Tips for soreness
I made these cards years ago for a dance party, when the Venn diagram of fitness & rave seemed clear — Advil. Active practices of all kinds take a toll at some point, so we better stock our stash with remedies. Soreness is negotiable!
I recommend focusing your recovery efforts into two planets: inflammation & muscle balance. The former causes most of our pain, the latter leads to injuries (and more pain). Fortunately, doing shit for this shit feels nice.
Planet 1: Inflammation
Anything you like using for inflammation you should use when you're feeling super sore. Epsom salt bath, sauna, icy hot, tiger balm, heating pad, ibuprofen, etc. These tactics don't just dull the pain, they mitigate the actual source of it.
Planet 2: Muscle balance
As a distracted tween in gym class, I always figured we stretched because flexibility was just a “good” thing to have and the goal was loosey-goosey fluid. It wasn’t until I got certified that I learned about the mechanical elements we’re trying to leverage, and the goal of balance around a joint more so than Gumby.
No news to you, you’ve got tight/short muscles (overactive) and weak/long ones (underactive). E.g., chances are good your calves are tight from walking ‘round, your tush muscles are long from sitting in the computer void. These pull joints off-kilter, messing up the rest of our mechanics. This means we really should focus on stretching muscles that are tight for us, not just any ol’ muscle (because the goal is balance around joint, not some universal zen jelly).
So how to reduce tightness? Tl;dr muscles have reactors that sense for length and tension so that they don’t just rip. In a stretch, you’re triggering the length reactor, and when you push into a “knot” you’re triggering the tension one. Both are effective at getting that release! For stretches, think old P.E. moves, yoga, or try a mobility class (e.g., Animal Flow, Stick Mobility). For pressure, you can use a foam roller, lacrosse ball, theracane / get a massage if you can afford it. The key for all is to identify those spicy spots and hold length/pressure for at least 30 seconds as you breathe deeply and exhale through the release.
Hopefully you feel good despite the soreness discomfort because you used your bod and were generally badass, but you don't need to take the pain lying down (figuratively, that is). Recovery is real!
To kick things off, here’s my favorite calf stretch and hip stretch — probable candidates for stubborn tightness. Put on some chill beats, breathe deep, float on.
Staggered calf stretch
Feet staggered point towards wall, both feet stay flat on ground, hands up on wall
Lean towards the wall (bending arms), squeeze tush on side of back leg (hold for 30sec+)
Strap squat hip stretch
Loop a yoga strap, resistance band, scarf, etc. hip-height around pole, tree, banister, etc.
Come down to deep squat, lean back with full weight, keep shoulder blades back & down (hold for 30sec+)
What makes you feel better?