How to relieve muscle soreness?

Alex,

Not much you can do to completely rid yourself of the muscle soreness. The soreness is caused by a micro-tearing of the muscle tissue. When this happens the body releases chemicals that give you your pain. It is a common myth that the pain you feel the 2 days post exercise is lactic acid. Lactic acid is gone from your muscle tissue within one hour of you ceasing exercise. It goes back to your liver to be re-synthesized and used again for energy.

Best thing you can so is gentle stretching and use of icy hot/bengay etc..prior to your tennis match. FYI Bengay/Icy Hot do not increase/decrease tissue temperature. They decrease pain by chemically irritating specific nerve endings in your skin. When these specific nerve endings are stimulated they send an impulse to the spinal cord where a sequence of events takes place that blocks pain transmission impulses at the spinal cord level. If pain impulses do not reach your cerebral cortex you do not perceive pain. Rubbing your elbow after you smack it on a door jam and electrical stimulation units ( TENS ) work in the same manner. They all do not fix anything but provide temporary relief of pain.

Good luck with your tennis match,

Dan

 

Guy above me is a genius but I will take a stab at it.

For me, the only way to relieve soreness after a few hard workouts is to have a light total body workout. I find that I am in less pain, and and less tensed and sore after. I would do a few pushups, and other body weight movements to loosen up a bit.

Good luck!

 

BCAA = Branch Chain Amino Acids

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=VS-2198

and Glutamine

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=VS-2177

Both of those should help a lot. I'm not recommending a certain brand, just pointing you where to look at. And eventually you will not really feel that sore if at all. I don't take either, but my roommate does. I personally like the pain.

You can also find protein powders that contain both of these. If you're taking a creatine product, I believe they usually contain these as well.

 

When I was playing softball, I know a lot of the guys would load up there joints (elbows, wrists and shoulders) with Icy/Hot. I'd give it a try. And the extra stretching probably wouldn't hurt either.

 

Nothing relieves the soreness better than some light cardio for me...elliptical machine always does the trick.

 

Have you got a girlfriend?

 

LOL! if youre not into taking any supplements, on top of what PT 328 says, you can try soaking in some Epsom salt in the tub.

 

Absolutely true. A back rub would be best (But a BJ does not hurt!)

Also, there is nothing legal that you can take to help with in an hour but maybe aspirin or advil.

 

Fixed

 

Huh?

 

get a job at FedEx as a loader. You get 3-4 hours of working out to recover from the gym workout.
My personal trainer tried to break me at every session (1hr 3x a week). I had amazing results and never once did I suffer any DOM pain afterwards. His other clients would be in pain the next session and i'd be like I hadn't been to the gym in weeks.

 

Lot's of water to flush the lactic acid and yoga!

 

I agree with this idea also. If you sit around waiting to heal, it will take longer than if you stretch and do extremely light exercises. I would only do this if I wasn't planning on working the muscle group again for a few days though.

 

increase protein intake, get proper rest, warmups and stretching before exercise, or weightlifting, proper food, and massages

 

Massages with happy endings?

I'm getting a deep tissue towards the end of the month.

 

LoL...but seriously, massages do help a lot. getting massages twice a month is good for the blood circulation, as well as relaxing the muscles.

 

I think to relieve muscle soreness you should attack the root of the problem, stop being active and you should be fine

 

My elbow is in slight pain... making it tougher to finish my curling reps in my workout.

I think it was frisbee golfing last Friday and Sunday. I'd gone once before about 5 years back. Unfortunately, two years ago, when I started playing Softball, I started throwing hard too soon, and for most of the summer, my elbow was at 40-50% strength. Last year, the pain was almost nil during the year... as I ramped up and warmed up more properly before games/ practice.

I think I made the same mistake as I had done a few years back... just not as bad. Other than rest, is there any solution? I think it may be a form of tennis elbow...

thanks