Everyone who has worked out in their lifetime, undoubtedly, has experienced some sort of muscle soreness. This can be a very uncomfortable feeling for most people and sometimes, can even leave you feeling less motivated to exercise. Although, one must also realize– muscle soreness is inevitable if you want to build larger muscles and get into better shape. But that’s not to say there aren’t some things that you can do to help reduce or even eliminate your muscle soreness altogether!

First on our list is stretching. Stretching is the most basic thing you can do to eliminate/reduce muscle soreness. Most people don’t even bother to stretch, and if they do, it’s only done before a workout. The key is to stretch both before and after a workout. When you are done and your muscles are tight, taking 5 minutes to stretch is going to make a huge difference. It might not necessarily eliminate your muscle soreness completely but it will definitely help soothe the pain. I find if I’m sore the next day, taking the time to stretch the muscles again really helps.

The second thing you can do is properly fuel your body (as soon as you can) after a workout! This means getting the right amount of carbohydrates and protein. Your body needs proteins to help rebuild those muscles that you’ve just broken down during your workout and you also need carbohydrates to provide your body with the energy it needs to perform the rebuilding.

You want to make sure you have a 3:1, 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to proteins–the longer and more intense your workout is the more carbs you’ll want to replenish your glycogen supply.

The third thing you can do to help reduce muscle soreness is incorporate a good stretching routine into your weekly workouts. I am not just talking about stretching before and after a workout. You should set aside at least one workout a week to do something like yoga, or another type of stretching routine. This will help keep your muscle soreness down and you’ll also increase flexibility while decreasing risk of injury. Personally, I engage in one yoga routine per week to keep me flexible. This will also help you from plateauing and you’ll get more out of your workouts.

One last thing you can do to prevent muscle soreness is to take vitamin C. It is said to help with aches and pains, so taking a vitamin C supplement before your workouts can help you from getting too sore, not to mention the other health benefits vitamin C provides.

If you workout, soreness is inevitable–but using the tips provided above, you can begin helping your muscles to recover, and not feel too sore, eventually. Proper supplementing of carbs and protein will help your muscles to grow and repair better, and also help you make greater gains in the gym. A lot of people stop working out because they are getting too sore–don’t let that happen to you! Use the tips from your friends at FitHacker (and above) and keep yourself in the gym!