next day muscle soreness....help!

[sasharawkz]

So I upped the ante yesterday in my leg work-out and I'm really paying for it today. I acheived a few personal bests in squats & cleans. What do you find helps you recover the fastest?

 

[brunette]

naturelly, and eating adequate protein for muscle repairs AND growth.....don't rush it!

 

[Sassy69]

Warm up & cool down. The next day (esp after leg day) I find the best thing I can do is some cardio. It might have to be "very low impact" (e.g. walking), but it keeps me from getting locked up. And also during the day (esp after leg day), esp if you have a desk job, make sure you get up every now & then & walk around - also helps you keep from getting locked up while sitting too long. Glutamine & I like my MSM for sore joints. And finally, throw in an ibuprofin or other OTC anti-inflammatory if needed.

Even though it hurts like a biotch the next day, and like an f'n beee-otch the day after that, get enough sleep (recovery!) and just remember, its a GOOD pain! That's your body telling you its getting stronger & stronger!

 

[FigureSkater]

Ice same day, heat the next.

 

[mbrooke5]

I usually do some light cardio then stretch...stretch good when you can feel every muscle lengthening.

 

[velvett]

Warm up & cool down. The next day (esp after leg day) I find the best thing I can do is some cardio. It might have to be "very low impact" (e.g. walking), but it keeps me from getting locked up. And also during the day (esp after leg day), esp if you have a desk job, make sure you get up every now & then & walk around - also helps you keep from getting locked up while sitting too long. Glutamine & I like my MSM for sore joints. And finally, throw in an ibuprofin or other OTC anti-inflammatory if needed.

Even though it hurts like a biotch the next day, and like an f'n beee-otch the day after that, get enough sleep (recovery!) and just remember, its a GOOD pain! That's your body telling you its getting stronger & stronger!

Just what the Sassy lady said!
The worst part is just getting up in the morning and going down stairs.

 

[FigureSkater]

Part of muscle soreness is your muscle fibers saying to each other "yo, she's gonna be lifting this much for a while, we'd better be ready for it next time!" as they heal

 

[Sassy69]

You could also have LOTS of SEXXXXX that night to keep yourself limber!

 

[jenscats5]

Definitely what Sassy said!!

I also take some ibuprofen at nite if it's really bad, but definitely moving around helps...

 

[AngMc]

I think getting on and off the toilet is the worst!!

 

[Sassy69]

Soooooooooo true.... Its really bad if you get stuck too. Or worse yet, you miss on the descent.

 

[RottenWillow]

So I upped the ante yesterday in my leg work-out and I'm really paying for it today. I acheived a few personal bests in squats & cleans. What do you find helps you recover the fastest?

You're feeling what's very loosely called DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness.

The best treatment is prevention. You can avoid a great deal of that soreness by very thorough stretching prior to lifting.

You can prove the accuracy of this by looking at your own experience. Have your biceps ever felt as sore a day or two after a workout as your legs do now? Even nearly as sore? Probably not I'm guessing. The biceps remain closer to full stretch all the time than the quad group and hamstrings. More stretching equals substantially less DOMS.

 

[Sassy69]

LOL "Delayed onset..." -- nothing sux more than the day after the day after a killer workout!

 

[ashley2212]

You're feeling what's very loosely called DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness.

The best treatment is prevention. You can avoid a great deal of that soreness by very thorough stretching prior to lifting.

You can prove the accuracy of this by looking at your own experience. Have your biceps ever felt as sore a day or two after a workout as your legs do now? Even nearly as sore? Probably not I'm guessing. The biceps remain closer to full stretch all the time than the quad group and hamstrings. More stretching equals substantially less DOMS.

True, but more stretching before workouts means less strength and/or muscle gains. By stretching the muscles too much before lifting, you're not allowing the tiny fibers in your muscles to rub up against each other effectively enough to stimulate growth. You're loosening the muscles and decreasing the power of your contractions.
If you're really worried about soreness, then take it slow. Don't increase weight too fast and when changing up your workout, slowly ease into it. Honestly though, soreness is one of the best feelings after lifting. I find it to be a feeling of accomplishment and though it sucks climbing stairs or lifting something over my head, I feel more powerful in the end.
There's a cause and effect to everything that you do. If you work your body hard, you're going to feel it in the end. The way I see it is, you either
a) find the strength within you to work hard and find power in your soreness or
b) stick to the "pink dumbells" like Daisy says and you'll never feel the pain or see the gain.