12 Useful Tips to Relieve Sore Muscles After a Workout

How do you feel after intense training? Ever wonder how to relieve sore muscles after a workout? Stick around and learn ways to alleviate soreness. 

Did you know that when you exercise you are damaging your muscles’ fibers? 

It is the damage that triggers the body to rebuild the fibers stronger than before - a process called muscle hypertrophy. 

Therefore, it is the rebuilding process that causes some inflammation and aches.

Under what circumstances are sore muscles caused?

Let’s start with the worst-case scenario. Severe muscle soreness is related to tension, stress, overuse, and minor injuries. 

Is your pain spread throughout the body? Systemic muscle pain is often the result of an infection, illness, or side effect of a medication. 

Now, there are two types of muscle soreness. From which one are you recovering? 

1. Acute Muscle Soreness (AMS) is an immediate muscle soreness response that resolves quickly. Within a minute of muscle contraction, you may feel soreness. The sensation will disappear in a few minutes or up to several hours after relaxing it. 

Two causes are associated with acute muscle soreness. 

• Muscle cells accumulate the chemicals - lactic acid & H+ - produced by exercise. 
• Muscle fatigue. 

2. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

Nothing like that burning, aching feel when you get up, sneeze, or go up & down the stairs. Your body movements provoke soreness whenever you stretch, contract, or put your muscle under pressure. 

The tenderness characteristic of DOMS is referred to as muscular mechanical hyperalgesia too. 

Although there are variances in the type of exercise and the individual’s condition, the soreness intensity typically rises in the first 24 hours after working out. Peaking ache is from 24 to 72 hours. Afterward, the sensation subsides and drops seven days following the exercise. 

Not all exercises lead to soreness! 

There are three types of exercising: eccentric, isometric, and concentric. 

• Eccentric is the lengthening contractions of the muscle. Imagine your arm extended at a 180-degree angle and pulling up the dumbbell. 
• Isometric are static exercises that cause less soreness. Think of having your arm at a 90-degree angle. 
• Concentric consists of shortening exercises that cause nearly none. Picture your arm at an acute angle.

what helps sore muscles after a workout?

1. Eat anti-inflammatory foods

Some evidence suggests relief from muscle soreness by eating antioxidant-rich foods. 

2. Take antioxidants supplements

Consuming natural ingredients high in antioxidants with anti-inflammatory features can reduce the pain of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and encourage a faster recovery. 

• Curcumin
• Fish oil
• Omega-3 fatty acids

3. Rub some arnica ointment

Get yourself an arnica cream to relieve aches and inflammation. Arnica has been a natural remedy for muscle soreness for quite some time. Learn the benefits of arnica for skin.

4. Heat therapy

Hit the showers after sweating! Besides cleansing your body, having a warm bath can soothe the delayed onset of muscle soreness. 

Other ways to apply heat therapy? Warming damp towels or wet heating pads. 

5. Epsom Bath Salt 

Complement your bath with a chemical compound made of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. 

As you soak, these particles dissolve in the water and can be absorbed through the skin, providing magnesium and sulfates - to serve essential body functions. 

Sounds bizarre? The reputation of Epsom bath salts is anecdotal - insufficient research hasn’t backed it. 

On the other hand, oral supplements of magnesium are more beneficial. 

6. Cold therapy

After the heat comes the chill, switch to cold pressures. Cold baths or showers sound frightful but allowing your body to drench can help reduce swelling and nerve activity.  

If wetting in the freeze is too much, apply an ice pack or a bag of frozen goodies. 

7. Foam roll

Self-massage to relieve sore muscles. It may also help with muscle fatigue and flexibility. 

Do these by placing the roller underneath the sore muscle and passing your body over it. 

8. Ask for a massage

If buying a foam roller seems too much, ask kindly for someone to alleviate the pain. 

9. Pressure garments

Compressing your muscles in place increases blood flow for a rapid recovery. Wear them for 24 hours after your training. 

10. More Exercising!

Don’t feel discouraged by the muscle soreness. It is a natural response that allows your body to accustom to the workout. After enduring, it won’t happen unless you upgrade intensity & duration or change your routine. 

