My wife had our first child not too long ago, so I decided to take some time off from the daily workout grind to help out. When I had decided to get back to my normal routine, three weeks had passed by and I tried to jump back in like I hadn’t missed a day!

It was a huge mistake. I was so sore that functional living was a struggle for me. 

This is also a really common struggle for new clients and clients who have taken time away from the gym. 

Here’s what you can do to help ward off crippling muscle soreness!

• Stay consistent. The best thing you can do is keep showing up to the gym day after day, even when you feel too sore to workout. Your body is adapting to your new routine and within a few weeks your soreness won’t be as bad. I promise.

• Keep moving. Exercise & movement promotes blood flow, increased blood flow provides more oxygen to your muscle fibers which aids in muscle tissue repair. Going for walks, playing with your kids and taking short stretching breaks can go a long way in preventing muscle soreness.

• Modify high intensity workouts to steady state aerobic workouts. With workouts performed at high intensity you’re consistently pushing your muscle fibers to their limit, this can increase muscle soreness. Instead of performing workouts with a scheduled rest, simply remove the recovery time and perform a slower moving aerobic version of the workout. This will keep yourself from pushing too hard, allow you to focus on technique and keep you moving.

• Nourish to flourish. Nutrition makes a huge impact on your soreness. Eating whole foods and the proper amount of calories provides your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs for your body to recover from your workouts. It’s most beneficial to eat a meal within an hour of your workout to prevent muscle soreness.

• Drink water. Drinking water helps carry and flush away lactic acid that builds up in your body after a hard workout. Try drinking an ounce of water for each pound of body weight per day.

• Warm-up and cool down. The worst thing you can do for your body is to jump into a workout cold (without warmup up), train hard, and sit for the rest of your day! Properly warming up loosens & activates muscles and gets blood flowing, aiding in recovery. When you’re done with an intense workout, you’ll find you’ll recover best with stretching, rolling your muscles out on a foam roller or walkin for 10-15 minutes.

Our personal trainers and group coaches value lifting weights, and using multi-jointed, functional exercises performed at high intensity. You don’t have to guess what to do! 

If you need help with post workout nutrition, modifying workouts or help with extra warm-ups or cool-downs, please schedule a free consultation with one of our coaches →  →  I’M READY TO MEET WITH A COACH!

COACH PHIL KNIEP – Owner & CEO of Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness

Precision Nutrition L1 Coach

CrossFit Level 3 Trainer

Endurance Certified

Mobility Certified

Scaling Certified

3x CrossFit Games Qualifier