A lot of people get turned off of weightlifting of doing certain kinds of lifts (mostly leg workouts) because they know the next day it’s going to hurt to even get out of bed. Couple that with some fatigue and you have a genuine excuse for not lifting, or at least not trying as hard.

The Marines love to tell everyone “Pain is weakness leaving the body” and they’re not far off. The soreness in your muscles after a tough workout is your body’s way of telling you that it’s been pushed hard and is responding to that by building up and strengthening its muscles. So it’s a little more accurate to say that pain is strength entering the body… Yeah I know, doesn’t sound as cool.

Either way, unless you’re a sadist, sore muscles are no fun. Here’s a few tips and tricks to keep the pain to a minimum:
• Drink lots of water
• Ibuprophen
• Constant stretching throughout the day
• Gently massage the muscle
• Work out again!

I know when you’re stiff and tired from yesterday’s workout, the last thing you want to do is work out again. But doing some light cardio will get your blood pumping which will keep the muscles from tightening up, and also help flush your system of lactic acid, the stuff which is making you feel sore.

Of course prevention is always better than a cure, so try doing this next time when you work out:
• Stretch before anything else
• Warm up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio, like jogging or jumping jacks
• For new exercises do a first set of extra light reps
• For new muscles being worked, go easy the first few times
• Sip water throughout your workout
• Cool down with 5 minutes of cardio
• Stretch
• Drink lots of fluids after exercising

I wish I could say that there was a simple way to prevent muscle soreness resulting from a good strong workout, but it isn’t really possible. Part of exercising is getting your body to work anerobically. When the body works in that mode it builds up that lactic acid and you will be sore. The best thing you can do is just flush that acid out of your system as quickly as possible.

Given time, and I know this sounds strange, but you may come to enjoy it. Try taking it as sign that you worked hard and for that hard work your body is growing stronger. No need to get all macho and proud, just a simple smile when you stand up and feel those burning quadriceps.