10 Ways to Ease Muscle Stiffness
Stiff and sore muscles can impede any training regimen, especially as we age. Just one or two hard weightlifting sessions or intense interval blocks can leave you feeling tight all over and less inclined to return to the action.
It’s no wonder why athletes start taking recovery more seriously from a young age, wearing compression socks and pursuing alternative treatments once considered esoteric.
Let’s explore 10 proven ways to ease muscle stiffness and get your training program back on track, no matter your age or athletic goals.
1. Vary Workout Types and Durations
Overtraining is typically not a concern for the average fitness-goer, but failing to mix things up will not yield the results you want.
Focusing too heavily on just one type of exercise or activity is also a recipe for stiffness and burnout. Variety is the spice that will help keep your training program engaging, effective, and minimize muscle stiffness over time.
2. Optimize Diet for Recovery
Dramatically reducing calories and macronutrient intake will only hamper muscle recovery and leave you feeling stiff and sore from head to toe. Rather than jumping from one fad diet to the next, lock in an optimized diet brimming with protein, saturated fat, complex carbs, and plenty of seasonal fruits and greens.
This approach will keep you happy, healthy, and satiated, even if your goal is fat loss. Muscles and organs will get the fuel they need, resulting in less soreness and stiffness on the toughest training days.
3. Prioritize Proper Hydration
Increasing fresh water intake is a good step towards hydration, but it’s only half of the equation. The body also demands electrolytes to keep the “human battery” chugging along, and to remove waste materials like lactic acid from muscles.
Add some coconut water or low-calorie fruit juice now and then to get a boost of glucose and don’t skimp on the sea salt at meal time. For zero-calorie solutions, look for electrolyte powders to mix with water.
4. Incorporate Active Recovery Sessions
Relentless, high-intensity training should not be a daily pursuit, even for the top athletes in the world. On the other hand, taking full days off can cause muscles to accumulate lactic acid and lead to even worse stiffness.
The ideal middle ground is to perform active recovery sessions throughout the week, including low-intensity walking or cycling with compression socks. This will keep you limber and ensure muscle tissue stays loose and clean.
5. Fall in Love with Stretching and Yoga
Like most worthwhile activities, stretching is a pain at first–literally. But as soon as you feel the benefits of frequent stretching, you’ll wonder what took you so long to get started.
Just fire up a YouTube video and follow along with a beginner stretch routine, and discover what you’ve been missing all along.
6. Set Aside Time for Breathwork
Sometimes we just need a few deep breaths to reset our systems and relieve tension and soreness throughout the body. This is the philosophy of focused breathwork, and these practices are finally making their way into the mainstream.
Test out various breathwork routines to complement your training, recovery, and yoga sessions. You won’t be disappointed.
7. Clean Up Your Sleep Hygiene
How many of our physical and mental ailments can be alleviated with proper sleep? Science reveals that poor sleep is a major detriment to recovery, both in the body and mind.
Even if you think you’re getting enough sleep at night, you’re more than likely falling short. Commit to achieving deeper, longer sleep and enjoy the full range of benefits, including reduced muscle soreness.
8. Epsom Salt Baths and Magnesium
It might sound like an old-school treatment reserved for retirement homes, but the science behind epsom salt is set in stone. In essence, these are magnesium sulfate molecules absorbed through the skin, providing a soothing, relaxing effect in a matter of minutes.
Add in the elements of warm bath water, a quiet setting, and a glass of wine or tea, and you’ve got the perfect self-care solution for minimal effort and cost.
9. Treat Yourself to a Sports Massage
While the price can be prohibitive, the occasional sports massage is well worth the cost. Just a couple of sessions per year will help release that built-up tension and keep muscles loose yet strong.
Remember, you don’t need to be a top-level athlete to get a ton of value from a sports massage.
10. Level Up Your Athletic Equipment
The right gear can make a big difference in how your muscles work and recover. Make sure your shoes, clothes, and other accessories are properly fitted to your body and offer maximal ergonomics in all directions.
Wear the right shoes for the job, from tennis to jogging and weightlifting to aerobics. Also, look into extras like compression socks, designed to keep blood and lymph moving throughout the body during hard training and recovery.
The Relief Your Muscles Need
If you’re working out hard, those muscles will get sore. That’s a good indication you’re using them well! Just be sure to recover properly and use these tips to stay limber and injury-free.
