There is a somewhat common misconception that muscle soreness is a sign of a really good
workout. While it can be, there are a number of factors that go in to this. The truth is that sore
muscles and a “good” workout, don’t necessarily go hand in hand. It can sometimes mean that
you pushed yourself too hard or that you are doing new exercises.
There are a number of things that you can do to help prevent muscles soreness, but also to deal
with it once you have delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Here are trainer Keri’s top 7 recommendations for preventing or alleviating muscle soreness:
1. Drink LOTS of water. And by LOTS, I mean, get a gallon for each day of the week and drink it
all!! I go to the store usually on Sunday, I buy 7 gallon jugs. I thought I was drinking a gallon
before I started buying them. Then soon realized a day in to drinking the full gallon, I wasn’t
getting anywhere close!
2. Stretch – as much as you can and as often as you can. Try to make time to stretch after your
workouts. When we workout we shorten our muscle fibers by contracting them. It is super
important to lengthen them after a good workout.
3. Foam roll – you can get one on Amazon, or we do have one at the gym. Super important to
make sure you are foam rolling correctly though. You should start at the distal end of your
muscle and roll to the proximal end. Distal = further away from your trunk. Proximal = closer to
your trunk. There are many great articles and YouTube videos on how to foam roll, please
research before getting started.
4. Yoga – add some yoga in to your weekly routine. Use that as an active recovery day midweek
if you are feeling overly sore on Wednesday or Thursday. This is also a great thing to do on
Saturdays or Sundays.
5. Get a massage!
6. Recover drink – add a recover drink in to your daily or almost daily regimen. We have a
recover drink at the gym made by AMPD. My recommendation with this is to use the maximum
amount of water it suggests (either 16 or 20 oz). It tastes way better with the full amount of
water.
7. The number 1 most important rule, KEEP MOVING! It is super important when trying to
alleviate soreness to keep moving. Get a nice long walk in. Go for an easy jog. Just something
to get blood pumping to those sore areas.