Recovery Tips: How To Ease Your DOMS

Contributing post

DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, and it’s one of the worst things about working out. We’ve all been there, you have an amazing workout, and you feel great. Sure, your muscles are a little bit worn out, but there’s no pain. 

Then comes the morning after. 

You wake up, step out of bed, and feel like you’ve been hit by a car. Every muscle that you worked yesterday is screaming at you today. It’s particularly painful after leg day, seeing as you can barely walk around. 

This muscle soreness is normal, and it’s actually a good sign. It shows that you worked hard enough to break your muscles down. Now, they need to build themselves back up, and they’ll be bigger and stronger than before. Still, it’s flipping painful! 

Luckily, you can take steps to ease your DOMS. I’m going to share a few of my top tips to help you prevent extreme soreness, and also how to soothe it the next day.

Cool Down After Your Workout

How many of you will finish your workout and then leave the gym? I get that you’re in a rush, but try and make time for a cool down. This is just as important as your warmup, and it can help reduce your DOMS the next day. 

A cool-down basically helps flush your muscles with some extra blood, getting rid of the lactic acid that builds up during your workout. This is what causes the soreness, and it should ease some of the pain you feel the next day. 

You don’t need to do a massive second workout, all it takes is a few minutes of light work to help your body. I recommend some very light cardio exercises to get the blood flowing. Also, stretch a little bit straight afterwards. This loosens up your muscles and prevents excessive tightness. 

Stretch Before Going To Bed

Stretching after your workout will help a lot, but you should also stretch before going to bed. I like to do this after having a hot shower, so all your muscles are nice and warm. This is the best time to stretch, and the warmth from the shower will also help relax those worn-down muscles. 

It doesn’t need to be a super-long stretching session, just a few minutes stretching out each muscle you worked. So, if you trained your upper body, then stretch out your arms, chest, shoulders, etc. This lengthens your muscles before bed, easing so much tension and making your recovery far better. 

Use A Foam Roller/Self-Massage Device

Alongside stretching, you should also use a foam roller - or any other device for self-massage. The purpose of these items is that they help you get deep into the muscle tissue. Here, you can break up any muscle knots that are forming after your workout. It’s like having a massage but in the comfort of your home. 

I should note that this is a good thing to do even when you experience DOMS the next day. Foam rolling and stretching will help ease the pain. Be warned, it can be pretty tough to start with. Your sore muscles will give a bit of resistance, but they’ll soon loosen up. This is why it’s best to do this the night before as you minimize the pain the next day. 

Rub A Balm Or Cream On Into Your Muscles

Another recovery technique involves using topical treatments to ease your muscle soreness. There are plenty of approaches you can take, and lots of different balms or creams to use. These days, there’s a lot of talk around CBD balm benefits as many people see this as an excellent recovery treatment. It’s believed to ease pain, which is great when you have DOMS the next day. 

Of course, this would only help you when you’re suffering from DOMS. So, try and find other creams that can possibly prevent them - or at least reduce the severity of your muscle soreness. For example, things like heat gel work well here. It warms up your muscles and reduces stiffness. I suggest using this before going to bed, either after or before your stretching/foam rolling. 

Bonus: Have An Ice Bath

One bonus tip is to run yourself an ice bath. Not the most enjoyable experience, but ice baths are proven to aid with muscle recovery. Pro athletes use them all the time, and they basically help to constrict your blood vessels and flush out lactic acid. I appreciate most of you will hate this idea, but it’s worth making a note of!

Don’t let DOMS ruining your day - or the next few days after a workout. Muscle soreness is a good thing, but too much can be very painful. Try these tips to ease your DOMS and improve your recovery. 

For more fitness inspiration and barre workouts visit Nadia Murdock Fit on Instagram @NadiaMurdock and the NMFIT Blog!