Active Recovery Workouts and How They Can Ease Muscle Soreness

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

In this Article

• Why You Get Sore After Exercise
• Why Active Recovery Workouts Help Ease Muscle Soreness
• Exercises for Active Recovery
• When Not to Use Active Recovery
• Other Ways to Ease Sore Muscles

Whether you’re a serious athlete or an occasional exerciser, you’ve probably felt the pain of muscle soreness after a hard workout. As long as you are just sore and not injured, you may feel better faster with an active recovery workout, vs. passive recovery (just resting your body).

Active recovery workouts don’t need to take up too much of your time. They also don’t need to be hard – they shouldn’t be – and may include low-intensity exercise, yoga, swimming, or foam rolling.

Muscles grow and get stronger when you work them hard enough to cause tiny tears in the muscle tissue. It’s a natural process, but it can still cause mild discomfort.  

A different soreness happens when you try a new exercise or a new movement. It usually occurs hours or even a day or two later. Called delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS, this can involve actual damage to muscles. To avoid this type of pain, experts recommend that when you try an unfamiliar sport or activity, you cut the duration by one-third. DOMS can also happen when you perform a familiar activity but you go extra hard.

Experts once thought that DOMS was due to lactic acid buildup in muscles, but they now recognize that’s not actually true. While the body forms lactic acid when it calls on stored energy, that excess lactic acid disappears rapidly when the period of exertion ends. It doesn’t cause soreness that can persist days later.

When you have any type of muscle pain after exercising, you have two options: passive recovery or active recovery. Passive recovery is resting the body. This type of recovery is good for strains and other injuries. For other post-exercise aches and pains, though, experts recommend active recovery, which can be almost any type of light exercise.

Active recovery works because it increases blood flow to the muscles and joints. This improved blood supply takes away toxins and brings in fresh nutrients for healing.

Active recovery workouts should be moderate in intensity. Aim at a heart rate of 30% to 60% of your maximum. Studies show that recovery workouts are less effective when they are hard or vigorous.

There are many exercise options for active recovery. It’s smart to choose an activity that you like so your recovery will be as helpful to your body as your mind. Some active recovery workouts include:

Low-intensity exercise. It’s OK to use your regular form of exercise for an active recovery workout. Just remember to dial down the intensity. If you walk or jog, do it at a pace that makes it possible to carry on a conversation. A bike ride is another option. You can even do weight training if you decrease your weight, repetitions, or both. 

Yoga. Yoga, and especially slow-paced disciplines like yin yoga, are great for recovery. Yoga can refresh you mentally and psychologically while aiding your physical recovery. 

Foam rolling. Some people find relief from sore muscles by using a foam roller, which combines the benefits of exercise and massage. To try this method, place the roller between the floor and the sore area of the body. Slowly roll on it to put light pressure on the muscles. 

Foam rolling can be uncomfortable, and beginners should use it in small doses while avoiding pressure on bones and joints.

Swimming and water exercise. Working out in water allows you to benefit from the pressure of the water on the body, which can be compared to the sensation of a light massage. This pressure improves circulation while minimizing stress on the joints. 

In one study of runners, those who used swimming for recovery outperformed a passive recovery group on a run the following day.

Pain that exceeds normal soreness means that you may need rest or medical care. Besides taxing the muscles, exercise can put stress on bones, tendons, and cartilage. Pain in these areas is likely to be due to an injury. Active recovery strategies could make the injury worse. 

See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms after exercise:

• Pain that is constant, sharp, or worsening 
• Pain in the area of a previous injury or surgery
• A painful area that looks deformed, bruised, or swollen
• Pain that doesn’t improve with rest, icing, or anti-inflammatory medications
• Pain combined with fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting
• Pain that interferes with sleep

Rest: Taking a day off gives your body a chance to repair itself and replenishes your energy. Jennifer Rulon, a seven-time Ironman triathlete and triathlon coach, says the second day after an intense workout can be the toughest. So she suggests doing light exercise the day after a heavy workout, then taking off the next day.

Ice: Icing for 20 to 30 minutes can lessen blood flow to sore muscles, which often reduces swelling and pain. And remember: Just because you can’t see muscles swelling doesn’t mean they are not inflamed. Be sure to put a towel between the ice pack and your skin and stick to the time limit (20-30 minutes) to protect your skin. 

Heat: If your muscles still ache after 48 hours, try applying some heat (carefully). It can stimulate blood flow to your muscles to ease tightness and help them feel better. Try a warm (not hot) towel or heating pad. But be careful. Take care and watch your body’s response. In some cases, heat can further inflame muscles. Follow manufacturer instructions to avoid skin burns, and avoid direct contact with any heating device.

