Novice athletes are more frightened not by prolonged loads and heavy exercises, but by the consequences of exhausting training. Muscle pain is an integral part of any sport; it haunts even seasoned athletes.
Why do muscles hurt after exercise?
Pain occurs when the body is under unusual stress. Therefore, even if you have been training for several years, but suddenly have increased the intensity of your training much, the overload will respond with pain the next day. Unpleasant sensations arise from several factors. When the muscles get tired and aching immediately after training, when the pain is sharp or pulling, this is lactic acid. During sports, energy is released in the body due to the breakdown of glucose molecules - this process is called glycolysis. Glycolysis also produces a by-product, lactic acid. It accumulates in the muscles, causing swelling and pain.
Contrary to popular belief, muscle pain is not an indicator of the success of classes, it is just an individual reaction of the body.
24-48 hours after exercise, another type of pain occurs - the muscles start to ache when you load them. They also become less flexible. Such pain occurs due to the fact that during training, microtrauma and tiny tears are formed on the muscles - this is a natural process necessary for the growth of strength and endurance of the body. But because of these microtraumas, you will experience pain for a while until the muscle fibers recover.
Pain can also be a sign of overtraining. If you are really overtraining, take a couple of weeks off.
Sometimes muscle pain is pathological. See your doctor if the painful sensations are very strong and sharp, do not go away for a long time, intensify over time, and if pain occurs in the joint, accompanied by swelling and redness or dry clicks. It is worth paying attention to pain in the spine - they can signal serious problems.
What to do for muscle pain
Pain can be minimized by taking sports supplements containing ascorbic acid and amino acids. A hot bath and professional massage work well. For very severe pain, you can use cooling and warming ointments based on camphor and menthol, as well as therapeutic gels for joint pain and radiculitis. Pain relievers will also help - analgin, paracetamol, ibuprofen. In order to further minimize painful sensations after training, increase the load gradually, be sure to do a 10-minute warm-up, and at the end of the session - sports stretching. If you have had a long break between workouts, reduce the intensity of the session and gradually return to the usual loads.
