One of the first things that a person usually notices after a solid workout is how sore he is. If you are a true newbie, you don’t care why your muscles hurt. You don’t care about micro-tears, lactic acid, or anything else. You just want the pain to end. Ironically, it is this same discomfort that for the rest of your weight training career will be so coveted. Once the “newbie” phase is over, you will be bragging to your friends every time your chest or biceps ache after a tough workout- sort of like an invisible honor badge. But since you are a newbie, you could care less about that. Your shoulders hurt now.

So how to prevent muscle soreness? Sorry, but the only possibility is deliberately not working out very hard, and deliberately hindering your results. Why bother with the gym anyway if that is your plan? The only constructive way for a newbie to PREVENT soreness is to not use forced reps (spotter assistance). It is known that the negative portion of the movement stresses the tendons more and produces more soreness, so doing fewer negative-only reps will prevent soreness, and newbies don’t really need to train beyond failure to get results anyhow. But again, this is only a temporary measure, as pretty soon, you will need to start training past failure. But reducing existing soreness is a different story entirely. Keep in mind that I am talking about soreness, not injury. There is a big difference between the feeling of a well worked muscle, and the feeling of one which is torn or pulled. Always observe proper form and warm up to prevent real injuries.

The best way to reduce soreness is by eating right and sleeping. The more of that you do, the faster your body will heal and the soreness will be gone. What this means is making sure to have regular feedings (5-6) times daily, with the proper balance of macro and micronutrients. This means at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, 2 grams of carbs (per pound of body weight) and half a gram of fat. Adjustments can be made for differences in body type, of course. Adequate sleep means at least 8 hours daily. But this could take a few days, so what about some quicker methods?

Granted all of these are only somewhat effective, but they help a little bit. Stretching is known to reduce soreness. You can ask a trainer in your gym for some basic stretches… just remember to do them after the lift, not before, as that weakens you a little bit. Ice baths and saunas are also said to be helpful although they have never helped me. The best thing that I know of for immediate relief is massage. This is a way to target sore muscles and work out the knots therein. A good massage, ALWAYS makes me feel better after a hardcore lift.

So these are some ways to reduce soreness in a physical sense, but I think that the most important factor is psychological. When you feel sore just remember- this is the feeling of your body getting bigger and stronger! You are one step closer to being huge! Arnold Schwarzenneger compares it to sex. Take comfort in the feeling that although this hurts you now, in 6 months it will be the bar by which you measure the success of your workouts.