FitSugar

The 5 Things You Should Be Doing on a Rest Day

Michele Foley — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:54:40 PDT

After a few days spent running on the treadmill and another few lifting weights, it may be time to give your body a rest. This is especially true if your muscles are feeling tight, sore, and overworked. Instead of succumbing to laziness, use this time to take care of your body by doing things that will help it recover, which will make your future workouts even better!

Are Sore Muscles a Sign of a Good Workout?

Shape — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:29:57 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

If your New Year's resolution to get in shape stalled out fast, you might be panicking right about now since bikini season is right around the bend. Making up for lost time with an aggressive workout routine will likely leave you sore, but begging for more once you see your thighs trim down and take form.

That burn you feel 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it's enough to make you want to put down the Kettlebell and pick up a cocktail. But press on! We talked to fitness and nutrition expert Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., author of The 5-Factor World Diet, and trainer to celebrities like Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, and Halle Berry, about why (some) pain is good.

"The idea behind resistance training is that you're basically tearing something and creating a micro trauma in the muscle," Pasternak says. "When the muscle recovers, it's going to recover stronger and denser than it was before." So that soreness you feel the day after an upper-body workout-when you're hauling groceries into your car and you can hardly lift your arms-is good.

See Harley's tips for reducing DOMS after the break!

Gym Rat or Not, Don't Forget to Do This at the Gym

Leta Shy — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:06:19 PDT

Wouldn't it be nice to end every active week with an intense deep-tissue massage to help ease your muscles? But since we can't always spring for a trip to the spa, here's what we can do - use the foam roll at the gym.

You may have seen people in the gym foam rolling and think it's just for serious athletes or gym rats, but that's not the case. But there are many reasons why massaging out the tight knots in muscles is an important part of your workout routine, even if you already stretch regularly. Why? Because no matter how much you stretch, the build up of fascia that creates muscle knots that won't go away, which can lead to many different problems.

I've been consistently seeing my trainer for a few weeks, and the aftermath is clear: not only am I working new sets of muscles (meaning new ways of being sore) but I'm also realizing how much more I need to be foam rolling. My trainer, Tim Rich at Crunch Gym, says that everyone, avid athlete or not, should be using those long spongy cylinders daily. Read on for why and how you should be foam rolling every day.

Helps prevent common injuries. One of the most important reasons for a regular foam-rolling routine is to prevent those often too common exercise-related injuries. Many runners, for example, become painfully well acquainted with their IT band if they don't take care to massage the band of tissue. IT band syndrome and other similar flare-ups can be caused by too-tight muscles. Foam rolling every day ensures you are massaging away fascia buildup in your muscles, in order to help prevent those areas from becoming injury trigger points.
Helps you de-stress. Had a hard day? Foam roll your worries away. Digging for those knots "releases tension that is built up in the connective tissue to keep you less stressed," says Tim. He recommends a simple all-over body routine in order to combat the "desk posture blues" that happen from sitting too long in the office.
Keeps you flexible. Building up your flexibility is key for any fitness routine, Tim says, which means you constantly should be stretching and doing exercises that'll help you gain flexibility. Stretches that lengthen your hip flexors, for example, can help combat tightness from sitting as well as lower back pain.

The more regularly you use a foam roll on your tight muscles, the less painful it'll be. Ready to roll? Here are five important stretches you should be doing with a foam roll, and a video on how to foam roll your quads and IT band for elongated, flexible, and injury-free thighs and happy knees.

Source

Ginger: It's Not Just For Tummies

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:00:29 PDT

Motion sickness, tummy problems, and a sore throat: is there anything ginger can't help? Not likely. A new study says that the spicy root also soothes away sore muscles that often come after working out.

In two separate studies, researchers divided 74 healthy adults into two groups - one group of participants were given a daily ginger supplement, while the other group was given a placebo. Over the course of 11 days, all participants performed a variety of exercises that led to the kind of achy, sore muscles that a good workout is prone to do. At the end on the study, the group that was taking the ginger supplements had a reduction in pain of almost 25 percent when compared to the placebo group. Researchers believe that ginger may have anti-inflammatory properties - nature's own ibuprofen! Be sure to read up on other ways to beat post-workout pain.

