Muscle Soreness
If you are just beginning to workout, or if you have been working out for some time, it is natural for your muscles to feel sore from time to time. This has to do with the fact that any moderate to heavy training pushes the body to train above a level it is not used to; consequently, the after-effect is muscle soreness.
There are two basic types of exercise-related muscles soreness ( ACE Personal Trainer Manual 3rd Edition). The first type is felt immediately after exercising. The first type is generally referred to as immediate muscle soreness. According to exercise physiology, this immediate soreness is a result of lactic acid build up in the muscles.
The other type of soreness persists for 1-3 days following exercise. This type of soreness is referred to as latent muscle soreness. Latent muscle soreness is not noticeable immediately after exercise, but instead appears 1-3 days following an exercise session. Generally, this delayed soreness is the result of very small muscle tears in the connective fibers, which generally occur during intense training.
There are many remedies for treating both types of soreness; these would include:
- Warming up for about 5 -10 minutes, or until you feel a light perspiration before the core part of your workout;
- Doing static passive stretching after workout;
- Sitting in a hot tub or Jacuzzi;
- Getting a therapeutic massage;
- If soreness is slightly painful, a few days of rest followed by light walking to aid circulation will help.
Muscle soreness is a sign that your workout is effective; that is, that you are developing a healthier, stronger body. Be mindful however, that soreness is much different than pain. If you are experiencing any pain, then you should stop working our immediately, rest and/or seek medical or professional assistance to help diagnosis and treat the pain.
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