Your workouts do not need to be a prelude to muscle pain. Muscle soreness occurs because of how your body handles working out and cooling down afterward. During the workout, your blood vessels open wider than they are during a non-workout portion of your day. The blood vessels remain open for at least an hour, according to the editors at "Fitness" magazine. One of the waste products your body produces, lactic acid, along with other waste products can settle into your muscles via the enlarged vessels. There are steps, though, that you can take to prevent sore muscles.
Step 1
Warm up before your workout. Try a light cardio activity, such as walking quickly for about five minutes. If your workout is a running event, you could jog instead to warm up. This prepares your body for the more vigorous workout to come by increasing your heart rate and getting your blood flowing
Step 2
Drink fluids. Your body should be hydrated before your workout, but if possible you should drink during your workout as well. Remaining hydrated also helps your body to maintain body temperature.
Step 3
Cool down after your workout by repeating the light cardio activity you performed as a warmup exercise. Cooling your body down makes the transition from intense muscular activity to rest less abrupt, and this can help prevent soreness in your muscles.
Step 4
Stretch your muscles after your cool down activity. Stretching your muscles after working out not only helps prevent muscle soreness, it improves flexibility.
Step 5
Get a massage after your workout. When someone massages your muscles, the fluids in them are worked out, helping to ease muscle soreness.
Step 6
Take a cold bath with the bathtub half filled. Although some people may suggest heat to ease muscle pain, the cold bath helps to constrict the blood vessels that have widened from your workout. Place ice cubes in the bath water to make the bath water colder and maximize the effect.
Tips and Warnings
- When starting a new exercise regimen, start slowly, and build up your workout intensity and reps slowly over a period of time.
- Do not submerge your chest in the cold bath if you put ice cubes in the water. According to the editors at "Fitness" magazine, the extreme temperature change can cause injury.
Things You'll Need
- Ice cubes
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