Understanding Muscle Soreness: Causes and Post-Workout Stretches

For start we need to understand the muscle soreness

Les muscle soreness is an inflammatory and metabolic response to training-induced micro-trauma to muscle fibers whatever the type of your training.


This micro-trauma is mainly due to the eccentric phase of movement (the negative phase, when the muscle stretches). Indeed, during this phase, which we're trying to control, the muscle is still contracted and is therefore forcibly stretched, resulting in "tears", and the release of minerals responsible for this phenomenon.

As you can imagine, during a training session, the muscle undergoes repeated stretching phases. The maximum stretching amplitude that can be reached post-session is therefore greater than that at rest. Stretching too hard after training will only amplify the symptoms.

Post-workout stretching should not exceed ten seconds or so, and must not be painful, in order to restore the muscles to their initial lengths.


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