Strenuous exercise and heavy weight lifting is often recommended for weight loss. It takes a lot of work to burn excess body fat, so they more you exercise and the higher reps you do, the more weight you can lose, right? Maybe. If you overtax your muscles, however, you'll likely experience muscles soreness and stiffness within two days after a workout.
What Causes Muscle Soreness Post-Workout?
There are several reasons why your muscles may be sore after a tough workout. Troubleshooting the issue can help fix the problem so you heal faster, make more progress in the gym and lose more weight.
- Lack of protein. Of the keys to building muscle and taking care of it is to eat plenty of protein. It is especially important to consume protein immediately after a strength training session to speed up muscle recovery.
- Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness (DOMS.) DOMS is what happens when the muscle fibers tear and inflammation lingers in the muscles. Swelling is commonly associated with this type of post-exercise soreness.
- Lactic acid buildupccording to WebMD, “when oxygen is low, carbohydrate breaks down for energy and makes lactic acid.” The lactic acid can buildup in your muscle tissue, causing soreness, stiffness and swelling. Muscle converts glucose to lactic acid during intense exercise, so the more muscle you build, the more likely you are to build up lactic acid deposits. It is essentially a waste product that leads to fatigue and hampers athletic performance.
How to Reduce Post-Workout Muscle Soreness
Your first instinct might be to skip the gym when you are feeling sore. Actually, that's when you need the gym the most though. One way to ease muscle tension is to move. Do some light stretches, walk or repeat the workout that caused the soreness, only at a much lighter intensity. Doing this can warm up the muscles and help ease the pain. Warming up and cooling down are also essential parts of each workout to minimize muscle soreness.
Other ways to ease muscle tension after a heavy workout include: therapeutic massage, using a massage roller, icing the inflamed area, following an anti-inflammatory diet and getting plenty of rent to allow time for muscle growth and repair.
Reduce Soreness to Maximize Workouts
Losing weight requires a fine balance. Missing workouts due to muscle soreness or not being able to train as hard as usual becuase of lactic acid buildup can delay your weight loss results. Take good care of your muscles so you can put your best into each workout, burning more calories and building more fat-burning muscle.
Sources
“Lactic Acid,” WebMD. Aug 3, 2010.
“Lactic Acid Buildup,” Weight Loss for All. Accessed Nov 10, 2011.
Weil, Richard. “Muscle Soreness,” Medicine Net. Jan 12, 2007.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Tracy Rose - Tracy Rose is a powerflifter who holds the state record in deadlifting and has had success in her own weight loss journey.
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