If you’re new to working out at the gym it’s not uncommon to overdo the training, resulting in sore and aching muscles. This is not harmful in any way, but this pain that’s experienced as a tightening, dull, local pain can lessen your strength for a while and is actually the body’s way to say that it needs to rest to be able to recover properly.
When you overdo your training, the pain appears when the muscle fibers are being torn and then releases content. The content from the muscle cells then attracts inflammatory cells and chemicals that irritates the nerve fibers are being released.
It’s always best to not work out harder than your body can handle, but if the sore muscles are a fact, there are a few things that can make the pain go away faster.
By stretching the muscle after your workout, you prevent muscle soreness. The stretching prevents tightening and stiffness in the muscle which makes the blood and lymphatic fluids circulate with more ease.
A massage is a great way of getting the circulation in that specific body part going and makes it easier to flush the inflammatory cells. Do it slowly, start softly and increase the pressure a little bit at a time.
Do you have a sauna at your gym? Spend some time in there after your training, or give yourself some time in the bathtub. Warmth aids the circulation and makes your body loose and limb.
It can also be beneficial to do some light exercise, like going for a walk or a swim. This prevents the muscles to go stiff and also makes the blood flow.
Before you start your work out with weights, you want to make sure you’ve given your body a good warm up. This increases the circulation and the muscles get relaxed and loose so that they will be able to perform the tasks they are being set to deal with more efficiently and without the risk of injury.
Always listen to your body and let the pain be a reminder for you to be easier on the weights next time. You don’t gain muscles quicker if you’re in pain all the time, instead your body will get tired and the body won’t be able to create new cells as fast as they are being torn. Let your body rest and find the right weight for you and you will gain muscles much faster.
