We always assume that “no pain, no gain” is the standard when it comes to achievement, particularly in terms of fitness. The more you sweat, the more your muscles ache, this means the more calories you’ve burned and the more toxins you’re eliminating, right? Not necessarily. A little post-workout soreness is common, especially if you’re a beginner or you’ve just introduced your body to a new form of exercise. However, experts agree that experiencing muscle soreness well after two days of your workout can be dangerous.
If you’re still hurting after two days, you might have delayed onset muscle soreness. During exercise, your muscle fibres get torn and, as the body heals them, this causes inflammation. That inflammation is the reason for that soreness making you feel like you can barely move. To treat delayed onset muscle soreness, the expert recommendation is to hydrate. You’ll also want to keep your blood flowing, which can you do by relaxing in a sauna or by exercising some more. More physical activity may be the last thing on your mind, but light exercises, such as swimming, yoga and working with foam rollers can ease your soreness.
Even if you’re a regular exerciser, perhaps you might be vulnerable to pain in certain areas of the body, like your joints. If you’re experiencing specific kinds of exercise pains in particular areas, there are some ways to treat them.
Knee pain
If you’re fond of running and doing squats and lunges, your knees are probably prone to more pain than most areas of your body. This can be caused by not having proper form and can be an effect of sitting all day. Physical therapists recommend a specific stretch to improve your knee strength. Sit on a chair, extend one leg out straight and lock your knee join as hard as possible for five seconds.
Back pain
Deadlifts, cycling, and bent over rows can lead to pain in your spine and back muscles. When performing these exercises, it’s important to maintain the natural arch in the small of your back. To alleviate and prevent pain, you can try this before and after exercises: Create a hollow as large as you can in the small of your back and then round your lower back as much as you can, creating as much movement in the spine as you can. Repeat this for 15 to 20 times.
Hip pain
Running and jumping causes your hip joint to be flexed and can even cause mis-alignment. Re-align the joint before your exercise by doing this: Place a pillow on the floor and rest one knee on it. Take a wide step forward, like you’re doing a lunge. Move your hips and trunk forward until you feel a stretch in the hip flexors and/or groin area. Move in and out of the stretch slowly.
Shoulder pain
If pull-ups, push-ups and presses are making your shoulders feel tight, you need to practise internal and external shoulder rotations before each workout. This can be best accomplished using resistance bands.
