A little soreness after sports a good sign?

After exercise: a bit of soreness is a sign of effective training

Reducing the weight, doing something good for your health and building your condition: there are certainly enough good reasons for regular exercise. However, those who struggle with muscle pain after exercising quickly think they have done something wrong. But do not worry: according to health experts, a bit of soreness after training is a good sign.

Regular exercise is healthy

Sport is healthy. Regular workouts can help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure or heart attack. In addition, sports helps with weight loss. However, after particularly intensive runs, strength training in the gym, a strenuous volleyball game or a long mountain hike sometimes it comes to a sore muscles. Some say it is a sign of effective training. But that is really the case?

Although regular exercise promotes endurance and is good for your health, it often causes muscle soreness. According to experts, this can be a sign of effective training. (Image: Martinan / fotolia.com)

A normal process

Although experts are still not quite sure about the causes of muscle soreness, it is often thought that pain occurs when individual muscle fibers break.

According to the head of the Center for Muscle and Bone Research at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Professor Dieter Felsenberg, this is a normal process.

"With every strain something breaks," said the expert, according to a message from the news agency dpa.

However, if the number of ruptured fibers is greater than normal, the body will respond with an inflammatory response to repair the broken parts.

"This inflammation is painful for the person concerned," said the physician.

Best not to work out daily

One can first be satisfied that the training has apparently been completed effectively. According to the information, the muscle does not notice from the small injuries that it is too weak - and grows.

However, you should not overdo it. "If the body is unable to repair the damaged fibers, the muscle function tends to be worse than better," Felsenberg warned in the dpa message.

In addition, the body needs some time for the repair, which is why it is best to train every two days instead of daily.

The body needs protein

According to the expert, athletes can also help the muscle a bit. "The body needs proteins for repair," says Felsenberg.

The physician therefore recommends consuming protein two hours before the training session and one hour after exercise - one gram per kilogram of body weight.

Good sources of protein include milk and dairy products.

Ideal is fat-free whey, which contains about two percent protein. Other alternatives are fish, lean ham, eggs or almonds.

Special Pülverchen or food with extra protein are normally not necessary.

Stretching is not for the prevention

Even some home remedies for sore muscles show a good effect. So have, among other ointments or oils that contain circulation-enhancing substances or herbs, proven.

The opinion that stretching before exercise can prevent muscle soreness is among experts now off the table.

There is no scientific investigation for this assumption. (Ad)