If you're training hard in the weight room or during plyometrics then I have no doubt you've felt it.
D.O.M.S.
Delayed onset muscle soreness. And it usually seems to get worse before it gets better, sometimes taking 3 to 4 days to go away.
What happens is when you put the muscle fiber under tremendous strain repeated times, the fibers begin to microfracture.
The result of this usually causes swelling 24 to 48 hours later when the D.O.M.S. sets in. We all have probably been guilty of actually LOVING that feeling and even bragging about it thinking if you are that sore you MUST be making progress in your training right? The problem is if you have to take 2, 3 or even 4 days off to recover then you are losing valuable time waiting for the next workout.
Is there a way to minimize or even eliminate D.O.M.S. so you can get back in the gym sooner?
Yes there is!
The first trick that will dramatically reduce the delayed swelling is take an ice bath right after working out. Nothing fancy here. Fill up the bath tub with cold
water, throw a bag of ice in and sit there for 10 minutes, freezing your you know whats off. Don't want to buy and store bags of ice? no problem. A few ice trays
from the freezer, though not as effective still works well. This can literally take days off your recovery time which is why the pros use it almost religiously.
The second trick is to get a deep tissue massage on every muscle group worked.
What? No personal trainer or ma souse on your staff? No worries.
Say hello to what I think is the greatest training advance in modern times, the foam roller. To help speed the recovery process you need to flush out lactic acid,
toxins and get oxygen rich blood flowing to the muscle fiber. Simply get on a foam roller (about $20) and roll around on the areas you worked for a few minutes and the pressure from the roller will act as a deep tissue massage increasing blood flow to the muscle fiber. I love this tip so much I use a foam roller before, in between sets and post workout as well as on recovery days.
The last thing you need to do is stretch. This has only minimal effects for reducing D.O.M.S. but it must be done so that your muscles and tendons don't shorten and tighten up. Over time this can lead to motion range impairment. If you are not stretching after games or training sessions you are taking weeks, months or even years off your playing career. Eventually it will catch up with you, so take the time to static stretch all muscle groups after every game or training session.
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