Avoid muscle soreness: How you can prevent the pain

What causes muscle soreness?

For a long time, it was assumed that muscle soreness was caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. Lactic acid does exist—however, during exercise, it mainly hinders the transport of oxygen, which can cause side stitches. It is not responsible for muscle soreness. Instead, it is now believed that muscle soreness stems from tiny tears in the muscle fibers. When we talk about muscles, we usually mean striated muscles or skeletal muscles. Such a muscle is not a uniform tissue, but consists of numerous muscle fiber bundles. Each bundle is surrounded by a layer of connective tissue. The muscle fiber bundle is composed of muscle fibers, which represent the muscle cells. Inside a muscle fiber, however, the cells are not clearly separated from one another, but are fused together to form thread-like tissue structures. There is also a layer of connective tissue (endomysium) around the muscle fiber. It holds even thinner fibers together: the myofibrils. The fibers of a muscle are elastic.

Through targeted fitness training, it is possible to increase their flexibility. Still, their stretchability is not infinite: at some point, they tear. During normal fitness training or athletic activity, small tears can also occur in the fibers. The entire muscle bundle does not tear (which would be a painful sports injury!), but rather minor injuries occur in individual fibers. These micro-tears cause pain—the infamous muscle soreness. To repair the tears, the body accumulates water at the micro-injury sites. For this reason, your muscles can also visibly swell after a workout. Beginners often celebrate this gain too early, mistakenly taking it for muscle growth—or they check the scale and are shocked to find that they have gained weight for no apparent reason. However, the water retention usually disappears after a few days. You should drink plenty of fluids and eat healthily to support your body's recovery.

Preventing muscle soreness

Sore muscles in themselves are not dangerous. Nevertheless, you should prevent muscle soreness. Sore muscles reduce the enjoyment of fitness training and can feel like a punishment. It is painful and uncomfortable. Furthermore, sore muscles can lead to avoiding movement – the exact opposite of what you want. In addition, it can cause you to perform exercises incorrectly and injure yourself.

Before the workout

Before the actual workout, whether outside in nature or on a piece of fitness equipment, you should warm up thoroughly every time. The warm-up is not a waste of time, but prepares you physically and mentally for your workout. When training on a cardio machine, a smooth transition between the warm-up and workout phase is possible. On a stepper, for example, you can start with ten minutes of slow movements and then gradually increase the intensity. If you train early in the morning, you should give your body the opportunity to wake up first. This is especially important if you are prone to circulatory problems. A first step could be, for example, walking to the gym or walking a little before jogging. Whether stretching before a workout is absolutely necessary remains debated. However, anyone struggling with muscle soreness should give good old stretching a chance. Even then, it is important not to be too aggressive or start too hectic.

After the workout

At the end of the workout comes the cool-down phase. On a cardio machine, this means, for example, working easily for another few minutes without pushing your limits anymore. After your fitness workout, you should loosen up your muscles. Light stretching can also be beneficial here. Massages (with your hands or a spiky ball) and infrared saunas are also said to prevent muscle soreness. In order for your body to recover, you need rest breaks. Switch your fitness equipment or types of sport frequently.

Muscle soreness in beginners

Beginners suffer from muscle soreness particularly often. There are various reasons for this. The fitness level at the start is often low. Most people do not move enough in everyday life. So it is hardly surprising that when starting out in sports, many people not only run out of breath quickly, but are also greeted by sore muscles the next day. With regular endurance training, however, muscle soreness improves and is not as severe every time as in the beginning. Therefore, the motto for beginners is: Hang in there! Even if muscle soreness cannot be completely avoided with the measures mentioned above, it usually gets better time after time. However, it is important to rule out a serious injury. Anyone new to fitness training also needs to learn and internalize the basics first. Practice makes perfect – this applies to hardly any area as much as to sports. Over time, through other athletes, trainers, blogs, books, and personal experience, every athlete learns what options and tricks exist to avoid muscle soreness – and which of them work for them personally.