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ok just some stuff that will help with muscle soreness/cramps,as i see a lot of you guys are asking questions about it

this has been compiled from many sources and my own personal knowledge,written in my own words.

BEFORE WORKOUT
If you are following a plyometric routine,a good dynamic warm up like the one from vjb should be fine.
dynamic warmups should focus on using similar excersices that you are going to do in the workout and on getting a full range of motion for the muscle

stretching/warmups 4 heavy strength/power (weight training) focused training should be looked at differently though.

You can start off by doing some warmup sets for the excersice with very minimal loads(light weight,that u can bust out about 10-15reps with not much effort)

holding the position at the bottom or negative part of the movement will help to stretch the muscle.
You should focus on gradually increasing the weight each warmup set until you are ready to begin with your starting sets

another trick is to stretch the antagonist(opposing)muscle to the one that you are working
for example,you can do a tricep stretch if your doing some barbell curls

DURING WORKOUTS/IN BETWEEN SETS:REST PERIOD
-stretch+massage the targeted muscle if it is tight.all u can do for now.in rests strecthing should be less than 20seconds

AFTER WORKOUTS

-strecthing.static or PNF stretching done after any type of training will greatly assist in muscle recovery and reduce soreness
stretches should be done in this method
1)relax into the stretch,slowly for the first 10 seconds
2)pull harder on the muscle for the next 10 seconds,not too hard but enough to get a good stretch u can feel
3)let go for about 2-3seconds.go back into the stretch, stretching as far as u can.

in total its 30seconds.

-hot/cold contrast showers
this is excellent for those sore and cramped muscles u get after intense training sessions
1)as soon as u can,step into the shower and run the coldest water as u can endure.
2)shower with freezing cold for 30seconds
3)after the 30 seconds of cold showering is up,for the next 2 minutes switch it to very,very hot.
4)shower hot as u can take for 2minutes
5)finish cold again for a final 30 seconds

some helpfull links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9HH4fNDwcs

24-72 HOURS AFTER WORKOUT

-stretching
again static stretching is the key,it is vital and will help assist prolonged soreness of muscles experinced days after the workout
same technique used as mentioned above
it is important to stretch regulary,usually after and before bed,if u are very active and subject your body to a lot of stressfull conditions through training

-massage
deep penetrating massage will have a great effect of cramped/sore muscles.
regular massages will help a lot to recover the muscle.

-use of cold/heat therapy
heat packs and ice will help alot if used on the specific muscle group that is sore.be warned however that prolonged use of heat packs on the same body part can cause internal bleeding and swelling.

AND MOST OF ALL REST.GIVE YOUR BODY SUFFICIENT TIME TO REST IN BETWEEN WORKOUTS OR W/E THAT LEAVES U FATIGUED DAYS AFTER.IF NEED BE SKIP THE NEXT WORKOUT TO ALLOW AMPLE RECOVERY.

REMEMBER THAT THIS IS NOT A GUIDE FOR DEALING WITH INJURY,IT IS JUST ADVICE TO BETTER HELP U RECOVER FROM TRAINING.
DO NOT SUBSTITUTE THIS FOR A DOCTORS/MEDICAL PRACTIONERS ADVICE,IF U ARE STILL FEELING SORE OR W/E A WEEK OR MORE AFTER THE WORKOUT,THEN U MAY NEED MEDICAL HELP.

good job

nice job man

if you got a cramp it s very helpful to take magnesium, cause many times if you get cramps you have not enough magnesium in your body (we do that in our swimming club and it helps us a lot and swimming is a really cramp causing sport Wink )

Nice guide

Helpful information, thanks!

i find that if u consume your supplement/sports drink or w/e asap after ya workout the better as ya body needs the nutrients asap as u have just pushed ya body 2 the limit and worn down ya muscles.

Is the cold/hot/cold shower thing for immediately after working out, or is it just designed for whenever to loosen up muscles? Also, is the drastic change in temperature good for your body?

All the other info is great! I just have questions about this part.

you may shower after the workout immediatly if you wish to. This helps my muscles relax after a workout. the changing of temperature should not effect your body.

no u should b fine,im from australia so the cold doesnt bother me

and like ant said u can do it immedtiatley after,i do,its better to do it straight after the workout.

i dont think u should do it 'whenever' as such to loosen up the muscle,there r better methods as explained in the thread.

Thanks! The reason that I asked is because a friend of my family had a stroke from alternating between a hot tub and swimming pool several times. Maybe just a rare case.

good post, this should help me out when im sore after working out.

i hope it does

please read the whole thread carefully,so you understand thoroughly what im explaining.

I do some of this stuff after my workout. It helps relieve soreness alot.

ya i have forgotten my stact strch. after my worlouts...

what is PNF stretching??
is it the same as static stretching?
thanks