Hey Coach Darren Vol. 1

Hi there,

Welcome to ‘Hey Coach Darren’ – the biweekly advice column where I’ll be sharing my top three tips on a different topic each week, inspired by real-life scenarios from our current members (and you)! 

This week’s question was an email from a member who just completed her third month with FitTRAC, the best gym in Redwood City:

“Hey Coach Darren,
I absolutely LOVE FitTRAC and am so happy I’ve joined, but I desperately need some advice on how to recover from post-workout soreness.

As you know I’m super busy with my two kiddos and job as a lawyer, but I love that you all have helped me to prioritize myself and my exercising, which I’ve been able to do much more regularly.

But for the last couple of weeks, every time I hit the gym, I end up with sore muscles that last for days. The soreness makes it hard for me to move around and perform basic tasks, which affects my work and daily routine.

I have tried different methods like stretching, massage, foam rolling, and taking a rest day, but nothing seems to work. I have also tried taking over-the-counter painkillers, but I don’t want to rely on medication.

I’m going to continue exercising, but the soreness is holding me back in other areas of life. Do you have any tips on how to recover from post-workout soreness quickly and naturally?”

Working out is great and absolutely essential, but soreness is certainly no fun! I understand how it feels to push yourself during a workout, and the soreness that comes afterwards can be a real pain in the neck (and back, and legs… you get the point!). The worst part is when it lingers for days, affecting your work and daily routine. No worries, here are some things to do to help!

  1. Contrast therapy: altering your water temperature during showering – In your post-workout shower, start with lukewarm water and gradually decrease the temperature until it’s at its coldest. Keep it cold for 3-5 minutes. Then switch to a hot shower for 2-3 minutes by gradually increasing the temperature until it’s comfortably warm. You can alternate between hot and cold showers for several cycles, always ending with a cold shower.

    This is called contrast therapy: cold water constricts the blood vessels, reducing blood flow and helping to reduce inflammation and swelling in the muscles that were worked during exercise. Then hot water helps to increase blood flow and relaxes the muscles, which can help to speed up the recovery process. 
  2. Examine (and improve) your sleep – Sleep is crucial for muscle recovery and repair because when you’re sleeping, your body produces growth hormones that help repair and rebuild muscle tissue. If you’ve been experiencing extreme soreness over the last couple weeks, it may be largely caused by inadequate sleep over that same timeframe. Review how much sleep you’ve been getting over the last couple weeks, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night and try to establish a consistent sleep routine.
  3. Properly nourish yourself with Magnesium (on the inside or outside of your body) – Magnesium is a mineral that plays a crucial role in muscle function and recovery (it helps regulate muscle contractions). And not having enough of it can cause excessive soreness!

    Increase your magnesium intake by eating foods like spinach, almonds, avocado, and dark chocolate. Or, you can take a magnesium supplement or soak in an Epsom salt bath, which is high in magnesium and can also help reduce soreness (and a warm bath is a great stress relief in general)!

If you’re feeling sore after working out, try those out and let me know if they help you out too!

Stay tuned for next week’s ‘Hey Coach Darren’ where I’ll be sharing more valuable tips to help you become happier, healthier, and stronger.

Stronger Together,
Coach Darren

P.S.
If you have a health or fitness question you’d like me to answer just hit ‘More Info’ on this page, and I’ll be sure to answer it in an upcoming ‘Hey Coach Darren’ post