Putting in an intense workout often comes with the side effect of muscle soreness. Delayed-onset muscle soreness is a sign that you have damaged your muscle tissues. Your body responds to micro-tearing by triggering inflammation at the site of injury, which causes soreness. It’s natural to cause some damage to your muscles during exercise, but some workouts are worse than others for creating higher levels of damage.

You don’t need to experience muscle soreness to know you had an effective workout. The more you do to help your muscles recover from damage, the stronger they will become.

Light movement and stretching are good for you.

The worst thing to do for sore muscles is to be sedentary. Doing some light movement increases your circulation and improves blood flow. When your blood carries nutrients to your muscles, it helps speed up the repair process. Light walking, riding a bicycle, or yoga can help your muscles recover without causing more pain. You should also perform some light stretching exercises to release the tightness in your muscles. Doing static stretching following a workout can help increase your range of motion.

Heat or ice therapy can help.

You can get temporary muscle relief with heat or cold therapy. Ice therapy helps reduce swelling, inflammation, and muscle pain resulting from extreme soreness. Heat therapy can also help with tension and pain caused by muscle soreness, as well as help with circulation. An alternative to heat or ice therapy is to use topical CBD products. Cannabidiol is known for its pain relief properties and has been shown as an effective way to treat chronic pain and inflammation.

CBD products contain natural ingredients that work together to reduce inflammation, muscle pain, and joint pain. CBD topicals and CBD creams can be applied to affected areas on the skin where they will be absorbed into the bloodstream. CBD Nerds presents an insightful guide to the best CBD pain cream available. The eCommerce site features reviews by CBD experts about the benefits of using CBD pain relief creams, including chronic pain and inflammation relief, skin nourishment, and finding optimal homeostasis. The best part about using topical CBD products is they can be applied as often as needed and are non-addictive. Popular topical products include balms, salves, lotions, ointments, gels, and oils.

Eat enough protein post-workout.

Your muscles need the right nutrients to start and complete the repair process. Eating enough protein is essential for giving your muscles the amino acids they need to rebuild stronger. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish the fuel stores your muscles burn during your workout. When you give your body enough protein post-workout, you can help speed up the healing process. Make sure you eat plenty of nutritious foods throughout the day, don’t skip meals, and eat a consistent amount of protein. You can get plenty of key vitamins and minerals from fruits, vegetables, and legumes that will also promote the healing process.

When setting your fitness goals, it’s a good idea to understand how to reduce your risk of injury. Workout injuries can happen to the most experienced fitness buffs, such as muscle strain, shin splints, torn ligaments, and pulled hamstrings. The most common injuries during a workout result from not using proper form when doing exercises. High Mountain Orthopedics explains four of the most common gym injuries and why they happen.

Leg extensions place a lot of added force on the knee, which can cause tendon injury. Poorly performed squats and uphill treadmill running without warming up or experience can also cause knee injuries. Kickboxing puts your knee in a vulnerable position if you have no experience. You can also sustain injuries by lifting too much weight, not warming up properly, not watching your technique, and being distracted.

There are times when working out and sore muscles go hand-in-hand, especially when trying a new workout or working out for the first time. The best way to help your muscles recover is to eat enough protein throughout the day, use ice or heat therapy, and do light movements to keep your blood flowing.