For Sore Muscles This Works Like Crazy

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For Sore Muscles This Works Like Crazy
As discussed in some previous articles, muscle soreness can
be caused by three hypothesis( muscle damage, tissue
damage, muscle spasms) resulting in cumulative micro trauma
resulting in some type of cellular damage. At times, this
can be the leading cause of overtraining and being
uncomfortable for a few days after training.

Continual cellular damage over and over to the point where
the body cannot recovery can result in overtraining.

Don't worry...

Here's a quick checklist for helping to reduce the amount
of muscle soreness you may experience. You can use one or
all of these the next time you feel a little too sore from
your last workout.

Phase 1 - Pre Training Recovery

Leg Elevation: Many of us stand or sit for long periods of
time before going to the gym and training. This is a less
than optimal condition because your overall circulation is
less than ideal. What you can do is 20-30 minutes before
you train, lay down with your feel against a wall or other
object and get the blood back to your upper body and heart.

You'll improve your circulation especially when you train
legs or your lower back.

If you want, you can take this opportunity to listen to
music or take a quick nap and begin the mental transition
into training.

Phase 2 - Recovery During Training

Rest Intervals Between Sets:

A great way to boost the intensity of any workout without
changing a single thing is to decrease the rest time
between sets. You'll instantly get more work done in less
time. If you feel that the intensity is too high, you can
increase the time between sets and help reduce the build up
of lactic acid as well. The time you take to rest between
sets has a significant impact on your next set as well as
future performance.

Movement Between Sets:

Just think about it. It's like a warm up and cool down all
over again but between the sets. Most people understand
the importance of warming up before lifting weights. They
also know about a proper cool down after working out.

But did you know that you can use those sample principles
on a minute level in between your sets?

This movement not only serves as a 'transition' between an
all out effort and recovery but it aids in better
circulation and helps reduce the swelling of muscular
tissues.

Periodization:

Remember that soreness can be caused by a few hypothesis
(tissue damage, muscle damage, spasms). But did you stop
to think that if you keep on training "heavy" you just keep
on damaging the muscle at a micro level over and over
without a change to recover?

Incorporating a light day or week into your training can
help flush the area with new blood, reduce the formation of
scar tissue and flush waste from the area.

Planning these type of workouts in your training program
will speed up the time needed to recover as well as add
variety to your program which in turn provides overall
recovery.

Phase 3 - Post Training Recovery

My strong hunch is that most people will be unable to avoid
soreness at some point and seek treatment.

So that's why there's a few ways you can help reduce the
severity of soreness during your training as well as aid in
the recovery process after your training.

Contrast Showers:

Done on your lumbar area, this involves using short bursts
of hot and cold water to improve the circulation. You can
further stretch during this time to flush new blood to the
area.

Post Workout Nutrition:

Needless to say...

After your workout your body is in a prime time to devour
nutrients. This is an ideal time to give it the protein it
needs with the carbohydrates for energy recovery.

You see, if muscle soreness is caused by micro trauma
resulting in cellular damage then obviously you want to
give your body plenty of materials quickly to repair itself.

Proper post workout nutrition can reduce the amount of
soreness you can experience.

Therapeutic Modulaities:

This can encompass such things as massage, sauna,
whirlpool, chiropractic adjustments, acupressure and others
are among the more popular therapeutic modalities. Make no
mistake....

Recovery really begins when you leave the gym. Depending
on factors such as your level of fitness, age, medical
conditions, you may be wise to use some or all of these
post workout recovery methods to speed up overall recovery.

There's no magic formula per se but anything you can do to
help speed the recovery process will result in less
muscular discomfort and quicker recovery for the next
workout.

Have you heard that 90% gym-goers overtrain 90% of the time?

Could it be that simply "under-recovered" and could easily
stand to train more if only they could recover quicker?

Sleep:

While there is not a set number of hours you need to sleep
as that depends on the individuals schedule, personal
preferences and level of stress it's still clear that sleep
is vital to recovery.

This is the time your body repairs all that micro trauma.

If you aren't getting enough quality sleep, it can affect
your overall recovery and body's ability to repair itself.
That can lead to prolonged muscle soreness. The amount of
sleep each person needs will vary.

Make no mistake about muscle soreness...

It's uncomfortable!

But using any or all of the above recovery methods you can
significantly reduce the duration of muscle soreness.

More important than that...

Create a periodized program that helps to keep your body in
a state of recovery and avoid overtraining.

----------------------------------------------------
Marc David is a bodybuilder and author of the, Beginner's
Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding. You can get info on
Marc's e-book at: http://www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com To
get Marc's free e-zine, visit http://www.justaskmarc.com

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