The Best Supplements to Reduce Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness

For supplements to be effective at reducing post-exercise soreness, your diet needs to be in order first. If you are not getting sufficient nutrients, including water, nothing you pick up from a health food store will make a difference. There are, however, a few supplements that can help you reduce the pain you are experiencing. The pain is a result of the muscle fibers experiencing trauma, and your goal should be to recover from this as quickly as possible. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

Carbohydrates and Protein

You should be getting plenty of protein and quality carbohydrates in your diet, but immediately following intense exercise is the ideal time to consume a little more. Following a workout, your muscle glycogen is depleted and your insulin levels are high. Consuming a simple sugar like dextrose or maltodextrin will help replenish muscle glycogen. Taken in conjunction with a quickly digesting protein, such as whey, both can have a significant effect on your recovery and will reduce muscular soreness.

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine is one of the few supplements that actually works not only to reduce soreness but to improve your muscular endurance in the gym. Creatine monohydrate is best taken in powder form, and you do not need more than 5 g per day. Should the supplement company advise a "loading phase" where you consume multiple servings per day, there is no need for this. And do not buy a more expensive type of creatine, such as creatine ethyl ester. Research has actually shown it to be less effective than creatine monohydrate.

Fat

You should be getting plenty of fat in your diet to promote proper hormonal function. If you are not, you can limit your body's ability to produce many hormones, including testosterone. Testosterone is critical for muscle recovery and repair, and if your levels are low, you are going to experience far more soreness than you should. Essential fatty acids are also required for hormone regulation and can improve muscle protein synthesis, which will help reduce the pain of training. These can be supplemented in the form of fish oil or flax oil, and both are available in capsules or liquids.

Branched Chain Amino Acids

Even though your muscles are composed of many amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine comprised nearly 35 percent of the amino acids in your muscle tissue. Consuming branched chain amino acids can help recovery and reduce soreness. Even though many proteins are fortified with extra branched chain amino acids, you may not wish to use a protein supplement prior to your workout, as this may give you digestion issues. A few grams of branched chain amino acids with water are an effective alternative.

References

• "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Early Postexercise Muscle Glycogen Recovery is Enhanced with a Carbohydrate-protein Supplement.; John L. Ivy, et al., October 2002
• "Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry"; Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Performance and Training Adaptations; Richard B. Kreider; February 2003
• "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition"; The Effects of Creatine Ethyl Ester Supplementation Combined with Heavy Resistance Training on Body Composition, Muscle Performance, and Serum and Muscle Creatine Levels; M. Spillane, et al.; February 2009
• "Journal of Steroidal Biochemistry"; Decrease of Serum Total and Free Testosterone During a Low-Fat High-Fiber Diet; Enko Hämäläinen, et al.; July 1983
• "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Increases the Rate of Muscle Protein Synthesis in Older Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial; Gary I. Smith, et al.; February 2011
• "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Amino Acid Supplements and Recovery from High-intensity Resistance Training; Charles P. Sharp, et al.; April 2010