This has been covered before but it’s worth another shot. I took a month off lifting due to work and family matters. Started the Growth Surge and had SORE quads (DOMS). I used contrast showers, a squat session with 60% weight, whirlpool, massage and Motrin 4 x 200 mg, to recover. I read Flex-all cream (extra strength) worked well but sort of question the value of topical applications. What do you do to recover from a workout?
Sleep and eat. But on another note, what are contrast showers?
Try a sauna immediately after training with stretching done in the sauna. Along with this take a couple of grams of vitamin C and a postworkout recovery drink. The next morning utilize the contrast showers along with stretching and self massage. Getting in a swimming pool and doing calisthenic type movements is the best form of active recovery I’ve found during the days following an intense workout. You could also try various forms of active restoration such as bodyweight gpp, sled dragging, etc just make sure you de-emphasize the eccentric on any form of active restoration you do.
Contrast showers from memory are 1 minute of hot shower, 30 seconds of cold. Speeds recovery, and I feel pretty good afterwards.
I have found that little 10 min. workouts when i first get out of bed on off days does wonders for my soreness. When i say workouts, i mean just some stretching, jacks, a few hidue squats…gets the blood flowing to the muscels and that is about it. I’m a big fan of glutimine too…