How often did it happen to you that after doing the exercises the next day you have pain in your abs, legs, or arms? Is it hard to get out of bed, and routine everyday activities turn into flour? In this article, you will learn why the abs and other muscle groups hurt after training, and how to avoid it.
Causes of pain
The pain you experience 24-48 hours after intense exercise is called delayed muscle pain. The idea of weight training is that you break muscle fibers, thereby creating microtrauma in the muscles. When the muscles recover, they will become stronger and denser than before. So the soreness that you feel the day after training when making movements is a good sign.
The main thing is to make sure that you are suffering from delayed muscle pain, not injury. A good way to tell the difference is that the pain is bilateral. For example, if the press hurts completely, and not on the one hand, then this is the norm. If you feel one-sided pain, it means that you could be injured.
If you feel normal soreness in the muscles, ligaments, or tendons, then you can continue to follow your training plan, but switch to other muscle groups, and then, after a few days, return to the abdominal muscles.
To avoid pain the next time, try the exercise slowly. Increase resistance gradually so that your muscles adapt to your new workout plan.
Pain Relief Tips
Below are 5 top tips for reducing muscle pain after a workout.
- Do not forget about the warm-up. Always warm up to increase your body temperature, thereby preparing your muscles for the shock of intense training.
- Drink water and watch your diet. The lack of electrolytes can lead to muscle pain, so try to drink enough water or special sports drinks. To replenish sodium, potassium and chloride, do not forget about the use of nuts and seeds, legumes, as well as fruits and vegetables.
- Take a contrast shower. Hot water increases blood flow, and cold limits it - such differences can destroy lactic acid, which causes tension and soreness in the muscles. Try alternating hot and cold water for 20-30 seconds.
- Do cardio. Cardio training increases blood flow, thereby nutrients such as oxygen, protein, and iron enter the muscles you trained faster and help them recover faster.
- Cool the muscles. If you still have pain after exercise, remove the ice from the freezer. It will help reduce pain and inflammation.
Conclusion
So, now you know why the press hurts after training and other muscle groups in general, as well as how to prevent these unpleasant sensations in the future.
Muscle pain may indicate that you have worked effectively on them, but to build muscle it is not necessary to suffer for several days after an intense workout.