Prevent muscle soreness - 5 tips to avoid pain after training

Almost everyone has had sore muscles at some point. Training that is too hard or unfamiliar will overload the muscles and after a day or two you will feel pain in the respective areas. There are several ways to prevent or relieve muscle soreness. Luckily, while sore muscles are uncomfortable, they are not actually dangerous to the body. This article deals with the question: What to do to prevent sore muscles? Regular recovery, a structured training plan, as well as warming up and cooling down before and after training can already alleviate or prevent pain. Alternating showers, heat or massages can also help. The main thing, however, is regular training and a slight increase in intensity, which means that the muscles become stronger and more resistant and less muscle soreness occurs.

Overuse causes small tears in the muscle. The body tries to repair these cracks with small foci of inflammation. As a result, water enters the muscle and causes it to expand. Neighbouring nerve cells are stimulated and a feeling of pain arises. Since it is not the muscle itself that hurts, but the adjacent nerve cells that transport the pain stimulus to the brain, it usually takes a day or two for sore muscles to be felt.

Muscle soreness after training signals that the load limit of the previous muscles has been exceeded. However, since these are only micro tears, sore muscles are not dangerous. Every sore muscle makes your body more resilient, but it is not absolutely necessary for building muscles.

Sore muscles are a signal to the body that you need a break, and this signal should be taken seriously. That doesn't mean you have to give up training completely. Another muscle group can be trained or light endurance training to stimulate blood circulation can be done. By doing so, you remain active without further irritating the overworked muscles.

In order to avoid overloading and thus muscle soreness, the training plan should be designed in such a way that the focus is on a different muscle group every day. This gives the stressed muscles time to regenerate. If muscles are sore all over the body, you should take a short break from training, because further strain on the overworked muscle slows down the healing process.

However, light movement that promotes blood circulation can have a positive effect on sore muscles. Soft yoga, easy cycling, or going for a walk can help heal small tears in your muscles.

A warm bath provides mental and physical relaxation. After training, the metabolism and blood circulation are stimulated and prevent sore muscles from developing in the first place. This method can also help if you already have sore muscles.

The situation is similar with a visit to the sauna. The warm air and sweating ensure good blood circulation in the entire body and thus also in the stressed muscles. Contrast showers are also a popular way to stimulate circulation. Alternating the use of cold and warm water also helps to prevent sore muscles.

Light massages can relieve sore muscles. Careful massage movements also have a relaxing and blood circulation-enhancing effect. However, caution is advised here, as pressing too hard on the muscle can cause further damage. The use of fascia rollers also has a blood circulation-promoting effect after training.

A short warm-up program not only reduces the risk of injury, but also helps to prevent sore muscles. So it is not a waste of time, but well-invested training. Because the muscles are sufficiently supplied with blood and activated before training, there are fewer tears in the fibres and therefore less pain caused by sore muscles.

A cool down session after training helps to slow down the circulation and thus the stimulation of the muscles is not abruptly interrupted but slowly reduced. Even a little stretching can prevent sore muscles.

The soft mats in our EVO Studios are perfect for stretching sessions after equipment training. Convince yourself and make an appointment for a free trial session in your studio in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Hamburg.

Through regular exercise, the body gets used to the strain and will also have less sore muscles over time. The load and the hardness of the training should be increased bit by bit in order to gradually make the muscles more resilient. The more sophisticated the training and the training plan, the better you can prevent sore muscles and still increase the intensity.

Sore muscles can be avoided with the right methods and a balanced training plan.

At the beginning of your membership, the trainers in our EVO Fitness Studios create an individual training plan for you and regularly adapt it to your needs.

However, the small muscle tears are not dangerous for the body and can be well treated and alleviated even after they have occurred. They signal that an overload has taken place, but also ensure that the body becomes stronger and more resilient in these areas. Nevertheless, you should prevent muscle soreness by using the tips above.