Stretching: A gentle stretching routine can help break the cycle of tight sore muscles. Talk to your health care provider or a physical therapist if you’re unsure where to start, especially if you have any injuries.

Massage: It can relieve muscle tension, boost blood flow, and increase the range of motion in your joints. It’s also a great mood lifter. When your muscles are sore, a gentle massage is best. Light pressure may be better for recovery than a deep-tissue massage. Or try tender-point acupressure in which a massage therapist applies pressure and holds it directly on the tender areas.

Medication: You can try an anti-inflammatory medication. Over-the-counter versions can reduce swelling and relieve pain. Try aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.

Compression garments: Wearing compression­ sleeves during or after a workout can­ help decrease muscle soreness afterward ­and help you recover ­for your next workout. Sleeves might go over your calves when you run, and over your arms when you lift weights. Your health care team can help find the right fit for you.

Nutrition: Make sure you get enough nutrients to feed your tired muscles and replenish your energy stores. A good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates is important. In general, protein helps with muscle repair and carbohydrates help replenish energy stores after aerobic exercise. Be sure to get enough water and electrolytes (essential minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium) too.  

Top Picks

Active Recovery Workouts and How They Can Ease Muscle Soreness

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

In this Article

• Why You Get Sore After Exercise
• Why Active Recovery Workouts Help Ease Muscle Soreness
• Exercises for Active Recovery
• When Not to Use Active Recovery
• Other Ways to Ease Sore Muscles

Whether you’re a serious athlete or an occasional exerciser, you’ve probably felt the pain of muscle soreness after a hard workout. As long as you are just sore and not injured, you may feel better faster with an active recovery workout, vs. passive recovery (just resting your body).

Active recovery workouts don’t need to take up too much of your time. They also don’t need to be hard – they shouldn’t be – and may include low-intensity exercise, yoga, swimming, or foam rolling.

Muscles grow and get stronger when you work them hard enough to cause tiny tears in the muscle tissue. It’s a natural process, but it can still cause mild discomfort. 

A different soreness happens when you try a new exercise or a new movement. It usually occurs hours or even a day or two later. Called delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS, this can involve actual damage to muscles. To avoid this type of pain, experts recommend that when you try an unfamiliar sport or activity, you cut the duration by one-third. DOMS can also happen when you perform a familiar activity but you go extra hard.

Experts once thought that DOMS was due to lactic acid buildup in muscles, but they now recognize that’s not actually true. While the body forms lactic acid when it calls on stored energy, that excess lactic acid disappears rapidly when the period of exertion ends. It doesn’t cause soreness that can persist days later.

When you have any type of muscle pain after exercising, you have two options: passive recovery or active recovery. Passive recovery is resting the body. This type of recovery is good for strains and other injuries. For other post-exercise aches and pains, though, experts recommend active recovery, which can be almost any type of light exercise.

Active recovery works because it increases blood flow to the muscles and joints. This improved blood supply takes away toxins and brings in fresh nutrients for healing.

Active recovery workouts should be moderate in intensity. Aim at a heart rate of 30% to 60% of your maximum. Studies show that recovery workouts are less effective when they are hard or vigorous.

There are many exercise options for active recovery. It’s smart to choose an activity that you like so your recovery will be as helpful to your body as your mind. Some active recovery workouts include:

Low-intensity exercise. It’s OK to use your regular form of exercise for an active recovery workout. Just remember to dial down the intensity. If you walk or jog, do it at a pace that makes it possible to carry on a conversation. A bike ride is another option. You can even do weight training if you decrease your weight, repetitions, or both. 

Yoga. Yoga, and especially slow-paced disciplines like yin yoga, are great for recovery. Yoga can refresh you mentally and psychologically while aiding your physical recovery. 

Foam rolling. Some people find relief from sore muscles by using a foam roller, which combines the benefits of exercise and massage. To try this method, place the roller between the floor and the sore area of the body. Slowly roll on it to put light pressure on the muscles. 

Foam rolling can be uncomfortable, and beginners should use it in small doses while avoiding pressure on bones and joints.

Swimming and water exercise. Working out in water allows you to benefit from the pressure of the water on the body, which can be compared to the sensation of a light massage. This pressure improves circulation while minimizing stress on the joints. 

In one study of runners, those who used swimming for recovery outperformed a passive recovery group on a run the following day.

