It's inevitable, when you go back to ballet class you will wake up the next morning and every muscle will hurt. I don't know about you guys but just getting out of bed felt like I was trying to move a dang mountain! Although moving feels like the total opposite of what your body wants, stretching those muscles back out and warming up your body will help.Gaining muscle is essentially the act of your muscles getting tiny tears in the tissue and then healing back together stronger than before. Allowing yourself time to heal can help your muscle development but us dancers are rarely allowed this time. So here are some tips to help you continue gaining muscle while coping with that leftover aching.
- Stay warm. Letting your muscles get cold and tighten back up will only feel worse on your body.
- Take some Advil if your muscles are really bothering you. It's a miracle drug.
- Stretch. Little by little, lean into a position that stretches out a tense muscle. Make sure you DO NOT force it. Your body will tell you when it's had enough.
- Massage the muscle(s) or have someone else do it for you. Be very gentle, straining the muscles could make it worse and plus it'll probably hurt a lot. :P
- Use hot and cold therapy. Ice pack, heating pad, ice pack, heating pad, fifteen minutes each. It really helps.
- Take a hot bath/shower. This is my ultimate sore muscle remedy. While in the shower/tub and your muscles are nice and warm, stretch out a little bit, it feels amazing. You're releasing the tension in your muscles and maintaining good personal hygiene all at the same time!
If you have any comments or questions then post a comment below or e-mail me here.
Keep on dancin',
Ballerinablogger ~