5 Ways to Ease Sore Muscles

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:30:09 PDT

Three nights of late bouldering sessions at the gym, and I feel like a zombie who's been hit by a truck. Sore muscles are never comfortable, but I wear them with a badge of honor knowing I pushed my body a little harder than usual. But days after I have gone a little (or a lot) overboard, relief is definitely in order. Here are my go-to ways of easing sore muscles after an intense workout.

Do You Exercise Even When You're Sore?

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:30:57 PDT

I found a new running buddy in my neighborhood, and let's just say that she's much more hard-core than I. I led her through a leisurely 35-minute run, and the next day, it was her turn to lead. She had us running up every hill in the woodsy trails near our homes. By the end, we had run for over an hour. The next morning I woke up to extremely sore legs and a phone call asking if I was up for going again. I had to pass, saying I was way too sore to even bend over and tie my sneaks.

Exercising when I'm a little sore often relieves my tightness, but when I'm so sore even walking hurts, I skip the workout and rest. What about you?

What Type of Workout Makes You the Most Sore?

FitSugar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:47:05 PST

I was lucky enough to go skiing this weekend and take advantage of all the white stuff that's been falling. The snow was fluffy and deep, which made for great runs and a challenging workout. Being in the cold air and zooming down the mountain felt so exhilarating that I skied for a few hours straight. That night, I started feeling sore even before I went to bed, and when I woke up, my muscles felt like jelly - it was awesome. Skiing always makes me so sore, since I don't get to do it regularly. What about you?

Ease Sore Muscles With a Tennis Ball

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:57 PDT

Getting a massage is not always an affordable option to relieve sore muscles. I use The Stick at home but when I'm on the go it's not something I can take with me. Because of its size, a tennis ball provides on the spot muscle relief wherever you are.

Here's how I've been using mine:

For leg muscles I sit down on the floor with my legs outstretched and place the ball underneath myself where the thigh meets the butt. I slowly move from side-to-side and let the ball work itself over my muscles, placing my hands on the floor for support. This motion can be worked all the way down leg. After that's done, I turn over and place the tennis ball under the front of my thigh and start the rolling motion all over again.
For my back, I place a tennis ball between myself and a wall - this works especially well for the muscles near the neck and shoulders. Lean back into the ball and let it roll back and forth over your muscles.
Use a tennis ball underneath the arch of your foot to relieve tired muscles. Sit down in a chair and place the tennis ball under your foot. Put some pressure on the ball and let it roll up and down the muscles of the foot. This is an easy way to get a great foot massage!

The basic idea is that you can work a tennis ball into a trigger point with just a little bit of pressure. If you need to cover greater surface area, put a few tennis balls into a long sock and tie off the end.

Preventing the Hurt After the Burn

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:00:50 PDT

I love a little bit of post-workout soreness. I wear it like a badge of honor, since I know it means I am becoming stronger. However, there's a difference between a healthy ache and pain that makes it agonizing to brush your hair, take off your bra, laugh, or get into your car. You can prevent this post-workout pain by never getting out of shape (that's my trainer Hannah's philosophy), or you can try the following suggestions.

Fit Tip: Exercise Even If You're Sore

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:00:00 PDT

The day after a grueling strength-training session or lengthy bike ride always leaves me deliciously sore. Yes, I admit that I love the feeling of sore muscles, but on those days, I often feel like skipping out on exercise. While days of rest are definitely necessary and a great reward for a previous day's hard work, a little soreness is no excuse to ditch the gym entirely. A light workout will actually help alleviate some of the tightness and tenderness you feel. I'm in no way encouraging you to do a 10-mile run, or 30-minute session of squats and lunges. Take it easy and go for a relaxing walk, do some stretching, or even a short jog. The light exercise will get blood pumping to your muscles, and afterward, your soreness should feel much less painful. I will say that if you wake up and are extremely sore, as in you-can't-even-walk sore, then a day or more of rest will probably be more beneficial.