What to do if you feel sore after exercise?

For many friends who do not exercise much on a regular basis, when they suddenly engage in more intense activities, they always feel soreness and weakness all over the body at the end of the exercise. This may be due to improper exercise methods, or overly intense exercise that causes some financial injuries. Let’s take a look at what methods can be used to relieve body aches caused by exercise.

Various forms of human body movement are mainly completed by muscle contraction. Muscle contraction requires energy, which is mainly provided by the decomposition of carbohydrates in muscle tissue.

In the presence of sufficient oxygen, such as when the human body is at rest, the carbohydrates in the muscles are directly broken down into carbon dioxide and water, releasing a large amount of energy.

However, when the human body is engaged in strenuous activities, skeletal muscles urgently need a large amount of energy. Although respiratory movement and blood circulation are greatly enhanced at this time, they still cannot meet the muscle tissue's demand for oxygen, causing the muscles to be in a state of temporary hypoxia. As a result, sugars break down into lactic acid, releasing relatively little energy.

When lactic acid accumulates in the muscles, it stimulates the nerve endings in the muscles and produces a feeling of soreness. The accumulation of lactic acid increases the osmotic pressure in the muscles, causing the muscle tissue to absorb more water and produce local swelling.

For people who exercise regularly, their muscles can get more sufficient oxygen during exercise, and less lactic acid is produced by the breakdown of sugars, so there will be no obvious pain in the muscles.

Most methods of relieving muscle soreness include stretching and lengthening the muscles. This may be because when the muscles are stretched, the Golgi tendon organs of the muscles are stimulated, causing them to inhibit impulses. From a central perspective, stretching the muscles can change the excitability of the corresponding centers, and through the action of the negative stretch reflex it can block the spasms caused by excessive excitation of the muscle spindles, and improve the local tissue ischemia caused by spasms, thereby improving muscle blood flow and promoting the recovery of damaged tissues. It can also be seen from the electromyogram that stretching the sore muscles can gradually reduce their discharge and render them electrically quiet, indicating that static stretching can improve the excitability of sore muscles. Repeatedly stretching the muscles immediately after exercise until the muscles become sore is more effective in relieving muscle soreness.

For body aches that occur during exercise, it is best to do adequate warm-up before exercise, so that all the muscles in the body are mobilized before engaging in strenuous activity. This can effectively reduce muscle soreness. You can also do some activities that can relax your muscles after exercise, such as stretching your legs, taking a walk, etc.