Sleep Foundation.
Active recovery exercises are a good way to repair muscle soreness. This includes low-intensity exercises like yoga, swimming, or foam rolling. Active recovery works by increasing blood flow to the muscles and joints, which takes away toxins and brings in fresh nutrients for healing.
Yes, eating something containing both carbohydrates and protein is a good idea after a workout. Consuming milk, yogurt, or a peanut butter sandwich within two hours after your workout can help your muscles recover and restore lost glycogen.
