Question:
Hello everyone, I just have a general question about soreness of muscles. I am 15 and I am on the wrestling team at my high school. During the season, I get very sore, due to the working out and practicing everyday. I know when you are sore, people usually recommend taking 1 or 2 days off, untill the soreness goes away. But I am unable to do this, as I have to go to practice everyday. What things could I do to be less sore, or to heal my muscles when they are sore. Any help would be great.

Thanks
Answer:
Aw! I can't move!

I remember feeling this way working on my construction job at Sonny Fish Masonry. We would lift and transport hundreds of 8 inch blocks, build and tear down scaffolds, load 16ft boards, climb scaffolds any where from 6 to 30ft in the air constantly; within our boss' "reasonable" time frame.

Our boss, Mickey, dared to catch us on the clock and not working. So we had to continually stay busy all day long - with only a 30 minute break for lunch.

Even as 5 years has passed since I started the job, it still has not become effortless to put in a full days work and feel nothing the morning. As the saying goes, "you gotta do, what you gotta do".

Good thing because it is suggested by Medical Staff at iVilliage, when done the following day at a lower intensity, one of the best ways to get rid of delayed muscle soreness is to do the very same exercises that made you sore in the first place. [1]

That was not the trick to get me excited to get up out of the bed and looking forward to getting to work, however. It was the aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol that helped relieve the soreness - until the weekend where I could fully rest my muscles to allow faster and proper healing and

The magic formula is
HARDWORK +
REST = STRENGTH. And despite what medical staff says at iVilliage, it would do you more justice to stretch before you begin your work out.

Stretching before you work out will help to circulate blood to the sore area, help carry nutrients to the sore muscles and transport any leftover toxins (a natural byproduct of exercise) out of there - preventing you from injuring the muscles during exercise. [2] Stretching after you work out, may already be too late.

I am sure that your coach is a lot like my boss: they believe that they are pushing you harder to become more productive. In which they are, it is up to you, however to keep them from punishing you harder.

Hope this answers your question,