EPTDOMS
Speaking specifically about muscles, they are worn down from strenuous use and receive microscopic tears within in their fibers. Your body repairs them and adapts to the stress resulting in DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). DOMS generally occurs the day after exercise and your muscles feel fatigued and sometimes your range of motion is limited. Whenever I go all out on chin ups after not doing them for a long time, not only do my biceps ache like hell, but I have a problem trying to straighten out my arms the next day. I walk around with my elbows bent and it kind of looks like I'm trying to flex my chest and abs all day. People stare. The best way to deal with this is to not go balls out when you are not used to an exercise. This is a general rule for athletic activity - start out slow and build up GRADUALLY.
Ways to minimize DOMS while still receiving its necessary benefits include properly accommodating your body to specific activities, eating properly, warming up and cooling down, massage techniques, getting adequate rest, and icing (after the workout). Most of these I will go into greater detail later.
Besides muscle strain and pain, many of your other body parts are fair game to hurt at some time. Generally speaking, if you are doing an exercise or activity that is hurting you, you must assess the situation. If that activity or exercise is hampering your ability to excel in what you want to do, take a step back. This leads into what I consider the most important aspect of recovery.
Listen to thy body!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/HKHvX.jpg)
Get your Zen on
If something is not just sore, uncomfortable, or a minor ache of some kind, but is causing you serious pain, you should probably stop what you are doing until you figure out what's up. Sometimes the pain goes away, other times you must adjust what you are doing (at least temporarily), and once in a while you may have to take drastic measures. Usually a drastic measure is just taking an extended vacation from your activities, doing a rehabilitation routine, or possibly receiving other medical attention. I like saying drastic because it sounds so dramatic and more often than not, athletes view a month or two off from exercising as a month or two at Gitmo.
Nobody knows your body like you. Except maybe your girlfriend. Wait, you don't have a girlfriend, you're browsing a fitness thread on a computer game website. My original statement stands. If you are unusually tired on a particular day, consider altering your workout or taking a day off. If you are combating an illness that is taking a toll on your body, just play it safe, your body will thank you for it. I used to get too caught up in needing to not only run every day, but to exactly follow my training plan no matter how I felt. The truth is that your training plan can never account for your IRL (internet lingo) affairs. Playing it safe and taking an easy day or a day off is always better than pushing your body harder than you need to and getting less out of it.
Train smart
This is similar to the last point but I wanted to add this so it seems like I have more to say than I really do. Always allow for both easy days and days off in your program. Also be willing to adjust what you are doing if you believe it will help you. Rigidity in programs is often the demise of the athlete. What I mean by that is people who never want to veer away from what they wrote down on paper they were supposed to do are the ones more susceptible to doing something they shouldn't. I used to get roped into that wrong way of thinking during my college running days. I would actually feel guilty when I didn't get in a run in that my coach had told me to. You may need to take time off or change your training in terms of frequency or intensity.
Diet
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TuDoF.jpg)
Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire
That old saying "you are what you eat" has some degree of truth to it. While unfortunately you can't physically turn What eat, it still has a tremendous amount to do with how your body operates. What you choose to consume is especially imperative for those embarking on athletic journeys to become better at what they do by becoming better at how they do it. Food literally is your body's fuel. Without getting into specific nutrition advice, I will say that it is essential to refuel after and sometimes during athletic activity. If your activity is something that lasts for a prolonged time and/or is especially intense, you should probably be consuming something during your session. When dealing with heat this issue can become very serious and move from the recovery zone to the "preventing death zone". It may be sufficient to just drink water, put adding in calories from carbs may be a good idea as well. There are bars and gels and all sorts of synthesized foods specifically for this purpose but usually real foods like fruits are fine. It's easier if you are a weightlifter as you can just drink water between sets or exercises, but endurance athletes run into different problems. If you are on a long run for instance, it is worthwhile to have a water bottle available somewhere so you can just take a five second break and thrown back some delicious aqua. Although the term may not make much sense, I like to think of this type of thing as "active recovery."
Once you have (hopefully) successfully completed your workout, it is time to think about recovery. One can argue that eating is more important than drinking after a strenuous bout with physical activity because hydrating can be done much quicker than breaking down food into useful components. Regardless, eat AND drink after working out. It is best to eat and drink immediately after your workout, but if it was an easy day then just make sure you eat within 30 minutes. Always drink enough fluid (water or sports drink) as soon as you can though. Protein is the most important type of food to eat post workout because that what helps you repair the damage you have done to your body. Carbs are good for quickly restoring some energy that you have exerted during exercise. A mixture of both protein and carbs, as well as a hydrating agent (sounds fancy, right?) is ideal.
Sleep
Sleep is actually probably the most underrated form of recovery. People in our busy society are always about getting as much out of the day as possible, which can mean to some that time spent sleeping is time spent wasted. Simply put, get enough sleep. While everyone has different sleep needs in terms of hours needed, the way in which you sleep can have a major impact on the quality of it. This might sound obvious, but sleep when it's dark. Besides a short nap, all our sleeping should be done while the sun is down and the moon is up. If you live near the poles this might get tricky, but I'll just ignore you. Most people's bodies are sensitive to sleeping habits. If we sleep during daylight or in a strange, unfamiliar place, we tend to not be as rested as in a dark and comfortable place. I know some strength and conditioning coaches even encourage their athletes to use ear plugs and sleep masks to keep out distracting noise and light. And if you really want to go crazy, try scheduling your sleep into 90 minute segments. The segments can overlap, but try to sleep for either 7.5 hours or 9 hours rather than 8 or 8.5. Some people believe that by sticking to our natural sleep cycles of 90 minutes, we can feel better and more refreshed upon waking up and have more engergy for the day. Even if you don't mess with this cycling deal I still urge you to at least get on a regular schedule so you are sleeping at the same times and for the same amount 7 days a week.
