Three Ways to Reduce Muscle Pain After Weight Training

One of the biggest complaints that people have when they start a workout routine is sore muscles after weight training. Although sore muscles is considered a "good" thing because it shows that the muscles are being worked and will ultimately take on the shape and firmness that the workout has asked it to. But while the promise of stronger, tougher and better defined muscles is a pleasant one, dealing with the discomfort is not pleasant at all. Here are three things you can do to reduce or completely eliminate the muscle pain you encounter after a weight workout.

1. Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated allows your muscles to recover a lot quicker. This makes sense -- normally after weight workouts, people will complain of being extremely thirsty or that their mouth is quite dry. This means you will not only feel better yourself, but hydration means the muscle tissue is not pulling that water from the rest of your body in the first place. By keeping your muscles hydrated before (drink 1 cup of water before a workout) and after (another cup after), you will find that if you have any pain or discomfort, it will be greatly minimized and instead of requiring a full week to recover, it will take just days before your muscles are back to "normal."

2. Stretching helps prepare the muscles before a workout. The stretching process is exactly what the muscles will experience during lifting or other routines, the only difference is that there is resistance (the weight) added to each repetition. By stretching ahead of time, you are not only preparing the muscles for the work ahead, but you will find you are less likely to over-do the workout in the first place. Stretching after a workout can keep the muscles from seizing up (which results in much more pain), but stretching immediately after the workout needs to be followed up with additional stretching at home and later in the day to keep those muscles from tensing.

3. Cardio exercise. By getting on a cross trainer the next day, you will keep blood flowing to those sore muscles and greatly reduce the recovery time. One of the reasons muscle pain persists after weight workouts is that there is a lack of hydration as well as blood flow, thanks primarily to those muscles tensing up in the first place. By putting up with some minor muscle discomfort the following day, you can drive more blood flow to the area and accelerate the recovery period tremendously.

These three tips are instrumental in helping accelerate the recovery period. Remember as well that sore muscles happen when you have not worked out in a long period of time or you are pushing your body into doing something it would not normally do, such as lifting heavier weights or trying out a new routine. This means that adopting a regular workout program will result in no muscle pain at all, and you may find that you will actually be looking for that pain again!

About this Author

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Chris has been writing about health and fitness issues for over 4 years. In addition to contributing to the Gym Exercise Machines website, he manages a website at MBA India.com. The website offers information about MBA opportunities in India.

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