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How To Relieve Sore Muscles From A New Fitness Routine

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

December 28, 2023

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Young African American Woman Doing Stretching Exercises In The Park.

Photo by BONNINSTUDIO / Stocksy

December 28, 2023

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Year after year, "exercise more" falls into the top three resolutions people set to build muscle and improve health. For some, this may mean starting a fitness routine for the first time, while others may want to try a new form of exercise (hello, functional strength and mobility) or up the intensity or volume of an already established routine.

Attempting any new exercise won't be easy right off the bat. Even if your first workout feels like a breeze, the soreness in your muscles hours to days later is a sure reminder that something is different.

While the sluggish feeling in your muscles may be potentially jarring, it's not necessarily a bad thing. And if you know what to expect and how to handle it, soreness won't keep you from sticking with your new fitness plan. Here are some pro tips for easing muscle soreness in the new year so you feel refreshed and ready to take on your next workout.

Here's what you need to know

"The first time you do something unaccustomed, it hurts; do it again, and it hurts way less. A third time, even less," Stuart Phillips, Ph.D., FACSM, FCAHS, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University, previously told us.

Phillips is referring to the "repeated bout effect." This just means that your body is in the process of making the muscles more resistant to damage from future workouts. Because yes, some damage occurs during exercise.

The tension your body undergoes when lifting weights or running, walking, or cycling for extended periods causes tiny tears to form in the muscles. The body's rebuilding process is what helps the muscles recover and then grow stronger—but it's also what makes you feel sore and achy.

The good news is, as your body builds up its defense system, this soreness should become less and less pronounced—that is until you add more weight, reps, or speed to the equation.

What amount of soreness is normal?

"Some soreness after hard-for-you or new-to-you training is normal. But it should be manageable (i.e., not interfere with your ability to go about your typical day)," exercise physiologist Rachelle Reed, Ph.D., previously told us. "You should be able to recover from a tough training session within a day or so and be able to jump back into your next workout thereafter, most of the time."

But resting isn't the only thing you can do to help ease soreness and aid recovery.

4 ways to get ahead of muscle soreness

Here are our top recommendations to make sure muscle soreness doesn't become the limiting factor of turning this exercise goal into a habit:

Soft-launch your gym routine

It's not a good idea to go 100% into a new workout right off the bat. So if you've never taken a spin class before, don't sign up for one every day during your first week. Instead, start your workout with mobility exercises, and keep your effort at 60-70% of max capacity to prevent overdoing it. And don't forget to stretch when you're finished. This can help prevent excess muscle soreness (and even injury) from trying to do too much too fast.

Try a turmeric supplement

turmeric potency+

This ancient spice boasts powerful antioxidant properties that help calm angry muscles.* mindbodygreen's turmeric potency+ takes it a step further by combining the power of turmeric with ginger to promote a healthy inflammatory response 1.* The result is a supplement that's like a soothing ice pack for your muscles and joints.*

This is a supplement that can (and should) be taken daily to reap the most benefits—not as a one-off solution when you have soreness.

Do an active recovery workout

Instead of heading home to the couch after a strenuous workout, keep the momentum going with a low-intensity exercise like walking or yoga. Continuing to move (instead of resting completely) helps increase blood flow to the worked muscles, which is beneficial in kicking off recovery processes.

Use percussive therapy

This is the technical term for the type of treatment a massage gun delivers. The rapid and repetitive movements of these devices ease sore muscles by improving blood flow to deliver essential nutrients to the muscle and help carry away metabolic waste that may be contributing to muscle soreness. Oh, and massage guns feel amazing! Here's a list of our favorites.

The takeaway

The new year is a prime time to start a new fitness routine. Just make sure you're taking the proper precautions to limit excess muscle soreness, like reaching for a turmeric supplement, building in active recovery, or using a massage gun on tender muscles.*

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.