This article is about these hard workouts and the muscle pain that follows. In particular, I want to talk about how to prepare for a workout of this intensity and how to recover properly to adapt optimally.
Muscle soreness after exercise is a common complaint in a sports chiropractor's office. What is it about a new exercise, lifting more weight, or a slightly longer workout that causes us to have such severe muscle pain? And why do they always seem to get worse on the second day?
This is an incredibly popular question from athletes and patients alike, and the simple answer is that Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), or 'muscle soreness' is the result of a micro-strain of the muscle. Does this mean your muscles are damaged? No. In fact, it's a good thing. When we exercise, we want to stress the muscle appropriately, which means it's good to cause small breaks in the muscle tissue that cause an inflammatory response from the immune system and a rebuilding of the tissue into a new, stronger muscle.
This process takes time, and the inflammatory response usually peaks 24-48 hours after exercise.
This is a classic example of how inflammation in the body is actually a normal, healthy response and a good thing.
It would not be wrong to say that you are in a vulnerable, weakened immune state during this time. In fact, many patients say they "always get sick" after a HIIT workout, which could have to do with the compromised immune system during this phase. This is an important response that increases our ability to adapt.
If you're training for a specific event, or if you're an elite or professional athlete, this type of training is not only helpful, but essential. As annoying as sore muscles can be, they are an important indicator of your overall performance and progress, as well as your ability to adapt. However, there are definitely ways to deal with muscle soreness and recover more effectively from a tough workout.
In the truest sense of the word, exercise begins with mobilization.
Tips for a successful, challenging workout:
1. Plan and Prepare.
Get plenty of sleep.
Refrain from alcohol or soft drinks and instead drink water throughout the day before training.
Consume enough calories and in the right proportions of macronutrients to be successful.
Warm-up the body both dynamically and through visualization to prevent injury and improve form.
Mobilize. As you warm-up, look for joints that feel blocked or painful and don't move properly. If the blockage is affecting your ability to perform the movement and you are unable to mobilize it yourself, see your chiropractor to mobilize it for you before you perform the exercise.
2. Train
With a partner. It is even better if this is a coach or trainer who can correct your form, spur you on and guide you through your workout.
Adequate hydration during exercise with water according to the Galpin equation: 2 ml per kg of body weight, every 15-20 minutes of exercise. In extreme conditions (such as a particularly hot day), top up with a sports drink or electrolyte supplement.
Observe all areas of pain and assign a number to the pain (on a pain scale of 0 to 10) and communicate this aloud to your partner or trainer. As a general rule, pain not caused by an injury that is above 8/10 on the pain scale is a danger zone and should only be performed under the observation of a trainer or specialist for safety reasons. Pain above this threshold is most likely to lead to an injury or indicate that an injury has already occurred.
Optimize your nervous system. This may mean watching movies to practice a particular form, or looking at yourself in the mirror before performing a particular movement. It may also mean listening to fast music and jumping rope to get your heart rate up. We call this "priming" the body for a particular task to improve the outcome and reduce the risk of injury. Think of it like a spinning carousel that is already spinning at high speed. If you try to jump up while it's already spinning, you could get hurt. However, if you run alongside the carousel until you reach the same speed, jumping up will be a little easier and you will be less likely to get hurt.
3. Recover and return to the baseline (homeostasis).
Cool down by bringing the heart rate back to baseline. Stretch or foam roll afterwards. Pro tip: Perform "downregulation breathing" (inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds) for ten minutes while listening to slow music in a darkened room. It's perfectly fine if you fall asleep during this time! If you are interested in this concept, check out this link: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/03/study-discovers-how-slow-breathing-induces-tranquility.html
Avoid extreme cold when trying to build muscle mass. Ice baths reduce the inflammatory response you want, even if it feels good at the time. Just like taking ibuprofen, deep cooling of the muscles blocks the adaptive response. Remember that extreme cold is a stressor and increases the sympathetic nervous system response, so I generally do not recommend this as a recovery strategy.
