Kenneth Gardner - FITNESS CLUB

Our muscles respond very poorly to excessive exercise. This is so especially when the activities require running and jumping and if the exercise is too strenuous.

Acute soreness can happen during and immediately after exercising. The muscle tension developed during exercising reduces blood flow to active muscles. General soreness, which is often observed four to eight hours following exercising, can be followed, eight to 24 hours, by localised or specific soreness.

This delayed soreness can last from one to six days.

Muscle soreness is the result of damage to the muscle cells or to the connective tissues in the muscle. Whether we are fit or unfit, we are likely to experience soreness following strenuous exercising to which we are unaccustomed and is especially likely if there is a significant increase in the intensity or duration of the exercise session.

Take a hot bath

Muscle soreness can be controlled by starting our exercise sessions slowly or moderately with appropriate warm-up activities, followed by a similarly appropriate cool-down session. As our fitness improves and our muscles become more accustomed to the impact of vigorous exercising, the level of soreness will be reduced.

Damp heat or a hot bath can be very effective in stimulating the circulation of fluid in sore muscles and this will speed up the healing process. A gradual stretching of the sore muscles will also help to reduce the pain and discomfort. However, if the muscles were to be used in a different way (for which they have not been conditioned) soreness can develop again.

Stretching exercises can be very effective as the transition between your warm up and the vigorous activities that follow. They are also for cooling down.

A slow aerobic exercise session can be used to start the warm up:

Jogging in place

1. For two to three minutes, jog in place slowly. Hold your arms at a 90-degree angle while swinging them from the shoulder.

2. Try to keep your body loose but poised, avoiding tight clenching of the fist and the mouth.

3. Lift your feet about six inches from the floor; stay on the balls of your feet.

4. Breathe easily and rhythmically, keeping your head in the normal position as you look straight ahead.

Back stretch (The cat stretch)

1. Kneel on both knees, feet extended, sit on your heels, with your trunk bent forward over your thighs. Arch your back as much as possible.

2. Retract your abdomen and tighten it fully.

3. Palms on the floor, extend your arms fully and placing your head between your arms. Stretch as far forward as possible.

4. Hold that position for 30 to 60 seconds.

Shoulder stretch

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Extend arms in front with your fingers interlaced and with palms facing front.

3. Reverse the position of the hand while maintaining the grip.

4. Raise your arms over your head and stretch as far as you can,

5. Hold that position for 30 to 60 seconds.

Trunk stretch

1. Lie face down, arms and legs fully extended.

2. Bend your knees and grasp your ankles with your hands.

3. Arch your back and stretch your head back as far as possible. Hold that position for 60 seconds.

Dr Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at Holiday Hills Research Center; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.