The good news is that soreness after a workout is a sign that you are challenging your muscles to grow larger.

The bad news is that it can affect your future workouts if not treated. The faster you recover from soreness, the quicker you will be able to continue your progress.

What Causes Muscle Soreness?

When you are working your muscles harder or longer than the rate oxygen can be supplied to the muscle tissue for the burning of glucose, the muscles must switch into anaerobic respiration.

This is how the muscles can keep pumping even after all available oxygen is used up. Unfortunately, this process isn’t as efficient and the by-product is lactic acid.

Lactic acid builds up in the muscles until it can be flushed out causing soreness.

How to Recover Quicker?

I always found prevention is best. Ease into workout routines slowly or new exercises slowly. Don’t go gun ho right off the bat or you will be very sore. Gradually build up your reps and weight.

If it’s too late and you are already sore, the best way to get over the soreness quicker is to drink plenty of water, do some stretching, and do light exercises that activate the sore muscle groups.

This will pump the lactic acid from the muscle tissue and allow them to feel normal again.

Vibration Training

If your gym has a vibration plate like PowerPlate, this also is a good way to get rid of soreness. I’ve found that the vibrations help clear the muscles of the lactic acid, allowing for quicker recovery.

Here is a video about how to relieve the muscle soreness and tightness and boost the performance of your next session.