Pain that exceeds normal soreness means that you may need rest or medical care. Besides taxing the muscles, exercise can put stress on bones, tendons, and cartilage. Pain in these areas is likely to be due to an injury. Active recovery strategies could make the injury worse. 

See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms after exercise:

• Pain that is constant, sharp, or worsening 
• Pain in the area of a previous injury or surgery
• A painful area that looks deformed, bruised, or swollen
• Pain that doesn’t improve with rest, icing, or anti-inflammatory medications
• Pain combined with fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting
• Pain that interferes with sleep

Rest: Taking a day off gives your body a chance to repair itself and replenishes your energy. Jennifer Rulon, a seven-time Ironman triathlete and triathlon coach, says the second day after an intense workout can be the toughest. So she suggests doing light exercise the day after a heavy workout, then taking off the next day.

Ice: Icing for 20 to 30 minutes can lessen blood flow to sore muscles, which often reduces swelling and pain. And remember: Just because you can’t see muscles swelling doesn’t mean they are not inflamed. Be sure to put a towel between the ice pack and your skin and stick to the time limit (20-30 minutes) to protect your skin. 

Heat: If your muscles still ache after 48 hours, try applying some heat (carefully). It can stimulate blood flow to your muscles to ease tightness and help them feel better. Try a warm (not hot) towel or heating pad. But be careful. Take care and watch your body’s response. In some cases, heat can further inflame muscles. Follow manufacturer instructions to avoid skin burns, and avoid direct contact with any heating device.

Stretching: A gentle stretching routine can help break the cycle of tight sore muscles. Talk to your health care provider or a physical therapist if you’re unsure where to start, especially if you have any injuries.

Massage: It can relieve muscle tension, boost blood flow, and increase the range of motion in your joints. It’s also a great mood lifter. When your muscles are sore, a gentle massage is best. Light pressure may be better for recovery than a deep-tissue massage. Or try tender-point acupressure in which a massage therapist applies pressure and holds it directly on the tender areas.

Medication: You can try an anti-inflammatory medication. Over-the-counter versions can reduce swelling and relieve pain. Try aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.

Compression garments: Wearing compression­ sleeves during or after a workout can­ help decrease muscle soreness afterward ­and help you recover ­for your next workout. Sleeves might go over your calves when you run, and over your arms when you lift weights. Your health care team can help find the right fit for you.

Nutrition: Make sure you get enough nutrients to feed your tired muscles and replenish your energy stores. A good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates is important. In general, protein helps with muscle repair and carbohydrates help replenish energy stores after aerobic exercise. Be sure to get enough water and electrolytes (essential minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium) too.  

Top Picks

Top 10 Foods for Sore Muscles After a Workout

If simple tasks like getting dressed, picking up a bag from the floor, or pulling a book from a shelf are more distressing than exercising, you may be experiencing delayed muscle pain syndrome, or krepatura. No panic! A well-formulated diet will help to cope with pain.

Muscle pain is part of the process of muscle development: physical activity leads to microdamage, and in the process of recovery, the muscles become stronger and larger. The products on this list will help you get over your pain faster and feel great the next day.

Products that will speed up the recovery process

Cherry juice

Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is not accidentally on the list of healthy snacks – it is one of the best sources of casein, a complex protein that rebuilds your muscles while you sleep. In the

study

, scientists noticed that those who consumed casein shortly before bed had a dramatic increase in muscle growth compared to those who took a placebo.

Curd also contains the amino acid leucine, which has been shown to speed up pain relief. Eat pure cottage cheese. What to do if you do not like the taste of this product, read here.

Ginger and cinnamon

Cinnamon rolls or cookies are not the best post-workout snack. Nevertheless, a pinch of spices will help to cope with muscle pain. The study found that girls who were given cinnamon or ginger suffered far less muscle pain than those given a placebo. Ceylon cinnamon might come in very handy on your spice shelf. Add it to cereal, coffee, toast or potatoes. How to use ginger – read in this material.

Turmeric

Curcumin helps reduce soreness associated with soreness and speed up muscle recovery after exercise. To get this effect, add turmeric to, for example, oatmeal, smoothies, coffee, or baked goods.

Good news for coffee drinkers: A moderate dose of caffeine (one to two cups) an hour before a workout can help reduce post-workout pain. Here you can read about how to brew coffee properly.

Salmon

Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and proteins, making it an ideal post-workout meal. Scientists

state

that the use of these nutrients leads to rapid recovery and muscle growth.

Add some salmon to a salad, grill steaks or bake a pie.

