How To Work Out Sore Muscles

How to Work Out Sore Muscles

May 26, 2011 | By Timothy Onkst

Often, after a workout is finished, over the next day or two you will feel soreness in the muscles that you have trained. This is delayed onset muscle soreness, the muscle pain or soreness that is felt 12 to 48 hours after completing an exercise. DOMS is usually more painful at the start of a workout program, after a change in sports activities or after an increase in the duration or intensity of your workouts. DOMS will go away in time, but while your muscles are sore, there are some points to remember when you exercise.

Step 1

Stretch the sore muscles to increase blood flow into the area and to increase your flexibility. Stretching will give a slight workout, but it will not cause anymore damage to muscles like lifting weights could. Static stretches are the most effective form and involve holding a stretched position for an extended period of at least 10 seconds.

Step 2

Perform aerobic exercise; lighter training helps relieve soreness. Aerobic exercises that work the entire body like ellipticals, rowing machines and jogging are good to get the blood flowing across the entire body.

Step 3

Work the muscles with a different kind of strength training. Often DOMS comes from standard weightlifting, also known as "eccentric lifting." Use isometric and concentric weightlifting when your muscles are sore. Isometric training refers to training without contracting the muscles, while concentric training involves training so that the muscles shorten during the exercise.

Step 4

Divide your workouts up so that you do not train the same body part on successive days. This gives sore muscles a much needed rest and allows you to still train other body parts. Then you can rotate back to the original sore muscles as they improve.

Step 5

Get a massage or take a hot bath before and after you workout. According to BodyBuilding.com, a 2003 "Journal of Athletic Training" study showed that massage helps to alleviate DOMS and reduce swelling. Hot baths or showers can help to relax the muscles, increase range of motion and relieve pain.