ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
27.07.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


How To Overcome Muscle Soreness

Author: Nitin Chhoda Author Ranking Gold Featured Author | Posted: 16-09-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 489 | Rating:  (80) Article Popularity - Blue (?) Got a Question? Ask.

I get asked this question often – how can I minimize soreness after exercise, especially after aerobic activities like jogging?

First, let's understand a little bit about exercise intensity. The intensity at which you exercise will determine what you get out of it. If your goal is to lose body fat, then you need to exercise at a different intensity compared to someone who trains to build muscle / tone up. More importantly, should you feel pain in your muscles the day after you exercise? What about the type of pain that is felt 2, or even days following exercise? The answers to these questions hold the key to help determine whether or not you get the right results from exercise

Unlike bones and joints, muscles have a profuse blood supply, and can regenerate and respond faster to the overload of exercise. Therefore, the goal of exercise should be to strengthen muscles (which can cause soreness) and not to overload bones and joints (which can cause pain and injuries). Typically, weight training causes soreness (which means muscles recover from the strain of the exercise and become stronger) and aerobic exercise like walking, cycling and swimming does not cause soreness (since the muscles are not strained to the same extent).

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SORENESS AND PAIN.

Soreness usually occurs the day after exercise, due to injury to the muscle fibers. Stored chemicals are released when the muscle is damaged, generating further pain. Thats why the soreness sometimes tends to get worse 1 to 3 days after a workout. This is a phenomenon called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).It usually happens if you try new exercises, or overstrain yourself lifting weights. It is completely normal.

Also, the pain of soreness is usually a dull, aching pain, in the muscles that were challenged. Generally, soreness is a feeling of mild discomfort and not necessarily pain. It is important to note that soreness subsides with rest. Here is the most important part – Over a period of time, the same exercise causes less and less soreness, as the muscles adapt to it. This means that it is important to change exercise every 3-4 weeks.

Pain, on the other hand, generally occurs after the exercise and tends to persist. As things get worse, some exercises begin to hurt. You might find that you start avoiding certain movements altogether. Every fitness enthusiast should recognize pain, and avoid training inspite of pain . This is a common mistake, which invariably leads to injuries. Unlike soreness, pain gets progressively worse if it is ignored. Do not be tough and try to work through it.

PAIN PREVENTION PLAN –

Improper technique, equipment, and training are major causes of pain and consequently injury. When you feel pain, use RICE (instead of paying the price.)

RICE is an acronym for the following.

Rest.
Avoid any painful exercise for a short while. For example, avoid walking if you have an ankle sprain.

Ice.
Use an ice pack, crushed ice in a towel, to reduce swelling and pain. Do not use for more than 10-15 minutes. Post workout icing is effective in reducing soreness.

Compression.
Tie a crepe bandage / handkerchief around the injured part, firm but not too tight, to minimize swelling.

Elevation.
Keeping the body part elevated also helps to minimize swelling.

WARNING SIGNS.

Seek immediate diagnosis from a physician if the pain :-

Persists after 12 to 48 hours of ice and rest.
Is sharp and limits movement.
Is accompanied by numbness, weakness or swelling in the joint.
Pain indicates distress to the body – listen and take action. RICE or a timely trip to the doctor may lead to a few short days of rest. This is a lot better than getting hurt due to ignorance.

Good luck with these strategies! Go ahead and apply them. Do not allow aches and pains affect your gains!

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/how-to-overcome-muscle-soreness-56031.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:
Nitin is a personal trainer, columnist and lecturer, who recently appeared on Good Morning America. He offers training routines for women, diet plans, grocery lists and fitness books at http://www.toningforwomen.com. He also provides online personal training for a low monthly fee at http://www.phonefitnesstrainer.com. Sign up for his free newsletter and tools at either site today!
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Pain Relief Options: Natural and Medical
By: Scott Baker | 16/06/2006 | Business
Pain relief is something we all must concern ourselves with from time to time, and knowing the best method for immediate relief is the primary focus.

8 Ways to Relieve Muscle Soreness
By: Ian McConnell | 05/05/2008 | Fitness
Muscle soreness can be easily relieved but, like always prevention is better than cure.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Fitness Articles

Different Type of Exercises
By: prabakar | 26/07/2008
People who suffer from sciatica will often feel pain in their leg which can travel from the back of their thigh up to the thigh and in some cases up to the hip or down towards the foot. Exercise is actually extremely important to our spine especially in order to keep the discs within the spine healthy. However the actual sciatica exercises a person will use to treat the problem will depend on what the actual cause of the pain is.