11. Take it slow & cool down

Return your breathing and heart rate to normal by walking or try the yoga pose - Savasana (Corpse Pose). Consisting in only laying on your back with your arms extended. 

12. Mm, Stretching? 

Some say stretching before using the muscles for a workout is necessary, while others agree that even stretching afterward can alleviate the aches and pains. But a study observed an inadequate influence of stretching relating to muscle soreness.

Try dynamic stretching that explores repetitive movements for your muscles and joints. Implement walking lunges and arm circles to begin. 

Why does this matter? This way it prepares your body. Your heart rate increases, improving blood flow and bettering your flexibility. 

So, which of these will your try to relieve sore muscles after your favorite athletic activity?

Pain is for novices

Actually, no. Body pain doesn’t grade how fit you are. 

Muscle soreness comes around for everyone, beginners and trained athletes because it’s a natural adaptive response when you start new activities or raise the bar on your routines.

How to prevent sore muscles?

• Hydrate 
• Properly perform the exercise
• Mindful practice 
• Warm up & cool down 
• Moderate intake of caffeine - may cut pain down by almost 50 percent. 

Relieve sore muscles after a workout by acting on these preventions. Stay hydrated - especially if you are a coffee lover. So, learn the proper routines, prepare your body for movement, and gradually increase intensity and duration. This way reduces the risk of injury and downscales soreness. 

When to be concerned?

Muscle soreness does not require medical treatment and resolves after a few days. 

Remember the worst-case scenario at the beginning? Well, muscle aches can also be related to other chronic conditions. View the list here. 

Regardless, if you’re new to athletic activities or a professional looking for how to relieve sore muscles after a workout, AETHEION® can help! 

Dismiss joint stiffness or muscle tension and get back in the game with our solution.

Do you want to soothe overworked muscles while reducing oxidate stress? 

Try our AETHEION® ZCM30 Mineral Gel!

Decrease muscle distress by applying our mineral gel topically with massage circulation.

Our gel for sore muscles uses cationic magnesium and complementary micronutrients to nourish the skin while also reducing soreness, providing maximum health satisfaction!

That’s a wrap! 

After learning different ways on how to relieve sore muscles after a workout, we hope it encourages you to continue your athletic practices because now you know how to take care of any hurting sensation. 

Physical activity damages the muscles’ fibers, which triggers the body to toughen the fibers, causing discomfort after exercising. 

Moderate soreness is associated with two types of muscle soreness. Acute Muscle Soreness (AMS) and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). The common is DOMS. The tenderness peaks in the first 24 to 72 hours after training. The soreness recedes after several days. 

Exercises fall into three categories; eccentric (lengthening), isometric (static), and concentric (shortening). 

Taking action after completing your routine can ease the soreness you could experience. Remain hydrated, remember to cool down, and eat foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. 

Relax your muscles with a warm shower, then turn to cold water to boost blood circulation. Before finishing getting dressed, massage arnica in the affected areas, and if you have a pressure garment, put it on. 

Take some time to foam roll the pain away and head back to work the muscles.

Some might argue that there is some pleasure to the sting after a good workout.

But it isn’t an indicator to push yourself to injuries. Forced actions can lead to grave damage. 

Be patient with yourself as you escalate through your routine. Listen to your body, and practice mindfulness to be tuned with how your flesh and bones feel. Sore muscles happen when we push our body to new boundaries. Those boundaries can lead to new ones. 

Don’t stop practicing healthy and beneficial activities. Trust and love your anatomy.  So never forget to attend to it and care for it. It is an advanced machine capable of providing and enduring all types of wonders. 

Are you feeling something else not described here? Take a turn to read about post workout skin care products.

If the uneasiness persists, check with your doctor! Listen to what the body indicates, don’t ignore your pain.  

Venture to our page and uncover our collection of products that seek overall wellness for the skin. 

Small actions can leap into healthy opportunities! Let us accompany you through the mature stages of life by providing vitality to the most precious organ - the skin. 

Implement our mineral gel into your routine to aid the soreness & tension. Recovery can be a breeze with our formula. 

There is no need to be shy! Share your point of view and comment below. 

What exercises leave your body immobile?