However, to reduce muscle soreness in the recovery period 24-48 hours after exercise, a 5-minute ice bath may be an appropriate strategy rather than resorting to ibuprofen. If you've never done something like this before, take it slow and consult a professional.
Staying warm in the hours after a hard workout, such as a warm bath in Epsom salts, can be very helpful in increasing heat capacity and relieving pain in some people. A sauna, warm shower, or heat pack can also be helpful, but there are not many clear, well-researched protocols on heat or cold therapies for recovery - it's very subjective (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26502272/).
Hydrate with electrolytes. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes, which means you lose magnesium, and since this is a common component of muscle pain, it is very important to replenish those stores after a hard workout.
Have a quality meal with balanced macronutrients and a multivitamin.
Compression garments. Whether with equipment, clothing or your hands (e.g. lymphatic massage) - this promotes blood circulation and at the same time transports waste products out of the muscles.
Schedule in extra, quality sleep.
Massage is a fantastic way to restore muscle function, but overly deep tissue massage or "overdoing it" with a massage gun can actually have the opposite effect on the muscle by fueling the inflammatory response too much. As always, it is best if this is done by a professional. There is even some research on the effectiveness of using Kenisiotape for lymphatic drainage (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32158546/).
Mobilize. Just like the warm-up phase, the warm-down phase should be used to uncover any blockages or painful joint movement. Consult your chiropractor if it doesn't feel right.
4. Adapt
Mechanical stress such as exercise is said to produce an immune-inflammatory response. This occasional stress is said to improve your endurance, strength, and flexibility by increasing your ability to adapt.
If you continue exercising before you have fully recovered, you run the risk of overloading the muscles again. If done correctly, this will be rewarded by a functional overload where the body makes these adaptations and performance is increased. This type of intense training should be done under the supervision of a professional. However, if this type of training is not done properly, it can lead to overtraining, injury and recurring illness.
In between there is a phase called non-functional overtraining, but that is a topic for another post.
5. Reflect and Plan Again.
One of my favorite athletes taught me a great strategy for maintaining performance: keeping a log. She kept a bullet journal of her workouts to avoid increasing the weight or intensity of her workouts too quickly, and this helped her avoid injury, burnout, and overtraining.
Start by determining your training status and goals (what are you training for and how does it fit with your lifestyle and career goals?), and plan your annual, monthly, weekly and daily workouts based on that. Make sure your goals are realistic, and make sure you are successful. If you need help with this, consult a professional sports therapist or another qualified professional to get you started.
Remember to include adequate rest periods and rest days/weeks when planning an exercise program.
Realize that your energy for a workout is an investment in your overall functional goal. It is normal (and expected) for physical performance to decrease after an intense workout, and you should not expect to feel at your best the next day. This is where being clear about your goals is important, and talking to your team, trainer, family or colleagues could be an important factor.
6. Prevent Injury
Observe your training objectively. If you feel overtrained, burned out, or unmotivated, or notice unexplained fatigue, recurring illness, or minor/major injuries, it's time to see a doctor (e.g., your favorite sports chiropractor).
Remember that athletes are people too. People with families, jobs and many other factors that also add stress to the neurological response. Training can help individuals adapt to these stresses, but when the functional stress threshold is exceeded, there are very real changes in biomarkers (heart rate and blood pressure variability, blood cell counts, etc.) as well as changes in performance. Don't ignore your symptoms.
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In summary, exercise stresses the body's muscles and immune system and is one of the best ways to improve adaptability to a changing and challenging world. The goal of recovery is to calm the neurological response and involves a holistic approach that considers both physiology and neurology. Right now, in the aftermath of a pandemic, we know how important it is to improve our ability to adapt. If you have questions or want to take your training to the next level, a sports chiropractor is an essential member of your team.
Do you have anything to add? We welcome your tips and questions. Post them below to start a discussion!
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