"One Officer One Sport" Series 4
Recovery after workout

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We may feel muscle sore after a strenuous workout; this phenomenon is called Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS). It happens within one or two days after vigorous activity, and usually lasts for at least two days. It is the result of inflammation induced by the microtears of muscle fibers.

If you feel slight sore after training, it indicates that your muscle is in the Adaptation Phase, which is a sign of improvement. However, an intense soreness can be a sign of overtraining, about which you may need to do something to speed up the recovery.

Ways to enhance recovery after workout

1. Keep moving after an intense workout and don't stand around. Keep the muscles working and circulate the blood. Allow the heart to slow down gradually.

2. Jog slowly after exercise to prevent the stiffening of joints (relax and make an easy stride).

3. Elevate your legs to get rid of some waste in the muscles. Lie on the floor with your legs high above your head and rest against a wall for about 5 minutes.

4. If muscles are excessively sore, you can apply on the sore part a towel that has been wetted and frozen in the freezer. A cold shower on the body is effective for recovery after exercising on a hot day.

5. A hot shower or sauna after strenuous exercise is beneficial if muscles are not too sore. Relax yourself for about 10 minutes after a workout, then take a hot bath or sauna at about 40 for three to five minutes, alternated with a cold bath or shower for less than one minute. At least two cycles are recommended, always ending with the cold bath or shower. Expanding and contracting your blood vessels clear waste products more readily.

6. Drink plenty of water after workout to flush wastes out of the system; drink more than your thirst requires. If you lose one pound during the workout, replace this with 16 ounces of water.

7. Within an hour after a workout, drinking a sports drink or eating carbohydrates and protein, milk and cereal is a good choice.

8. Within two hours after a workout, gently massage the sore part for at least 10 minutes.

9. Avoid coffee, tea and alcohol after the workout since this makes the blood and muscles more acidic.

10. Complete rest is not necessary after a strenuous workout. You may start low intensity exercise the next day.

Registered Physiotherapist Raymond H.C. Tsoi

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