Preventing sore muscles is much better than having muscle pain the next day. But what helps as prevention? We'll tell you!
As the saying goes: prevention is better than treatment. What applies to health also applies to training.
Because preventing sore muscles will do you much more good in the long run than having such pain every time that you can't work out anymore.
Muscle soreness prevention leads to the fact that the pain the next day is not too blatant. Of course, you'll feel that you've been moving. But that is also a good thing.
But hardly being able to lift your legs or arms because of pain is completely pointless.
Table of contents
You can always prevent sore muscles in three different ways
- Workout intensity - your workout should be challenging but not overwhelming
- Nutrition - Those who eat a balanced diet reduce the likelihood of muscle soreness
- Warm up and warm down leads to less muscle pain
The best way to prevent muscle soreness is to do all three things at once.
You can find out how this works here.
When muscle soreness occurs
If you don't want to get sore muscles, you first need to know why they occur in the first place.
Everyone knows the pain after a workout. Especially if you haven't done any sports for a while.
Eat these foods when you have sore muscles!
It's not just beginners who get sore muscles. Even competitive athletes have to deal with it from time to time.
The nasty thing about it is that the soreness doesn't come on immediately. But hours afterwards. Sometimes even 2 days later. After about 3 days it has reached its peak and then gets better from day to day.
The muscles are powerless, often hardened and painful when we want to use them or press on them.
But the good thing is that sore muscles are harmless and do not leave any consequential damage.
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For a very long time, it was not known why sore muscles occur. Today we know that tiny tears in the muscles cause the pain.
Fluid penetrates the muscle tissue through the tears. The fibers swell. Because of the swelling, the muscles have a poorer blood supply and the stretching pain can no longer be stopped.
Muscle soreness is always the result of overloading the muscles!
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How to prevent muscle soreness during exercise
Sore muscles are not only a problem for beginners. But it is precisely for them that it is the worst. The motivation is high to start quickly with full power. And this is exactly the problem.
Whether you're a beginner or advanced, overdoing it in your workout will always reward you with sore muscles.
How to start your sports career without muscle pain!
The recipe for success is called: gentle build-up training.
Prevent sore muscles while running
Anyone who starts jogging will know the pulling in the muscles that you wake up with the next day. The thighs, lower legs, shins, buttocks, arms - sore muscles pretty much everywhere. The reason for this is that running uses around 70 percent of all muscles.
That's why you should start really slowly as a beginner runner. In the first time (1-2 weeks depending on your fitness level) you should walk 30 minutes fast. And 3-4 times a week on the straight. Just walk fast. This way your body gets used to the movement. The change to running is then no longer so stark.
Most beginners rush into training far too quickly. It doesn't matter if it's running or weight training. Too much speed in running and too much intensity in weight training will make you lose your motivation quickly.
Prevent muscle soreness during strength training
If you start with strength training, then it can be enough to do 5 repetitions of an exercise in the beginning. And for this 3 passes.
Be motivated but don't push yourself harder than your body can really do.
Slowly increase the duration of the workout.
Only gradually load the muscles more.
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If you then train more regularly, you will soon notice when you reach the limit at which muscle soreness is guaranteed.
So preventing sore muscles requires a lot of experience. Listen to your body and estimate how far you can go.
By the way, a whole range of nutrients can support you during regeneration. L-glutamine and BCAAs are the best example. They help your body to get fit again faster.
For faster recovery after a workout, Foodspring has developed Recovery Amino Drinks. You simply mix the powder with water and drink it after the workout.
The drink contains everything the muscles need now. In the Recovery Aminos from Foodspring contains only natural ingredients.
If you are interested in Foodspring products, I can give you a Foodspring discount code give. With the code WGW15FS you get 15% on your order!
And the shakes are also delicious in taste. You can choose from 3 different flavors. My favorite is wild berry :)
How you can prevent sore muscles with nutrition
You won't believe how much nutrition and sore muscles have in common. And not after the workout, but before!
Eating nutritious food won't completely prevent sore muscles. But you will recover faster.
That's why magnesium doesn't help when you have sore muscles!
As an athlete, you should pay particular attention to sufficient protein and magnesium.
Magnesium is indispensable and can help prevent muscle soreness. But only if you already have enough of it in your body - before you train. It reduces the risk of muscle damage and ensures that the muscles regenerate faster.
The same goes for zinc and potassium, by the way. Too little potassium can cause you to get muscle soreness faster and it can be really intense. Potassium ensures that the muscles are better supplied with oxygen.
Protein helps build muscle. You can find a lot of it in dairy products, eggs and fish.
Vitamin E also helps you regenerate. And anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, ginger and green tea are true miracle weapons.
These foods contain particularly high levels of protein!
Drinking a lot helps, by the way, if you don't want to get sore muscles. Your body needs fluids after a workout. Tap water or an apple spritzer is usually sufficient directly after a workout. If you want, you can take protein shakes to promote muscle growth.
Exercising with sore muscles - good or bad idea?
What influence warm up and warm down have
Have you also heard that you should stretch before a workout? Getting ready for a workout is generally a good idea. But don't overdo it. Stretching cold muscles will not prevent sore muscles. On the contrary, you'll provoke muscle pain all the more.
Stretching exercises should be done either after a workout or after a warm-up. They are not a substitute for warming up!
Stretching exercises are a great thing because they help your body become and stay supple.
But as I said, warm up first.
Warm up training against sore muscles
The right warm-up makes the muscles more elastic. With simple exercises you bring the body to the right temperature and stimulate the metabolism.
For example, you can do jumping jacks or run on the spot. Circle your shoulders and legs until you feel that the exercise is already easier for you.
After that you can start stretching. Or wait until you have completed your workout.
Stretching exercises to prevent sore muscles
Stretching after a workout is a wonderful way to bring the body back to normal temperature. Because when we have really sweated and the pulse has climbed up, our body needs rest.
After the workout your body is well supplied with blood. This makes you more flexible, which is better for the muscle fibers. If you stretch them too much when cold, micro-tears will occur and this will lead to muscle pain.
Our conclusion
If you want to prevent muscle soreness, don't overdo it during your workout. Start with a relaxed warm-up and stretch gently after the workout.
Nutrition can only help with muscle soreness prevention if you don't overdo it and slowly get your body used to training.
Good luck :)
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