Stress
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/S5eyj.jpg)
Turn that frown upside down
Avoid stress. Not only will it improve your quality of life, but it will improve your quality of training as well. When stressed your muscles are often tense even if you're not consciously contracting them. Chronically stressed people spend more energy battling stress which causes them to have less energy for training. You will not be able to focus on your exercise or activity if you are too preoccupied with other concerns that are eating you up inside. Stress is already directly related to conditions like sleep problems (you know why that's not good), depression, and heart disease. It also weakens your immune system so you are more likely to get sick. So remember not to stress but to chill instead and address your problems in a healthy way so they won't interfere with every aspect of your life.
When you ARE sore...
Massage/Foam Roller
Have you ever had a real sports massage when you were in an intense training cycle? It is literally one of the most painful experiences I have ever had. It is the exact opposite of what most people think of when they hear "massage." A sports masseuse works out the "knots" in your muscles with their hands and if necessary, blunt objects. Consider trying it if you think you have some knots and you're man or woman enough to handle the pain.
If you're too scared or don't have access to a sports masseuse, think about investing in a foam roller. These big ass cylinders can also cause you a good amount of pain if you use them correctly. You pretty much just use your body weight to roll out the knots you may have or just break up the inflammation in your muscles caused by exercise. This can be done both before and after a workout but it seems more weight lifting people do it before (and often after as well) and other types of athletes only do it after. When you're rolling, make sure you stay on the knots for a while doing very small back and forth movements. You will know you're on a knot because it will be uncomfortable or possibly painful (the good kind).
Ice bath, contrast shower
Recovery is not for the weak. After a workout fill up a tub with ice until the water is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit and sit in it. I don't recommend going below 40 degrees or above 50 degrees for maximum benefits. This is similar to the massage because most people won't really be able to do this. Real ice baths have the water circulating quickly and a seat in it. The first time I ever stepped into one of these I actually thought I was going to lose my legs to frostbite. If you have the privilege to try one of these babies out then do it. Sit in it for 20 minutes and much inflammation will go away and you will probably feel great later on and the next day.
A contrast shower is something most people will be able to do but not everyone is tough enough for. After your workout, turn the water to as hot as you can take and stay there for three minutes. After three minutes turn the water to as cold as it gets for one minute. Then go back to as hot as you can handle and so on.
Do the whole thing for about 3-4 cycles (12-16 minutes). The idea behind the contrast shower is that it basically shocks your body's circulatory and immune systems. It, like the other activities, gets rid of some inflammation and lactic acid build up as well as helps muscles feel better faster.
Supplements
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NjDoi.jpg)
If you drink protein shakes you will be at least as buff as this guy
I believe in supplements but I only pick out the ones I think are really worthwhile. I am sort of a supplement minimalist. I will just list a few that I believe are good aids in the recovery process. Protein is pretty obvious. Eat it in a bar form or in real food form, or slurp it down after mixing some powder with your beverage of choice. Do it right after a workout for best results.
Creatine can be considered but as far as I know the studies that have been done on it are mostly inconclusive. But the good part is that most reliable scientists know it's in all likelihood not harmful and if anything has benefits to help muscles have more energy and potential as well as recover faster.
The last but still important supplement is fish oil. Ew, right? No, wrong. Delicious. Fish oil is found naturally in fish but smart people have figured out a way to put a concentrated dose into pill form. This is one supplement everybody who is not allergic to it should be taking. It reduces inflammation and has some fantastic fatty acids. Inflammation is not only an issue for athletes, but for people who don't want to die from the top killer of Americans; heart disease. These should be taken after each meal and with a good amount of water. The recommended dosages are usually pretty small but it's actually optimal to take more. I used to take 12 of these bad boys every day. Three after each of my four meals. And yes, if you were wondering I had the amazing ability to down three at once and I am proud of myself for that. For good supplements check out my source at the bottom.
Rappin it up...
Because I learned all of this information after I graduated high school, I never came close to reaching my full potential as an athlete during this time. I was all about running fast but had no idea about the importance of recovery, let alone how to go about it. Not surprising is the fact that my high school track team was often riddled with worn out and injured runners which usually led to disappointing performances by the end of the season.
I hope you have learned from reading this and take into consideration the information which I have outlined. Remember to always integrate easy and rest days into your program, be smart when the situation calls for it, and above all else, listen to thy body.
Happy training TL!
Sources
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4170&PageNum=1 (Running, recovery, and DOMS)
http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-effects-of-stress (stress)
http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm (Stress)
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/feel_better_for_10_bucks;jsessionid=185BE3D27D19440D61387C59A31A4FEA-mcd01.hydra (Foam roller)
http://www.t-nation.com/store/supplements/ (Supplements)