Asthma and the Stomach
By: Alien | 26/07/2008
More and more clearly there seems to be some relationship between bronchial asthma and stomach function. Asthmatics often suffer from digestive problems, frequently complaining about excess stomach acid.

Asthma and Related Illnesses
By: Alien | 26/07/2008
Althought asthma is a disease of the lungs, it may be influenced by illnesses that affect other parts of the body. In many asthma patients, treating these related illnesses even may improve their bronchial asthma condition.

Lower Body Exercise Secrets of the Stars
By: Lyla Feldman | 25/07/2008
There are many celebrities who are famous for their body parts and even get them insured for pricey amounts of money. For example, when you think of Jennifer Lopez or Kim Kardashian what comes to mind? Besides the fact that they are extremely talented and wealthy what do they have in common? Everyone wishes they had their behinds. The million dollar question is how do you get a nice, round attractive bottom without resorting to implants or butt pads?

Strength Training Exercise
By: prabakar | 25/07/2008
Take your time when toning your body. You can maximize the benefit of a biceps strength training exercise, a back strength training exercise, a chest strength training exercise, and so on, by doing them in small blocks of time every day. Don't be discouraged from your fitness walking regimen.

Best Workouts for Your Health
By: prabakar | 25/07/2008
Workouts For You custom designs each program based on individual needs, lifestyle and goals to ensure that each client is working out using exercises that are most efficient for them. Plus, if you ever have any questions about any part of your WFY training program, you can e-mail your trainer and you'll receive a quick response. Many workplaces now have showers, so you can freshen up afterwards.

Using Information From Testing
By: Alien | 25/07/2008
Perhaps clearer explanations of management methods are needed. There are several methods of managing insulin, as follows: Method 1: Complete Management by the Physician. The physician mayor may not have the patient do self-blood-sugar monitoring.

Diabetes - Gaining Their Support
By: Alien | 25/07/2008
You can help your family in many ways, some of which may be quite subtle. One way is to see that your family receives diabetes education. This gives them some understanding of how they can be of assistance.

More from Nitin Chhoda

Weight Gaining Workouts Programs
By: Nitin Chhoda | 20/01/2007 | Non-Fiction
This article covers important workout and diet strategies for those who wish to gain weight. It outlines the 3 important aspects of weight gain - diet, exercise and rest and integrates them into an effective strategy to gain muscular weight.

25 Things You Can Do To Deal With Stress
By: Nitin Chhoda | 15/01/2007 | Non-Fiction
This article outlines the importance of exercise, nutrition, sleep, relaxation techniques and other neglected aspects of an individual's lifestyle. It integrates the 25 most important elements of stress release into a a comprehensive plan targeted at improvements in the individual's physical, emotional and social life.

Exercise For Toning Hips
By: Nitin Chhoda | 10/01/2007 | Fitness
This article contains an exercise program designed to shape the hip and thigh muscles. It explores common myths (spot reduction) associated with hip and thigh training and outines the importance of aerobic exercise, weight training and healthy eating in a hip training program.

Exercises For Lower Abdominal Toning
By: Nitin Chhoda | 05/01/2007 | Fitness
This article highlights the importance of abdominal muscle strength and tone. It clarifies the myths associated with abdominal training and outines an effective exercise routine that can be performed by anyone in the comfort of his/her home.

Sleep Well, Sweet Dreams
By: Nitin Chhoda | 30/12/2006 | Non-Fiction
Learn valuable techniques to improve the quality of your sleep. Simple tips and tricks to sleep better and longer.

Top 10 Gym Mistakes
By: Nitin Chhoda | 15/12/2006 | Fitness
Most common mistakes made by gym newcomers and how to avoid them.

Excellent Way To Gain Flexibility
By: Nitin Chhoda | 13/12/2006 | Video Conferencing
This article outlines the importance of flexibility and describes a simple, yet effective plan to improve flexibility with some effective stretches. These can be done anytime, anywhere.

The Causes Of Childhood Obesity
By: Nitin Chhoda | 08/12/2006 | Fitness
This article explores the problem of childhood obesity in the United States and analyzes some of its causes in an attempt to understand the crises facing the future generations of the United States.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below