Recovery Tips 101
Tips to Prevent Muscle Soreness
Do you often feel a little sore after a workout? You’re not alone. Muscle fatigue is a common problem experienced by many after an intense workout.
Known as [DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness](read about DOMS here), the muscle fatigue you feel usually begins 6-8 hours after intense exercising or changing the intensity of activity. Muscle soreness is caused by tiny muscle tears and can last up to 24-48 hours after the exercise.
Don’t worry, DOMS is not bad for you and there are some simple techniques that you can do to help ease symptoms and speed up muscle recovery. In this article, I’ll share my DOMS recovery tips to help you ease muscle soreness and beat muscle fatigue.
1. Foam Roll
Foam rolling is a technique used by professional athletes, physiotherapists, novice gym goers, and pilates instructors alike.
I always recommend foam rolling to all my students, pre and post-workout, to help prepare their muscles for exercise and to aid in reducing tension and muscle soreness.
Foam rolling improves the mobility of the fascia - the fibrous layer of connective tissue that surrounds all of the muscles in our body. Without proper mobility, fibres of the Fascia become cross-linked, and they bind to muscles and nerves, inhibiting normal motion and causing pain, tension, and soreness.
Targeting your sore muscles with a foam roller helps increase the Fascia’s mobility and improves blood circulation to your muscles. The increase in blood circulation sends oxygen to your muscles, allowing them to repair themselves more quickly.
If you’ve never foam rolled before, I recommend you start with a smooth roller. Mobeco, is an eco-friendly brand creating fantastic, sustainably sourced cork rollers, perfect for easing tension.
If you’re new to foam rolling and want to know how to get started, check out my guide here on targeting specific muscles with foam rolling.
2. Make Sure To Stretch
One of the simplest things you can do to prevent injury and improve recovery is to implement stretching into your daily routine. While stretching is essential pre and post-workout, stretching after you wake up and throughout the day can be equally important to improve flexibility and reduce injury.
If you’re suffering from muscle soreness, gentle stretching helps raise your body’s temperature, promoting blood flow and increasing circulation to your muscles, helping your body deliver the oxygen and nutrients your muscles need for recovery.
With improved circulation, mobility, and flexibility, stretching is great for recovery in both the body and mind. The improvement in circulation means an increase in blood flow to your brain. This improves **concentration, stimulates focus, and increases the release of positive endorphins, which reduce stress and anxiety.
If you’re looking for stretching inspiration, take a look at my favourite stretches by clicking the image below.
3. Keep Hydrated
Keeping hydrated during exercise and replacing the water lost after a workout is essential to prevent muscle soreness and tension. I recommend filling a reusable water bottle and keeping it close while exercising. Ensure you refill your bottle and continue to hydrate in the hours after your workout.
There is no right or wrong brand when coming to drink bottles; however, I have been using the brand Frank Green, an eco-friendly, sustainable Australian brand, for the past few years, and I absolutely love it.
The best part, you can customise your water bottle to your favourite colour, size, and type of lid!
I can honestly say thanks to Frank Green, I definitely get my 2+ litres of water a day.
4. ReFuel
If you’re looking to build stronger muscles and reduce muscle soreness, making sure your body is fueled correctly is vital.
Firstly, ensure you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet every day, focusing on all the main food groups and variety.
Secondly, muscle repair requires protein so ensure your body is getting enough protein after a workout. Protein is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks for the body, so replenishing your protein stores gives tired muscles the amino acids they need to repair themselves.
If you struggle to incorporate enough protein into your diet, adding a protein supplement like a protein shake can be easy to ensure you’re thoroughly refuelling yourself.
I personally love the taste and texture of the protein powder from 1st Phorm. I add it to my post-workout snack daily to help rebuild my muscles.
5. Trigger Ball Release
Trigger ball release, like foam rolling, is a form of self-myofascial release. It offers a self-massage that allows you to apply deep pressure to specific body points to release tightness and muscular tension.
Using a trigger ball to target and massage sore muscles helps improve blood circulation and mobility of your connective tissue.
There are different types of trigger release balls available, but I recommend a peanut-shaped ball for the best results.
There are some great brands out there creating eco-friendly trigger ball options. My go-to brand is Mobeco which creates its equipment with cork, an eco-friendly alternative to plastic.
6. Take a Walk
When we finish a big workout, it’s important that we don’t go straight to the sofa or our desks and let our bodies go static. That means it’s beneficial to cool down after exercising and taking a walk or a slow jog is a perfect way to do so.
Walking after exercise can help reduce DOMs by, you guessed it, promoting circulation and keeping the blood flowing to our muscles.
After a workout, take a 10-minute walk to cool your body down correctly, and you’ll see an improvement in muscle tension.
7. Go Ocean Swimming
So, it’s clear that we’ve established a connection between improving your body’s blood circulation to aid muscle recovery.
What if I told you that taking an ocean dip after a challenging workout could actually help to improve your recovery by promoting circulation and supplying your body with minerals?
Swimming in cold water promotes blood circulation by moving blood from our [extremities to our major organs and muscles](click here to read more about the benefits of ocean dips) and then back to our extremities again as we warm up.
Along with improved circulation, seawater is full of minerals, including Magnesium which, when absorbed by your body, aids healthy bones and muscle function.
Kala Pilates Tip: If you’re not based near the ocean - try taking an Epsom salt bath. In warm water, the Epsom salts break down into [Magnesium and Sulphate.](Read more about the benefits of Epsom salt baths here) Your body will absorb the Magnesium, aiding muscle soreness and relieving tension.
Dr Teal’s have a great range of Epsom Salts that are all organic and eco-friendly.
8. Relax in a Sauna
Saunas are a popular choice for many people to recover after a long gym or swim session, and for a good reason.
The heat inside a sauna increases your body’s ability to circulate blood to your muscles, promoting blood flow into your muscles.
Along with the increased blood flow to muscles, saunas are a great way to rest and relax after a long workout, helping you to release stress and tension from your body.
Wrapping Up:
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide and now have the tips and tricks to prevent and reduce DOMS in the future.
If you would like to learn more or follow guided stretch and release classes, I offer a 7-day free trial that includes online live classes and unlimited access to my on-demand library.
