What are the best methods to avoid getting sore after a workout? I have found sprinting to be very bad in that the hours after i start to get sore spots and the day after i am very sore, sometimes to sore to do anything for a week.
Can this be avoided completely from sprintwork ie getting sore from sprinting.
ps i have only just started sprint work.
Your body will generally adapt, but in the meantime the best thing I’ve found to prevent soreness the next day is an ice bath on the same night you did sprint work. Basically, fill up the tub with water as cold as you can stand and then sit there for 10 - 15 minutes. Also, I’ve found that certain supplements (ZMA for example) help with preventing soreness and DOMS. Other than that, it’s also beneficial to follow up a sprint with an extensive tempo day to help flush your system without accumulating more soreness.
I’ve also found that a contrast shower has got rid of slight soreness, I used it for that reason on the morning of an athletics meet. If you don’t know about contrast showers do a search on the site.
Generally I think prevention is better than cure; reduce volume to a level where you don’t get very sore, for example if I am returning from an injury or starting a new exercise I will perform as little as one or two sets of an exercise. Other than that make sure you are getting the right vitamins and minerals. Not sure exactly which help for soreness (yet), I just make sure I’m getting everything I need.
Everytime you start something new, your body will scream, it´s normal, it´s good, it´s a signal of evolution. There are many ways you can slight this sore but you can´t fight against.
Contrast Showers are good ( but some people prefer handle the sore to not get cold showers ), creatine before and after hard works will help at the beginning, also ZMA.
Try to do some “aerobic” exercises the day after, have you hear about TEMPO ? if no, go ahead on the SEARCH button you can reduce the number of days in sore just doing these regeneration & anti-inflamatory exercises.
Don´t worry so much about this, you´ll notice that in about 4 to 5 months these soreness will became “invisible” as the time passes and your body get stronger.
Thanks alot guys! Its good to get feedback because i don’t know much about this sort of thing and i have no one else to ask.
I do ice baths immediatly after training. They have helped quite a lot generally. I will search the site to find out what tempo is…
I could tell you or you could just read this.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=551687&pageNo=0
I’m not a huge fan of the ice baths unless you need to get rid of some pain/swelling for a big game or meet. Why constrict blood flow with ice all the time after training? Contrast baths should be fine I’m just talking about the 10-15minute ice soaks that some people do…
Hmm but straight after my ice bath i have a HOT shower.
Thanks for the link BTW.
Tempo the day after a sprint workout is by far the best means of recovery.
Finish with cold. Always finish with cold.
I used to do something like this;
start with moderate hot ( about 30s not more )
then cold shower for 1 minute 
then hot for 3 minutes :mad:
cold for another minute
hot 3 minutes :mad:
finaly, 1 cold minute
total shower: 10 minutes, it helps not only the body but the CNS too.
I agree with everything everyone has said, good stuff…an interesting thought that I once read from dave tate from westside was, “I use just about everything from massage, steam, sauna, whirlpool, ice, various baths, ART therapy, massage sticks ,sled dragging, nutritional supplementation, extra workouts, mobility training, dynamic flexability, etc. The trick is to rotate them the same way you would your training so your body will not get used to it. I try to include one restoration session for every main training session. Most of the other guys stick with extra workouts or active rest.”
Also Martin Rooney said kind of the same thing guys here have said, " Simply put, there are many techniques and unfortunately, just like training, nothing works forever. You have to constantly change your restorative measures and use them at the right time for training.
I like a hot/cold shower mix focusing on the muscles trained that day for five minutes. Also self massage the muscles during the shower to free up the damaged muscle fibers.
Ice anywhere there is excessive soreness.
Also arnica montana gel has also been found to help. A good sports massage at least one time per week can also work wonders.Throwing an aspirin in you post workout shake and about 20 grams of L glutamine before the workout can also help the issue.Creatine can also aid in faster recovery.Finally, watch how often you switch to new exs, and how much eccentric component you are using. You shouldnt be too sore all the time."
I know that Mel Siffs book Sports Restoration and massage has gotten good reviews on all of these methods and how to use them, I do not have that text and have not read it but all the reviews I have read about it are top notch…hope this helps a little…
Peace
Forgot to add…I read a study done by soviets on steam baths for recovery, it was interesting to note that they concluded that " the use of steam baths actually disrupts metabolic processes in the athlete’s body. Even on the second day after recieving the steam bath, the athlete’s organism has not completely recovered, for this reason the steam baths should be done after (but not immedeately after) a workout, and not on a day of rest. This will allow the athlete to have a day of complete rest." The study was done by Shyian and Nevzerov in case anyone cared or wondered :rolleyes: …
I do not know if anyone uses steam baths for recovery or to eliminate soreness but just in case you do use em’ this is something to think about when planning them into training schedules…peace.
Thanks alot everyone… I think i just gotta take the pain for a while…