My tricks for soothing sore muscles


If your muscles are sore, like mine are today, from a great workout yesterday, or the day before, I'd like to show you some of the tricks that I use to ease the soreness. And by soreness I don't mean injury, if it's a sharp pain go seek medical attention, don't listen to a "gym bro" like me. This is just ordinary soreness and stiffness that means that your body needs a break, and that your muscles are "under construction".

Here's the video version, if you prefer:


First and foremost, keep moving around, gently. Extremes are very wrong here - this is no time for sitting on the couch all day, or for running a marathon. I went for a short and gentle ride on my trike this morning, and made absolutely sure that I drank a lot of water, including decaf coffee.


I carry a yoga strap in the trike and when I stop at the park I like to sit and stretch a bit, very gently. I especially like a gentle stretch on my shoulders. And I mean gentle here. Gentle.

If you're lucky enough to have a jacuzzi, now is the time to go soak in it. I like to soak in my bathtub, and I add epsom salts (I don't know if they actually do anything, but it just seems to make the experience more interesting). Warmth is what you want here.


And speaking of warmth, massage is great, too. If you can go get a sports massage, that would be wonderful. If not, I recommend some type of massage gun, like this one.


And yes, foam rolling. Again, I really don't know if the foam roller is actually doing anything, but it gets me to do some stretching, and like the epsom salts, just makes the experience more interesting. I keep it in my workout room.


And at the risk of sounding kinda preachy, I don't recommend drinking alcohol at this time or taking pain meds (unless you really need it). This is all part of the process of developing muscle. Hang in there, we're all this together!

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