Runners are some of the most dedicated athletes of them all. A consistent running habit takes time, effort, mental toughness, and lots of recovery work — racking up miles takes a toll on your entire body, but especially the muscles in your feet, legs, and hips.
If you’re a runner looking for the best way to recover from muscle soreness, you’ll be excited to learn that one of the best tools for muscle recovery can help you overcome post-workout muscle soreness in just minutes. In this article, we explain how.
In this Article:
It helps to look at muscle recovery in two ways — first, it’s important to know the general tactics that science has proven to work for most people, and then, a narrower lens can help distinguish the optimal workout recovery tools and techniques for specific types of athletes.
So let’s start with the first bucket. After establishing long-term pro-recovery habits, such as getting enough sleep and nutritionally supporting your exercise level, science has shown us that the best post-workout muscle recovery techniques include:
- Active recovery, including stretching and easy rhythmic movement, such as walking
- Massage therapy and other forms of soft tissue manipulation
- Compression therapy
- Forms of cryotherapy, particularly ice bathing
Now that we’ve covered general muscle recovery tactics, we can look at the best ways to recover from muscle soreness for runners. This may not surprise you, but the primary post-workout recommendations for runners are pretty close to the techniques explained above.
After any run (especially long runs, hills, and speed work) runners can preempt muscle soreness by:
- Rehydrating quickly with fluids and electrolytes
- Refueling with fast-digesting carbohydrates and protein
- Completing a thorough cool-down
- Performing soft tissue manipulation directly after a run
The best way to recover from muscle soreness is clearly a combination of things, and it can be really tough to fit everything into a jam-packed schedule — sometimes it’s hard just to go for the actual run, let alone everything that should come after!
That’s why Ekrin Athletics is so passionate about quick and effective workout recovery. Percussive therapy is easily the most efficient form of soft tissue manipulation, which is proven to be one of the best muscle recovery tactics out there. With percussive therapy, you can experience the same results as an hour-long deep tissue massage in just a few minutes.
Hydrating is essential in maintaining peak performance both mid and post-workout
When talking about muscle recovery and healing muscle soreness, keep in mind that once post-workout muscle soreness sets in, it’s virtually impossible to completely eliminate it. Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the type of soreness that sets in 24 to 48 hours after a workout, has no cure. Research tells us we can acutely minimize the effects of DOMS (AKA, you can temporarily reduce the pain), but for the most part, you just have to ride the DOMS out.
Fortunately, research also shows that if you take action before DOMS sets in, you have a pretty decent chance of reducing the overall severity — but you still might not avoid soreness completely. This is why Ekrin Athletics recommends all athletes utilize percussive therapy immediately following their workouts, as well as follow hydration and nutritional guidelines for your specific sport.
Looking for one of the best tools to help with massage therapy? One you can access at all times, of course. Keep your Ekrin Athletics B37 handy so you can tap into the benefits of massage therapy when you’re feeling a little tight.