Muscle pain after exercise

davholla

I have recently started swimming 2-3 times a week.
Would a hot water bottle at night help with the pain I get in my chest and legs?
It is hard to get fit when you are very unfit because there is a thin line between healthy exercise and injuring yourself.

heartbreak_star

Do you stretch after swimming?

HBS x

davholla

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Do you stretch after swimming?

HBS x

No I don't the changing rooms are a bit cramped and it would look strange.
I have a hot or cold shower of course (the temperature is a bit tempermental).

heartbreak_star

That's probably your answer then. Do some stretching when you get home - it will probably help - fwiw I do at least 15 minutes stretching after any exercise!

HBS x

davholla

heartbreak_star wrote: »

That's probably your answer then. Do some stretching when you get home - it will probably help - fwiw I do at least 15 minutes stretching after any exercise!

HBS x

I will try that although I often do stretch when I get home (a few hours later because I swim at lunch time).
However a lot of the pain is in the stomach muscles, which I guess wouldn't be helped much by stretching.

heartbreak_star

The cobra stretch from hatha yoga might help - lie on your front, hands under your shoulders and push up gently.

I admit to stretching in the disabled loo at work once or twice after a particularly hard workout the previous day *chuckles*

HBS x

nlj1520

although I don't go swimming often, I found after a tough workout taking 20 minutes lowering the intensity of my exercise before heading for the showers reduced stiffness.
Also perhaps do some stretches before swimming.....in the pool it should be possible to extend sideways, warm up your shoulder muscles and chest muscles without attracting strange looks!
Might help?

[Deleted User]

Could you not stretch in the pool before leaving? I've done this in the past, although I don't go swimming often anymore.

worriedindebt

Depending on how hard you exercise this could be due to lactic acid building up.. Have seen some sports therapists recommend bicarbonate of soda to help with this, but prob not applicable for gentle exercise.

carmens0592

I muscle pain before when I first tried exercising thru playing badminton and it really hurts but I didn't stop there. I continue and now I'm totally fine and feeling good about exercises.

Moto2

Can I be the first to say?

"Pain is weakness leaving the body"



Seriously, muscles grow in part by hyperplasia, which is the splitting of fibres to make more. This is often felt as aches and pains.