guss
MuscleHead
- Aug 11, 2010
- 380
- 189
In case you have ever asked the question, “why do we get sore muscles” then you probably have heard of D.O.M.S. DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness and is the dull pain we get in our muscles after exercising.
Usually DOMS comes into play within 24-72 hours and you feel a very stiff feeling in the affected muscle plus pain that can sometimes be very debilitating.
So with this in mind what can we do to reduce the pain we get from DOMS?
DOMS – Prevention
Since DOMS is occurring because of damage to our muscle tissue, we want to make sure that we provide our muscles with adequate vitamins and minerals from a healthy balanced diet. But can we get a little more specific here?
Well our muscles are mostly composed of protein and water, and the fuel for our muscles include carbohydrates plus electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, so knowing this is a good start! In other words, it is really important to have lots of protein in our diet, hopefully from lean meats such as fish, chicken, beef as well as beans and legumes.
Of course, I would also advise with supplementing with whey protein powder because whey is easily digested and provides all the essential amino acids our muscle require to recover and grow. One of my favorite protein powders today is Gaspari Nutrition’s Myofusion – the chocolate milk flavour is absolutely killer (here is the link – Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion)!
Now if we’re looking pre-workout a protein meal about 2hours before exercising is best to allow time for digestion. Post-workout, having protein and carbohydrates, such a fruit smoothie protein drink would be best within 30 minutes after stopping exercising as this is when researchers have found our muscles have maximum absorbing ability. If you want more info on these topics please read my articles: Pre Workout Energy Foods & Post Workout Nutrition.
Further methods of preventing DOMS includes a good warm up before doing any intensive exercise. The warm-up should be adequate enough if you have a light sweat going, so get on a treadmill for at least 5 minutes especially if you are doing any weight training exercise. It is also recommended that you relax your muscles at the end of your workout by including some active stretching holding positions for at least 30 seconds.
DOMS – Treatment
So what do you do when you are trying to deal with sore muscles? Well one of the best and most trusted natural supplements is Glutamine which is an amino acid that is focused on protein metabolism, in other words allowing our dietary protein to be processed and used to repair our damaged muscle tissues. The brand that I recommend the most is ALLmax Nutrition’s Glutamine since it is extremely affordable and has no additives (here is the link – ALLmax Nutrition’s Glutamine)!
Further to that, increasing blood flow to the muscles is a great idea so that nutrients can be sent to the damaged area and waste products can be removed. Heat is great for this as is massage therapy and even Yoga. If you want to include another natural supplement to help with this, Creatine is the most respected which almost all competitive athletes include in their dietary regimen. Creatine causes some water retention in the in muscles, and the more water there is there the more successful our muscles are in recovering. This creatine complex is one of the hottest products in the market because it is quick to absorb by our muscles – Beast Sports Nutrition CREATure.
DOMS – Conclusion
This article should be a great reference point for you anytime you get delayed onset muscle soreness! Remember you need a good diet plan with smart pre and post workout nutrition and if sore muscles is especially a problem for you the aforementioned supplements (Whey Protein, Glutamine & Creatine) are all natural, highly researched and widely used. Some rest and relaxation is also of course a good idea especially if your training has been particularly intense, remember to have at least one day off from the gym a week!
Usually DOMS comes into play within 24-72 hours and you feel a very stiff feeling in the affected muscle plus pain that can sometimes be very debilitating.
So with this in mind what can we do to reduce the pain we get from DOMS?
DOMS – Prevention
Since DOMS is occurring because of damage to our muscle tissue, we want to make sure that we provide our muscles with adequate vitamins and minerals from a healthy balanced diet. But can we get a little more specific here?
Well our muscles are mostly composed of protein and water, and the fuel for our muscles include carbohydrates plus electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, so knowing this is a good start! In other words, it is really important to have lots of protein in our diet, hopefully from lean meats such as fish, chicken, beef as well as beans and legumes.
Of course, I would also advise with supplementing with whey protein powder because whey is easily digested and provides all the essential amino acids our muscle require to recover and grow. One of my favorite protein powders today is Gaspari Nutrition’s Myofusion – the chocolate milk flavour is absolutely killer (here is the link – Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion)!
Now if we’re looking pre-workout a protein meal about 2hours before exercising is best to allow time for digestion. Post-workout, having protein and carbohydrates, such a fruit smoothie protein drink would be best within 30 minutes after stopping exercising as this is when researchers have found our muscles have maximum absorbing ability. If you want more info on these topics please read my articles: Pre Workout Energy Foods & Post Workout Nutrition.
Further methods of preventing DOMS includes a good warm up before doing any intensive exercise. The warm-up should be adequate enough if you have a light sweat going, so get on a treadmill for at least 5 minutes especially if you are doing any weight training exercise. It is also recommended that you relax your muscles at the end of your workout by including some active stretching holding positions for at least 30 seconds.
DOMS – Treatment
So what do you do when you are trying to deal with sore muscles? Well one of the best and most trusted natural supplements is Glutamine which is an amino acid that is focused on protein metabolism, in other words allowing our dietary protein to be processed and used to repair our damaged muscle tissues. The brand that I recommend the most is ALLmax Nutrition’s Glutamine since it is extremely affordable and has no additives (here is the link – ALLmax Nutrition’s Glutamine)!
Further to that, increasing blood flow to the muscles is a great idea so that nutrients can be sent to the damaged area and waste products can be removed. Heat is great for this as is massage therapy and even Yoga. If you want to include another natural supplement to help with this, Creatine is the most respected which almost all competitive athletes include in their dietary regimen. Creatine causes some water retention in the in muscles, and the more water there is there the more successful our muscles are in recovering. This creatine complex is one of the hottest products in the market because it is quick to absorb by our muscles – Beast Sports Nutrition CREATure.
DOMS – Conclusion
This article should be a great reference point for you anytime you get delayed onset muscle soreness! Remember you need a good diet plan with smart pre and post workout nutrition and if sore muscles is especially a problem for you the aforementioned supplements (Whey Protein, Glutamine & Creatine) are all natural, highly researched and widely used. Some rest and relaxation is also of course a good idea especially if your training has been particularly intense, remember to have at least one day off from the gym a week!