From Coach Gina
- Make sure to warm up properly- Never jump right into weight training, especially in the colder months. It doesn’t have to be super intense, but just enough to warm up body. A proper warm up will loosen the joints so that they move in correct way throughout the workout.
- Hydrate- Water isn’t enough. Your muscles and body need to be replenished. You sweat out 6 vital electrolytes when you sweat… sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate and magnesium. A clean and sugar free electrolyte drink is key!
- Keep moving– The main culprit of soreness is a build up of lactic acid. Go for a walk to keep those joints moving and pushing that lactic acid out. It will help you dramatically!
- Stretch-When we are sore our muscles want to stay small and wrapped up in themselves, like a baby wrapped in a blanket. You want to keep muscles loose to prevent tightness. Proper Range of motion (ROM) is crucial to maintaining proper form during workouts and decreasing tightness and injury from unnecessary soreness post exercise.
- Take a shower post workout– Or an ice bath! Both work wonders. Hot shower helps with increasing blood flow to the areas to keep joints loose. An ice bath or ice to a specific area (from injury or just increased soreness) decreases blood flow, reducing inflammation, stiffening the muscles and joints.