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Moving Lactic Acid out of Muslces to Prevent Soreness

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Published on Thursday, 16 December 2010 22:26

Written by Anne Moss Rogers

You've all done it. Gone to the gym after traveling or a holiday and totally overdone it. Or you've gotten bored with a routine and changed it up and you know you're going to be sore. Then there's the soreness than can happen as a result of your stepping up training for an event.

Whatever the reason you have overworked your muscles, there is a way to move that lactic acid out before it settles in and causes pain. I had additional incentive to try this because when my neck or back gets sore, it can trigger a migraine the next day.

Note: If you are a marathoner and it was just your legs, see the ice bath method here.

The hot and cold shower method for preventing soreness. The wimpy, minimal suffering method.

At first glance, you think 'No way! I'm not taking a cold shower! Anything but that." But if anyone is a cold shower wimp it's me. I heard about this years ago and it took me a while to embrace and perfect it so that I suffered less and still got full benefits.

So here's the recipe

If I can do it, anyone can. Really. And for really minimal suffering you get great gains by not suffering the stiffness and soreness that can go for days.

• You should always stretch after your workout to make this even more successful. A minute or two on that stretching machine or on a mat is fine.
• Start off the shower with the temperature you love. Get everything covered and warm focusing on areas you worked out hard
• You don't need a special shower head, you just need to move around and stick body parts in the shower stream. Back of the neck, back, chest etc.
• After about 2 minutes, start to sneak that shower just a little cooler. Do it slowly and allow your body to adapt. Keep sneaking it ever so slightly so that you are not suffering but adapt. Keep making sure areas are getting exposed to the water.
• You'll find a cool temperature works well so you never have to cut it to COLD. Ever! Just cool enough that it's slightly uncomfortable but you can tolerate it for 2 minutes or so making sure you get the areas that you really worked. If you have something akin to a heart attack-- it's too cold or you didn't give your body time to adapt
• Then cut it back to warm and then hot. You don't have to inch it from cool to hot as slowly as you did hot to cool. Trust me. I've tried it and perfected this.
• Soak it up for 2 minutes, making sure all areas now are getting hot water exposure. You love that part!
• Do the same as before sneaking it down to cool. You can keep it at cool or go slightly colder if you are feeling daring. But cool as you can stand without being miserable. No misery!
• After 2 minutes exposing all parts to the cool water making sure to get them good, inch it back to warm/hot.
• You sort of end on hot. But since I'm a runner and the muscles in my legs swell after a run no matter what the weather so I go for one more dose of cool on the legs before getting out. But I never end on cold with upper body. Just lower. So the rest of me is out of the way and I'm just putting legs and back of legs in the cooler temps.
• Cut off the shower and take 2 ibuprofen (advil is the brand name) if you can tolerate it.

There you have it. The less miserable method of moving lactic acid from your muscles and preventing soreness. The cool and hot action simply inspires lactic acid not to settle in your muscles. It works. I've done this for years and am never sore unless I forget to do it.