Try to come up with something more desirable after an intense workout than a slice of juicy watermelon! In addition, it contains the amino acid L-citrulline, which will help soothe your muscles.

Scientists have found that watermelon juice helps to restore the pulse after a workout and helps to cope with muscle pain. Thanks to the natural sugar found in watermelon, glycogen stores are replenished, and watermelon also helps prevent dehydration.

Protein is an important building block for muscle, so it’s no surprise that eating protein foods like eggs after a workout reduces the risk of delayed muscle soreness. Like cottage cheese, eggs contain leucine, which helps to cope with discomfort in the muscles. So an egg scramble will come in very handy after a workout.

Bananas are a source of easily digestible carbohydrates, the product helps to deliver proteins to your muscles and accelerates muscle growth. Bananas contain potassium, which reduces post-workout pain. Add bananas to smoothies or eat whole, whichever you prefer.

Foods to avoid if you have muscle pain

Now you know all about useful products that will help you cope with muscle pain. And what foods are better not to include in your diet so as not to increase the symptoms of krepatura?

1. Sugar

Muscle pain is associated with inflammation, so on training days, you should cut down on foods that can aggravate this process, such as refined carbohydrates (such as sugar).

According to a study, people who consumed more added sugar had stronger inflammatory responses than those who ate less sugar. The good news is that the natural forms of sugar found in fruits, vegetables, milk, and so on, don’t have this effect.

2. Alcohol

Even a small amount of alcohol can cause post-workout pain and increase your risk of injury. Alcohol dehydrates the cells in your body, leading to muscle pain and cramps. Alcohol affects circulation and slows recovery from injury.

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Foods to eat after a workout

Eggs

After a workout, the body needs two substances: protein and carbohydrates. Eggs have both. They are low in calories (only 70 kcal in 1 egg), contain a lot of protein and natural vitamin D, which strengthens bones. By the way, there is a myth that raw eggs are much healthier than boiled or fried. This is not true: in fact, from eggs that have undergone heat treatment, the body absorbs twice as much protein.

Quinoa

Even brown rice doesn’t compare to quinoa for vitamins, nutrients, protein and fiber. Moreover, the vegetable protein contained in this cereal has a special balance of amino acid composition. Thanks to him, quinoa is shown to both athletes and those who experience great mental stress. And this cereal is quickly cooked – only 10-15 minutes.

Orange juice

Orange juice is called a natural energy drink. It contains vitamin C and potassium, thanks to which muscles develop, including the muscles of the heart. Potassium regulates blood pressure and improves oxygen flow to the brain. The result is instant energy recovery. For the most effective workout, mix orange juice with a protein shake and drink this drink during your workout.

Kefir

One cup of kefir contains 11-13 grams of whey protein. This is a protein concentrate that is obtained after the curdling process. Whey protein promotes rapid muscle building and fat burning. Therefore, a mix of kefir, fresh berries and cereals after a workout helps to quickly achieve the desired shape.

Bananas

Bananas are a storehouse of healthy carbohydrates. These substances instantly raise the level of glycogen in the body and help the muscles cope with microdamages received during training.

Salmon

Salmon provides a large portion of protein and omega-3s. The latter are responsible for the tone of blood vessels, normalize blood pressure, cleanse the body of harmful substances and reanimate muscles.

Blueberry

Blueberry three times accelerates the recovery of the body after intense training. And it also consists exclusively of dietary substances – proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, so it fits perfectly into the diet of those who want to lose weight.

Whole wheat pita with hummus

This vegetarian dish is ready in a minute. Hummus is made from chickpeas, which are rich in protein and carbohydrates. In turn, pita is a source of slow carbohydrates. Such a snack is best done after strength training: muscles will grow faster and energy will be fully restored.

Dried fruits and nuts

Don’t have time to cook something? Two handfuls of dried fruits with nuts will give you a quick boost of energy. Soy nuts are especially useful for building mass: they contain a huge amount of protein: 34 grams per half cup of the product. Therefore, if your goal is sculpted muscles, feel free to include soy nuts in your diet.

Pineapples

The main advantage of this fruit is the substance bromelain. It is an anti-inflammatory enzyme that speeds up muscle recovery after injuries and injuries, heals bruises and sprains. Vitamin C, which is found in excess in pineapples, will also speed up the recovery of the body and give energy.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are especially loved by bodybuilders as they are made entirely of complex carbohydrates that feed the muscles. It has been proven to relieve pain and muscle spasms after strength training. In addition, it contains vitamins B6, C, D, magnesium and calcium.