Do you want to hear something really profound? In order to build your muscles, you have to break them down first. The rebuilding process is where the muscle gain actually happens.

When you exercise to achieve this paradox you can sometimes feel a bit achy and a little bit sore. Don’t worry, this is totally normal and something everyone goes through. However, there are a lot of times when is more than this. You are in serious pain.

The sort of pain where you are struggling to move and asking yourself “what the hell have I done?”

If you have ever felt like this or are feeling like this at the moment, fear not.

There is a technical term for this level of soreness and it is called DOMS which is delayed-onset muscle soreness (a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll stick with DOMS).

This normally surfaces and peaks after around 48 to 72 hours of workout. Your body starts the repair process as soon as it can.

If you can imagine, there are several ripped and torn muscles that need to repair. This varies from person to person based on your genes. However, if you are regularly experiencing DOMS, then this is a major problem.

The best remedy for this problem is time. Giving your body time to repair itself is the best option. There are also a few extra activities you can do to help with the repair process:

Get in some light movement

Did you know that your blood is the main source of distributing nutrients and oxygen to your muscles? For that reason, it is recommended that get in some light movement where possible.

The light movement will aid the process of getting nutrients to those muscles while also proving much-needed amino acids which are the building blocks of muscle repair.

This, in turn, should speed up the repair process. Doing this should reduce DOMS.

Keep Hydrated

As I write several of these types of articles it’s amazing how many times “keeping hydrated” keeps popping up.

The fact of the matter is, water is the key to a healthy life.

Studies have shown that keeping your body hydrated reduces dehydration which in turn reduces muscle soreness and DOMS.

Water basically helps your body flush out any waste products. After a heavy dose of exercise, drinking lots of water allows your body to remove any toxins.

In essence, you are helping your liver and kidneys filter out the waste by-products.

Do Some Light Stretches

If you are trying to get rid of muscle soreness one of the things you shouldn’t do is overexert yourself. For that reason whatever you do needs to have the word “light” in the title.

Instead of carrying out some physical exercise why not try some simple stretching exercises to help release any tightness you may have.

Even though this isn’t exactly healing your muscles, you should feel a lot better since you are soothing rather than exercising. The key is not to overdo it.

Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Protein

Whenever you are looking to build muscle, having lots of protein helps you to build muscle. Protein is also good if you want to repair muscle too.

To be honest, you should be eating a lot of protein as part of your daily diet anyway. If you are, then this will certainly speed up the muscle recovery process.

As you can appreciate, every diet is different. However, you should always aim to have about 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

If you are really active, then slightly more. Don’t consume this all at once. Where possible try to spread this out among your daily meals.

Use Heat & Ice To Relieve The Pain

Scientists have argued over the years about whether to put ice on sore muscles or apply heat.

To be honest with you, there isn’t really a right or wrong answer. It is whatever feels good for you and what works for you at the end of the day.

Not only ice good to soothe your muscles, but it also helps reduce swelling too. If you can apply this effectively then the pain part should start to decrease.

Less swelling = less feeling of pain

The heat part can be more of a soothing solution than ice. Wrap either ice or a hot water bottle in a towel depending on whether you are looking to reduce swelling or soothe.

Or, instead of using a towel you could opt to have either a cold or hot bath. A cold bath is probably taking things to the extreme, but often times people enjoy a hot bath. It all depends on the individual.

Summary

So there you have it. A few different ways in which you can get rid of or soothe sore muscles. Each one depends on your individual preference and how you are feeling at the time.

If any of your symptoms persist and you have tried all of these things and you are still in pain, then it stands to reason that you have done more damage to your muscles than you originally thought. If this is the case, don’t delay. Go and see your Dr today.