Last weeks corner talked about good workout pain vs bad workout pain. This week is about managing good workout pain. When experiencing pain in and around your workout, there are ways to manage so you have less soreness. Use the following techniques to manage or minimize the pain effects around your exercise regime:
- Always warm up for 5- 10 minutes before engaging into more intense exercise. This prepares the muscles and joints to be ready for the exercise to be performed. By warming up you increase your heart rate so more blood flow and oxygen gets to the muscles to nourish them. Synovial fluid is also increased around joints which lubricates them to move more freely. Dynamic stretching is good to incorporate as well as it helps muscles warm up to contract easier. This process includes controlled, repetitive movements that take a joint or muscle through its full range of motion, usually mimicking the motions you’ll be performing during your activity. This also helps prepare your brain mentally to what’s to come.
- During exercise always use proper form, to minimize risk of injury. If improperly aligned or having “poor form” will put unnecessary stress on the joints and tendons causing pain and or a potential injury.
- Gradually progress the intensity and duration of workouts to give your body time to adapt.
- Ensure adequate rest periods between workouts to give your muscles time to repair and grow stronger.
- Change up workouts to with a variety of different type of exercises or activities to prevent overuse injuries.
- Always cool down 5 – 10 minutes of slow controlled movement into static stretching. This allows muscles to slowly cool down so they don’t stiffen up. Static stretching helps lengthen the muscles after being shortened during exercise. These stretches are performed at the end as standalone stretching, holding a single position or stretch for 15-60 seconds without any bouncing or movement to allow the muscle to gradually relax and lengthen.
Over and above all this, hydration and nutrition are key to support your body’s recovery and performance. Fitness Level and genetics will make a difference too. If you’ve been consistently working out for a while, your fitness level most likely has improved, and your body might not respond with as much soreness as when you were just starting out. Also, Genetics will allow some people to naturally feel less muscle soreness or vice versa.
The important thing to know is, muscle pain can be a normal part of working out, but knowing ways to minimize it’s affects can help for more effective and long-term exercise. Consistency, progressive overload (gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts), and listening to your body are key components of a successful fitness regimen. If you’re uncertain about the effectiveness of your workouts, consider consulting a fitness professional such as us at DEEM Health, who can provide personalized guidance based on your goals and current fitness level.
Mikkie Nettles-Pollon, Certified Personal Trainer
/Holistic & Sports Nutritionist
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