Soreness or DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is what your body experiences after a long day of workout or vigorous exercises. When muscles are at work, it causes tiny tears on the muscle fibers. These tears are what cause soreness and pain. So how can you speed up the healing of painful and tender muscles?
Protein
The first thing you need to know is that the pain of DOMS can be reduced by eating enough protein.
That’s because protein is needed to repair muscle tissue, and a lack of it can lead to pain and weakness after working out. If you’re not getting enough, your body will use its protein stores for energy instead, leading to muscle breakdown. Visit Bulk Supplements Direct to learn more about what protein supplements you should be using for your workouts!
Eat enough protein. Protein helps build new muscle tissue, so if you eat enough protein, muscle growth will occur faster than repair. If eating enough may be a challenge, you can try adding protein powder and protein supplements to your diet.
Hydration
Hydration is essential for many reasons, but it’s essential in recovery.
A few factors contribute to muscle soreness and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), which can occur up to two days after exercise.
One of these factors is dehydration. The other is low glycogen levels (the amount of sugar stored in the muscles).
When dehydrated, your body doesn’t have enough water to operate efficiently. This causes your body temperature to rise and increases lactic acid production by the muscles, increasing muscle soreness.
Dehydration also reduces blood flow throughout the body, which makes it harder for oxygenated blood to reach working muscles during exercise. This deprives them of nutrients and causes them to fatigue faster than normal.
Zinc and Magnesium
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that’s involved in many of the body’s processes. It’s essential for protein synthesis and wound healing and may help reduce muscle soreness.
Zinc is often taken as a supplement to prevent or treat colds, but it can also be helpful for muscle soreness. Some studies have found that taking zinc supplements can reduce DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) after exercise, but others haven’t found any benefit.
The best way to get zinc is from food — especially oysters, red meat, poultry, and seafood. If you’re planning on exercising a lot, you might consider taking a multivitamin containing 10 mg of zinc daily. This isn’t enough to reduce muscle soreness after exercise, but it will help keep your levels up between meals if you don’t eat much meat or seafood.
Magnesium
Magnesium is another important mineral for muscle health and recovery from exercise. It helps regulate calcium levels in cells and contributes to normal energy metabolism and maintenance of nerve function and bone strength. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular disease — so getting enough is essential!
Sleep and Recovery Time
Recovery time is different for everyone. Some people can get back to training the next day, while others need two or three days.
Sleep is key to recovery. When you sleep, your body releases growth hormone, which helps repair tissues damaged by exercise. If you’re training hard and not sleeping enough, your muscles will never fully recover — which means you’ll be more prone to injury and overtraining.
Sleep helps your body repair itself and recover from any damage caused by exercise. Aim for seven to nine hours per night, especially if you’re training hard or going through a period of growth in your fitness program.
Don’t underestimate the importance of good recovery methods. A little extra care spent on getting your muscles back to normal can help you get stronger, while less of it could lead to stagnant growth—your choice.