{"id":1821,"date":"2026-01-20T17:02:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.primemale.com\/articles\/?p=1821"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:02:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:02:20","slug":"whats-the-best-way-to-deal-with-sore-muscles-after-a-workout-ask-a-pt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.primemale.com\/articles\/whats-the-best-way-to-deal-with-sore-muscles-after-a-workout-ask-a-pt\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the Best Way to Deal with Sore Muscles After a Workout? Ask a PT"},"content":{"rendered":"

In last week\u2019s article, we talked about calorie burning<\/a> and why you shouldn\u2019t worry about \u201cburning off\u201d specific food items. This week, I\u2019m answering a question that almost everyone faces when they return to the gym. “What’s the best way to deal with sore muscles after a workout?”<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best way to deal with sore muscles after a workout?<\/h2>\n

Question: I\u2019ve started going back to the gym recently, and after my first workout my muscles were screaming. What can I do to fix this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer: <\/strong>Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is an inevitable and frustrating part of returning to training. We all know that regular exercise is good for us, so it can feel unfair when your body refuses to cooperate.<\/p>\n

Sadly, there isn\u2019t a secret method to completely avoid DOMS that\u2019s known only to personal trainers. However, after working with a lot of clients over the years, I do<\/em> know a few ways to reduce how bad it feels.<\/p>\n

One of the most important things you can do is clean up your lifestyle for the first few days after you start training again.<\/p>\n

That means not going to the pub for six pints, not staying up until 3am playing on your PS5, and not scheduling something incredibly stressful for the day after your first workout. What you want is plenty of sleep, no alcohol, and as little stress as possible. These won\u2019t prevent DOMS, but they can reduce its severity.<\/p>\n

For leg soreness specifically, walking can help. Going for a long-ish walk after your first leg workout can reduce how intense DOMS feels. In my experience, this doesn\u2019t work nearly as well for upper body soreness.<\/p>\n

That said, if you do this all the time<\/em>, muscle growth may be slightly reduced. The difference is small, but if your goal is building big legs, it\u2019s usually better to accept the soreness and avoid unnecessary cardio.<\/p>\n\r\n \r\n