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Soreness got you down? Learn the quickest methods to kill lactic acid.

Wether you are a competitive runner needing to get rid of muscle soreness for the next workout or the average runner just hating being sore here is a number of ways you can get rid of soreness NOW instead of LATER.

• Steroids-

  That one is a joke, but to be honest thats the best method. There is a small misconception that using steroids results in bigger muscles. However, steroids simply provide the body with a way to radically, unnaturally recover and rebuild itself. In this way an athlete can run themselves into the ground, yet via steroids be fully recovered the next day ready to make unnatural muscular gains again through rigorous work. Steroids are awful for your body, and your body should NEVER be sped up 4X its natural pace, never use steroids unless a specific medical condition requires you to.

• R.I-C.E-

  Rest Ice Compress Elevate is a household phrase in the athletic world for how to deal with a general injury. Minus the “C.E” will land you a base step to recovery from muscle soreness.

  • Rest-

    When you run your muscles become deteriorated and the fibers that muscle is made out of begin to tear with use. As your body heals the damage that your muscle fibers have suffered it creates more than the original number of fibers and/or with greater strength (depending on what type of muscle building you are doing). The period in which your body is sore is also a period of time where your body is trying to reform the muscle fibers you deteriorated during your workout. Because of this resting is a no brainer as it allows time for your body to heal itself. This doesn’t mean skip you have to skip your runs, but it does suggest you don’t cause unnecessary fatigue to muscles whose fibers are already torn up from use. There is actually a surprising amount that you can do while you are in a rest/recovery state but it is up to you to find that balance. After 8 years of running I have found there are many ways to rest and recover depending on how fast you want to get better. For this article I am focusing sharing with you the basic guidelines of how I have found to maximize recovery time. This is based off of a detailed plan I’ve created and use myself.

  • Ice-

    This is a major step to recovery; icing a sore muscle will reduce the lactic acid in the muscle causing that “sore” feeling. In addition it will bring down inflammation if administered directly after your workout and help to limit your soreness. Every time you run or exercise your muscle fibers tear as they are used. As they rebuild you experience more muscle mass along with muscle fatigue and/or soreness. Picture that expansion as the muscle fibers tear and the ice helping to compress and minimize the damage as well as stop lactic acid leakage.

• Protein-

  Otherwise known as a polypeptide, protein contains amino acids essential in manufacturing muscle. It is needless to say how invaluable a high protein diet could be in aiding recovery time. As your body recovers, providing it the right building blocks to rebuild itself is a must. In general, when I want to get better as quick as possible I will up my protein intake above the average I take in per day. This doesn’t mean I splurge, in fact I keep my calorie intake the exact same via through searching for food with high protein and few calories. For a specific list of foods I use along with their surprising stats here is a mini guide to get you started, this guide also lists the number one Antioxidant Juice Drink to up your antioxidant intake 600% MINIUM. Its all natural of course, more information on antioxidants below.

• Antioxidants-

  New research is suggesting that high amounts of antioxidants such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E can significantly increase muscle recovery time. In fact, from personal experience this, mixed with icing and a boost of protein has been very effective in recovering from muscle fatigue before a big race.

  In a recent study in which male subjects were given vitamin E capsules and put on a lifting program, blood-borne free radicals were reduced and muscle damage was minimized. Vitamin E initiated the healing process, allowing the muscles to rebuild sooner. The faster the muscles begin to repair themselves, the more they’ll grow. This is how you get bigger and stronger.

  “Our research supports the claim that vitamin E can significantly reduce the damaging effects of high-intensity resistance exercise,” explains Bruce Craig, Ph.D., Ball State University physiology professor and the conductor of the study. “However, our study showed that short-term usage does not enhance muscular strength or power.”

  Should you implement E into your diet if your goal is to pack on muscle? Absolutely, says Craig.