How to relieve body aches after exercise?

Many of our friends usually do physical exercise very well, but if they suddenly engage in some strenuous activities, it is easy for the muscles all over the body to experience varying degrees of soreness. Sometimes it is also related to the non-standard exercise movements. It is best to relieve it in time after exercise. Let’s take a look at how to quickly and effectively relieve muscle soreness caused by exercise.

Ways to relieve muscle soreness

There are many ways. Do not take a hot bath within one day after exercise. It is recommended to take a cold bath. Warm water is also OK. Hot bath will aggravate the feeling of soreness. You need to replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates, as well as moderate massage.

1. Take a cold shower

Why are hot baths not recommended?

Since the muscle microstructure is damaged after exercise, hot baths or hot compresses will accelerate blood circulation in the injured muscles, thereby aggravating the damage to the muscle microstructure. If you take a hot bath after heavy weight training, you will definitely feel more sore the next day than if you take a cold bath. At the same time, hot water baths accelerate the metabolism of muscle tissue. The training before the hot water bath has already consumed a large amount of muscle glycogen in the muscles. Using hot water baths to continue to accelerate metabolism will increase fatigue and even lower blood sugar. Taking a hot bath after training will increase fatigue and make people feel more sleepy, while taking a cold or warm bath will significantly reduce fatigue.

2. Appropriate cold compress

Immediately after high-intensity training, use ice packs to cool the target muscles. Generally, the cold compress lasts for 10 to 15 minutes. Place clothing or towels between the ice pack and the skin to prevent frostbite.

3. Nutritional supplements

You can drink sports drinks and eat more carbohydrates to restore muscle glycogen levels. It is okay to have a meal within 2 hours after exercise.

4. Strengthen stretching

It is mainly to stretch the sore muscles 12 hours after training, or when training other items the next day. .

5. Massage if possible

Do not massage the target muscles and soft tissues immediately after training. Apply cold compress first. Remember our order, right? The reason is similar to the principle of not applying hot compress immediately after exercise. Immediate massage will increase the damage to the muscle microstructure, increase the damage to the body, and slow down the recovery.

When massaging, you need to target the muscles and try to squeeze and press along the direction of the muscles. This will allow the muscles to be in a better state of relaxation. After strenuous exercise, you should also replenish your body with sufficient water. You can drink some light salt water or warm water to avoid dehydration.