Jake Barton, Professional Light Heavyweight Boxer, Former WBC Muay Thai Champion and Former ISKA Kickboxing Champion shares his advices for preventing muscle soreness and how to get rid of DOMS…
There are many different ways in which you can both prevent and treat sore muscles following a workout, below I’m going to give you three examples, all methods which I use personally and find real benefits from. I am a former Muay Thai fighter turned Professional Boxer, so sore muscles after a workout is something I’m certainly familiar with. Hopefully, as they have helped me, these three tips will help you.
1. Ice Bath
Lets get straight to the point, Ice Baths aren’t everybody’s favourite and some people think of them as old school and with so many easier options around these days such as cryotherapy they’re not used as often as they once were. However, personally I don’t think you can beat them. There is no better way to prevent muscle soreness than jumping into a big ice bath straight after training.
At first they’re hard. You may not enjoy it. But the more times you do them the more your body will adapt. I promise you will feel great afterwards. If you have never had one give it a try. If you’ve tried one but struggled, then I encourage you to persevere. If you regularly do them, well you already have the top tip to prevent muscle soreness post workout and how to get rid of DOMS. Aim for 5 minutes, you can of course increase this the more often you do them.
2. Supplements
There are a number of different supplements on the market to help aid recovery post workout and get rid of DOMS. The best way to find out what works best for you would be to use a Bio Synergy DNA kit, the results will advise you on what your body will react positively to.
If you’ve not yet done this (or are unable too) then I would recommend BCAA’s (Branch Chain Amino Acids). Think of this as cement to a brick, that’s exactly what BCAA’s are to protein, they will help repair your muscles and reduce fatigue post workout.
3. Stretching & Light Exercise
Finishing up a touch workout with some deep stretching can be a fantastic way to reduce muscle soreness. Do a little research and you will find plenty of stretching routines that you can add on the end of your session, you will certainly notice the difference after a few sessions.
Stretching will also improve your overall flexibility the more you do it, so that’s a great added bonus. I also find doing some light exercise to help get rid of the lactic acid build up also helps. For example later on that day or early the day after, go for a nice long walk, just to get your body moving again, not sitting still and letting your muscles stiffen up. This is a great way to treat sore muscles also if you have woken up and can feel the strain yesterdays session has had on your body.
So there was three ways in which you can prevent and treat sore muscles. Give them all a try and see which works best for you. Good Luck!!
