Muscle soreness after training is common, especially after starting a new program, trying a new exercise, or increasing training volume. Knowing how to reduce muscle soreness is useful, but the method matters. Some popular recovery strategies reduce soreness while also interfering with the processes that build strength and muscle size.
This article explains what causes post-workout soreness, why it is not a reliable sign of progress, which strategies reduce soreness without compromising gains, and which ones may involve a trade-off.
What causes muscle soreness after training?
The soreness that appears a day or two after a workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It typically begins 12 to 24 hours after exercise, peaks between 24 and 72 hours, and then gradually subsides (Cheung et al., 2003).
DOMS is associated with microscopic damage to muscle fibers and the surrounding connective tissue, followed by an inflammatory response and increased sensitivity of nerve endings in the muscle. It is most strongly linked to eccentric muscle actions, where a muscle lengthens under load, such as lowering a weight or running downhill.
Unfamiliar exercises, large increases in training volume, and returning to training after a break are the most common triggers.
Is soreness a sign that a workout is working?
Not necessarily. Soreness is often treated as evidence of an effective workout, but it is not a reliable indicator of muscle growth or strength gains (Schoenfeld & Contreras, 2013).
Soreness mainly reflects how unfamiliar or damaging a training session was. Experienced lifters can make steady progress while experiencing little soreness, while a beginner can become very sore from a session that produces relatively modest gains.
This distinction matters because chasing soreness can lead to excessive training volume or unnecessary muscle damage, which can interfere with recovery and the quality of subsequent sessions. Reducing soreness does not mean reducing progress.
Strategies that reduce soreness without compromising gains
Progress training gradually
The most effective long-term way to reduce soreness is to let the body adapt. After a muscle is exposed to a new type of exercise, subsequent sessions of the same exercise cause less soreness and damage. This adaptation is known as the repeated bout effect, and it can develop after a single session (McHugh, 2003).
In practice, this means introducing new exercises, higher volumes, and more eccentric work gradually rather than all at once. Soreness from a new exercise usually decreases noticeably over the following sessions.
Train consistently
Long breaks from training reduce the protective effect of previous sessions, which is why returning after time off often produces significant soreness. Training regularly helps maintain the adaptation. Training frequency can vary widely and still support progress, as discussed in our article on building muscle once a week, but consistency over time is what keeps soreness manageable.
Massage
Among recovery methods, massage has some of the strongest evidence for reducing soreness. A systematic review and meta-analysis of post-exercise recovery techniques found that massage was the most effective method for reducing both DOMS and perceived fatigue (Dupuy et al., 2018). There is no evidence that massage interferes with gains in strength or muscle size.
Foam rolling
Foam rolling after exercise may slightly reduce perceived muscle pain. A meta-analysis found that its effects on recovery were generally small, so it is best viewed as an optional strategy rather than a key one (Wiewelhove et al., 2019).
Light activity
Gentle movement, such as walking or light cycling, may temporarily ease the stiffness and discomfort associated with DOMS. The relief is usually short-lived, but light activity does not appear to impair recovery.
Sleep and nutrition
Adequate sleep and sufficient protein and energy intake support the overall recovery process and the adaptations that follow training. Their direct effect on how sore a person feels is less clear, but they are essential for making gains regardless of soreness.
Strategies that may involve a trade-off
Cold water immersion
Cold water immersion, such as an ice bath, can reduce soreness. However, regular use after strength training may blunt long-term gains. In one study, men who used cold water immersion after resistance training sessions gained less muscle mass and strength over 12 weeks than men who used active recovery instead (Roberts et al., 2015).
One explanation is that the inflammatory and signaling processes that cause soreness are also part of the process that leads to adaptation. Reducing them may also reduce the training response. Our article on cold showers after workouts discusses this trade-off in more detail.
Cold exposure may still be useful in specific situations, such as competition periods where short-term recovery matters more than long-term adaptation. For people whose main goal is building strength and size, routinely using it after every strength session may be counterproductive.
Anti-inflammatory painkillers
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, are sometimes used to relieve soreness. Research on their effects on muscle growth is mixed, and results appear to vary with dose, duration, and age.
In one study of young adults, high doses taken regularly over several weeks reduced gains in muscle strength and size compared with low doses (Lilja et al., 2018). Occasional use for pain relief is a different situation from regular use around training, but routinely taking anti-inflammatory medication to prevent soreness is not supported by evidence as a way to improve results. Anyone considering regular use of these medications should discuss it with a healthcare professional, as they also carry other health risks.
When soreness is not normal
Normal DOMS is a diffuse, dull ache in the muscles that were trained, and it improves within a few days. Some symptoms suggest something other than typical soreness:
Sharp or localized pain, especially if it began suddenly during exercise, may indicate a muscle strain or another injury.
Pain in a joint rather than the muscle is not typical of DOMS.
Severe pain and swelling with dark, tea-colored urine can be a sign of rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition in which damaged muscle releases substances that can harm the kidneys. This requires urgent medical attention.
Soreness that is disproportionately severe or that does not improve after several days should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. Our article on chest soreness after bench press covers how to tell normal post-workout soreness from pain that may need attention in one commonly affected area.
The bottom line
The most effective way to reduce muscle soreness without losing gains is to progress training gradually and train consistently, allowing the repeated bout effect to protect against excessive soreness. Massage has good evidence for reducing soreness, while foam rolling, light activity, sleep, and nutrition can play supporting roles.
Some methods involve a trade-off. Regular cold water immersion and high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce soreness but have been shown to blunt gains in some studies. Most importantly, soreness is not a reliable measure of progress, so knowing how to reduce muscle soreness is about training smarter, not about avoiding effective training.
References
Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness: treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Medicine. 2003;33(2):145–164.
Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018;9:403.
Lilja M, Mandić M, Apró W, et al. High doses of anti-inflammatory drugs compromise muscle strength and hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training in young adults. Acta Physiologica. 2018;222(2):e12948.
McHugh MP. Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect: the protective effect against muscle damage from a single bout of eccentric exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2003;13(2):88–97.
Roberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, et al. Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. Journal of Physiology. 2015;593(18):4285–4301.
Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B. Is postexercise muscle soreness a valid indicator of muscular adaptations? Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2013;35(5):16–21. Wiewelhove T, Döweling A, Schneider C, et al. A meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery. Frontiers in Physiology. 2019;10:376.
