6 Practical Tips to Eliminate Soreness
Although there are many reasons why getting fit is a smart idea, one motive shared by many people is that they want to feel and function better. This tends to be something that occurs as your fitness develops. However, if you are working out multiple times per week and end up spending most of the week very sore, then that can seem counter-productive to our goal of feeling better.
If you are tired of feeling so beat up after each workout and want something to take the edge off, then you are in luck finding this article. In the following, we’ll talk about the 6 tips and tricks that will deliver the biggest bang for your buck in terms of beating soreness after working out.
Eat protein, a lot of it
When we want to expedite the feeling of being sore, we are essentially talking about expediting the process of recovery. To do this, we want to create as optimal of an environment as possible for our muscles to recover. One of the most effective ways to do this is to eat protein, and a lot of it.
Just how much protein are we talking about, though? Research shows that for most people eating around 1.6 grams of protein for every kilogram that they weigh is best [8]. That means someone who weighs 100 pounds should eat ~72 grams of protein per day; someone who weighs 150 pounds should eat ~109 grams of protein per day; and someone who weighs 200 pounds should eat ~144 grams of protein per day. Eating more than this isn’t bad or harmful in any way, it’s just that when you eat more than 1.8 g/kg bodyweight there isn’t really any greater benefit.
Apart from the amount of protein you eat, there are two more factors of protein intake that can be helpful. The first of which is that animal protein seems to be more effective at improving recovery and decreasing perceived soreness than plant protein [4,5]. You can still absolutely build muscle with plant protein, however you likely just need to eat more plant protein to have the same effect relative to animal protein.
The second factor is that consuming some protein before you go to bed seems to have a beneficial effect as well [6]. Costa et al. ran a study where they had participants either drink protein or a non-caloric control drink before going to sleep. All diets were equated for overall protein intake. They found that those who drank protein before going to bed reported less soreness the day after than those who did not.
Related: What’s the Best Type of Protein Powder?
Related: 5 Protein Snacks Everyone Should Know About
Get enough sleep each night
This is the one tip that’s obvious and no one wants to hear. Nevertheless, it makes a big difference- so it’s worthwhile to bring up here.
Research has repeatedly shown that people who sleep less have worse performances and worsened recovery [7]. Edgar et al. found that their subjects who slept less than 6 hours and 15 minutes had markedly worse performance and recovery than those who slept more than 6 hours and 15 minutes.
Now, this isn’t necessarily to say that 6 hours and 15 minutes is the sleep sweet spot and that’s all everyone needs. How much sleep one person needs each night is likely different than the needs of another person.
Most people will do best with nightly sleep durations between 7-9 hours. In addition, it’s helpful to go to bed and wake up at a similar time each day. This will teach your body when to naturally wind down, when to naturally wake up, and you should just feel more alert overall through the day.
Don’t change your workouts up too much
There are many proposed mechanisms for what causes soreness. However, one agreed upon cause is exposure to a new stimulus [9]. In other words, trying out an entirely different workout.
Many people make the mistake of doing a different routine every time they go to train a muscle group. Not only is this not a great idea to make progress, but it will also leave you feeling much sorer than you need to be. If you stick to the same program for a period of time (at least a month) you’ll likely see more progress as well as feel better after each workout.
Active recovery
Incorporating some active recovery into your routine can be one of the easiest, effective, and most cost-efficient practices to improve recovery and be rid of soreness [1,2,3]. The best part about this is that it does not have to be some fancy routine with special flexibility or mobility movements. It can literally be as easy as going for a walk.
The reason why this works is really quite simple. When we do high intensity exercise, a compound called lactic acid builds up in our muscles. The presence of this compound can contribute to the feeling of soreness and the rate of recovery we experience. When we do low intensity exercise, our bodies can actually use the lactic acid for energy; therefore, clearing it out.
In practice, you can add active recovery in really whenever you want. Some of the most practical times to add it in are immediately after a training session and on your rest days.
Massage/foam rolling
This one might not be a surprise, as there is normally a feeling of relaxation following a good massage. In a meta-analysis done by Dupuy et al., it was found that a massage immediately following or up to 2 hours post-exercise greatly decreased perceived soreness [1]. Though, there is still a problem here. Getting a massage after every workout isn’t the most practical piece of advice in the world. This is where a foam roller can come in handy. Using these can deliver a similar stimulus as a true massage at a massive fraction of the cost.
Something else to keep in mind with massages and foam rolling is that they likely are not going to actually increase the rate of recovery from exercise. Rather, they will just help to diminish the feeling of pain and soreness that is likely to show up after intense training. Therefore, it can be a helpful to feel a little less beat up the next day or two, however, you shouldn’t necessarily expect to train any sooner as a result of a massage or foam rolling.
Compression garments
Wearing compression clothing is another tactic that seems to improve soreness and overall wellbeing following exercise. There are many reviews and meta-analyses to suggest this [1,2,3].
The proposed mechanism why is similar to that from a massage or a foam roller. The compression on your body promotes greater blood flow in the area. This greater blood flow results in more nutrients being deposited to the recovering area; and soreness is ultimately decreased as a result.
However, you should still keep in mind that compression garments will likely not actually increase the rate of true recovery. Similar to massages and foam rolling, this will most likely only decrease the perception of pain and soreness following exercise, but not have a significant effect on overall recovery.
Of all the soreness-reducing tips out there, this is one of the easiest. After all, it really only entails wearing a different piece of clothing than you normally do.
References
An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
PubMed ID: 29755363
Delayed onset muscle soreness : treatment strategies and performance factors
PubMed ID: 12617692
Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) - Part II: Treatment and Prevention
PubMed ID: 30865998
Effects of Whey and Pea Protein Supplementation on Post-Eccentric Exercise Muscle Damage: A Randomized Trial
PubMed ID: 32784847
Effects of protein supplements on muscle damage, soreness and recovery of muscle function and physical performance: a systematic review
PubMed ID: 24435468
The Acute Effects of a Relative Dose of Pre-Sleep Protein on Recovery Following Evening Resistance Exercise in Active Young Men
PubMed ID: 33810526
Sleep duration and physical performance during a 6-week military training course
PubMed ID: 34031933
The short-term effect of high versus moderate protein intake on recovery after strength training in resistance-trained individuals
PubMed ID: 29200983
Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and Diagnostics
PubMed ID: 30537791
