Sore muscles after exercise, can I do anything to speed up recovery time?

[MILWJ]

Other than steroids! I have a love/hate relationship with sore muscles the day after exercising. It feels so good to stretch and feel the pain but it also gets annoying real fast... because I want to start exercising again and I can't! Usually I just stretch, drink lots of water and eat nutritious foods so that my body can recover. I'm wondering if there is anything else that can help? Will getting a massage help? Or do I just have to be patient and wait for it to go away on its own?

[WeaponZero]

There are certain supplements you can take that expedite muscle recovery. These include:

Post workout protein shake mixes that contain glutamine or creatine (creatine in particular I would advise against because it must be taken daily to have any effect and causes water retention)

Pre workout supplements (most of which also contain creatine unfortunately)

Branch Chain Amino Acids

Timing your carb intake can also help. Within an hour of completing your workout, you should eat a meal that contains primarily fast digesting carbohydrates (most readily found in fruits, but also found in grains and sugars) and fast digesting protein (found in red meats and whey protein shake mixes). A ratio of 2g carbs for every 1g protein is ideal. So like 30g carb plus 15g protein.

A really really ghetto (but effective) way of achieving this ideal blend is:

Get vanilla whey protein powder (preferably one that contains added BCAAs and glutamine). Mix one serving of it with 2 servings of gatorade. You will end up with a drink that contains about 25g protein and 45g carbs, all fast digesting. If you pick the right gatorade flavor you end up with a nice fruit and cream flavor too. Chug about 1/3 of it 30 minutes prior to your workout. Save the rest until after your workout. Chug the other 2/3 of it within 30 minutes of completing your workout.

Sounds ghetto but it works.

[myspacemybroke]

Well that depends. Are you trying to get more than one workout that makes you muscles that sore in one day? Generally speaking working out once that intensely in a day is plenty enough. I know the tendency is "the more I workout the more results I'll get" well in some cases that is true, but if you overexert yourself you're just damaging your muscles and you won't see the results you want. Sore muscles to an extent are a good sign, but if it's so much so that you can't workout the next day (taking at least one day a week to rest) then you're overkilling it.

[shanarnia]

PIlates, yoga, plyometrics, are good workouts that help you with flexibilty as well. Certain workouts will stretch you and and feel great. You can also do a cardio warm up then stretch. It will be easier on the muscles to move and stretch out before you workout again because they're warmed up. You should always stretch after a workout as well.

[shanarnia]

Also, like many others have said; protein. Rebuilds and heals the muscle.

[madmisskelly]

Stretching is supposed to help.

However, just keep going and keep pushing, Eventually you're body will get into the groove of things and doing certain exercises won't hurt anymore. Once your body gets used to it and doing the activity doesn't require much effort, its time to switch it up, meaning more sore muscles.

[curiouschica]

Wait, in my experience, exercising the next day strangely helps ease the soreness. Does that not work for u? Yeah, keep up with the stretching for sure!

[MILWJ]

Hmm I've actually never tried that!

[curiouschica]

Well hopefully it'll work...

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

FOAM ROLL! Deep massage. Hot tub. Bubble baths and really anything that allows you relax to an extreme degree. Super relaxation = quicker recovery. They have this supplement, it's a deep sleep pill. Well very basically it allows you to sleep deeper (instead of being so sensitive to sounds, or waking up in the middle of the night) and well.. everyone knows deep sleep promotes faster recovery.

Recovery formulas are really good. Try muscle milk or muscle milk light. I've always liked it. Don't be fooled that they're just for guys. They're not gonna bulk you up. They just allow you to recover faster/better.

[jeremy20]

You may not be getting enough protein. When your muscles are under stress during exercise (whether lifting, cardio, etc.), your muscle cells die. When this happens, tiny microscopic tears appear in your muscles. Typically within 25-30 minutes after your exercise routine, your body begins the muscle rebuilding effort. To do that, it needs the necessary tool, mainly protein and amino acids.

Try drinking a protein shake or protein bar within 25ish minutes after your workout. It should at least help. You'll still be sore, just not as long.

If you're lifting and weight training and SERIOUS about it, look into a creatine shake. But do serious research on it first.

[Yeahhbro]

If you are too soared to work out next day then odds are you are working out too hard! Slow it down! lower your weight, maybe increase your reps! and you should be fine. The pain that should be enough that you can go up the stairs without much difficult, or enough to lift a box with relative weight without much pain or effort.

I play football (Soccer) so I work out my legs a lot! pretty much every day I am doing something with my legs, so I do need my muscles to get better but at the same time be ready for next day.

The best advice that you could give somebody when they are working out or playing sports is to listen to their body and adjust it accordingly. Push it, but don't over do it, pain and the ability to do normal tasks without much effort is a good indicator of how much you are overtarining your body.

[scar1]

whey or soy protein and/or glutamine. not only are they a well known tool for recovery I have personally notice a huge difference with one or 2 scoops of protein after (as in maybe 5 or 10 minutes after)

[martyfellow]

Extra Vitamin E helps some people with shortening the period of stiffness. A little alcohol, wine for example, seems to help me a little. But for the most part, you have to let nature take its course and not try to play tricks with your Mother...

[WoIIie]

Foam rolling is your best bet. Take in plenty of protein. Get a full night's rest.

[livi23]

Take an ice bath or a warm bath and get a massage :P

Or just wait it out. I know how that feels :\

[bioweapon154]

Try a hot shower after the workout. It helps to get any lactic acid buildup out and lets the muscles cool down. Give it maybe 15 minutes as hot as you can stand. Should help out a bit.

[rachiee]

Protein, a good nights sleep, ice, muscle milk, ibuprofen, bubble bath, and a nice massage usually does the trick for me.

[AshBrown]

Try a hot bath with some salt in the water. But honestly, the best way to get rid of the stiff pain is to continue the exercise regularly.

[Levin]

Your body is probably sending you a signal? Respect it, don't burn it out. Diversify your hobbies :P

[Anonymous]

fapping helps I think...it recovers your muscle faster its not healthy mind u

[MILWJ]

Psh of course it's healthy!

[Brando]

Time, time, and more time.

Oh, and rest.

[TedStar]

Glutamine always works for me

[SixStringSeal]

Creatine supplement. Cold Showers.

[PartyBoyJay]

Yoga always cures my achy muscles.

[Anonymous]

hot water shower or bath! with lavendar oil!

[kicks]

a hot bath shall do the trick

[Anonymous]

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