Still confused?
Well it all starts with Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage (EIMD). This phenomenon occurs from new or unaccustomed exercise and CrossFit makes a living on advocating for constantly CHANGING workouts while performing at high intensities. Some of the movements that we do may not be "new" or "unaccustomed" per se, but they are definitely not done on a consistent enough basis that may allow your body to get used to the high physical demands. But wait, there's more...eccentric exercise is one of the biggest culprits that cause EIMD! Eccentric exercises are traditionally "negative repetitions (reps)" or the down phase of a lift, running downhill, or pullups.
Bottom line: CrossFit causes a lot of EIMD!
It is important to understand and know about EIMD because we, especially Elite CrossFitters, are committed to increasing athletic performance. EIMD can affect subsequent exercise sessions due to muscular pain, restriction of movement, and a reduced capacity to exercise at a high enough intensity to actually be a beneficial workout. These 3 components of exercise muscle recovery, range of motion, and intensity are crucial for our development and what-do-ya-know EIMD decreases all of these!
All is not lost though. Some strategies can be used that may reduce EIMD! Each week I will elaborate on 1 or 2 of these methods. I will list the method, why it is proposed as a method to decrease EIMD, explain why or why not it does actually work, and the final conclusion statement. All of my conclusions are based on research that has been done within the past 5 years.
Please post all questions or comments. Enjoy!
Antioxidants
Muscle damage causes an inflammatory response that results in reactive oxygen species, thereby placing an oxidative stress on the tissue. So it just makes sense that if the EIMD is caused in part by oxidative stress that supplementing with an antioxidant will decrease EIMD and thus decrease muscle soreness and improve recovery! If only it were that easy.... Antioxidants include Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium, and Zinc. Most of the current research is in relation to the antioxidants vitamin C & E. So I will focus on those.
Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid)
Long-term supplementation (by long term I'm talking greater than or equal to 14 days) of Vitamin C may reduce signs and symptoms of EIMD, however the timing and amount to take is still under debate. Important note about research: the research that agrees that Vitamin C may have a protective effect on EIMD uses an indirect measurement of muscle damage; this is important because even if it is does improve the indirect markers it does NOT guarantee that it ACTUALLY helps EIMD! Do not exceed 2000mg/day. Natural sources of Vitamin C include: oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, cantaloupe, kale, kiwifruit.
Vitamin E (aka tocopherol)
Supplementation of Vitamin E does NOT reduce signs and symptoms of EIMD. Recent research has found that long-term supplementation with Vitamin E at high doses may increase mortality. Do not exceed 1000mg/day. Natural sources of Vitamin E include: almonds, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, spinach, sunflower oil, and safflower oil.
Conclusion Statement for Antioxidant Supplementation
There is NO strong evidence for recommending antioxidant supplementation to athletes or individuals habitually involved in potentially damaging exercise.
SOAP BOX TIME:
I am in no way against supplementation, but I do believe it is for only a select population. It is more important to begin with an overall good diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, with lean meats and dairy. These types of food choices will ensure that you receive enough antioxidants and other important vitamins and minerals. Supplementation may be needed if you have extremely high needs (such as an IRONMAN athlete) or are on a very low calorie diet prescribed by a physician. It is important to note that supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and should only be purchased by reputable vendors/sources.
Carbohydrate and Protein
Carbohydrate (CHO) and protein are exteremly important to exercise and maximizing performance. CHO is the primary fuel used during physical activity; thus, adequate CHO stores (muscle and liver glycogen and blood glucose) are critical for optimum athletic performance. Protein can assist CHO post-exercise in glycogen resynthesis and may protect against protein breakdown after an intense workout. So can CHO and protein decrease the symptoms of EIMD?
Carbohydrate
CHO has been proposed as a method to decrease EIMD, because it is well known that muscle glycogen (again...this is the primary storage form of CHO in your body) resynthesis is impaired following a high-intensity eccentric exercise.
Protein
Right off the bat I need to say that there is very little research that has taken a look at protein supplementation alone and its role to reduce EIMD.
Carbohydrate + Protein
Some researchers believe that the co-ingestion of CHO and protien may be the answer to eleviate symptoms of muscle damage. One study compared individuals taking CHO to individuals taking CHO+Protein during and after exercise. The CHO+Protein group had an increased time to exhaustion and had LESS muscle damage in a prolonged workout.
Conclusion Statement for Carbohydrate and Protein
It appears that carbohydrate administration has little or no effect in decreasing the signs and symptoms of muscle damage. However, carbohydrate and protein taken simultaneously may provide some protection against EIMD. More research is needed to say if protein alone would have better effects, than CHO+Protein.
Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB)
HMB is a supplement that has gained a lot of popularity in strength training and bodybuilding communities. Some evidence DOES exist showing that HMB does help to improve strength and muscle size in untrained individuals. So what exactly is HMB. It is a by-product of a branched-chained-amino-acid (BCAA) called leucine.
Conclusion Statement for HMB
The evidence suggests that supplementation with HMB for >6 days prior to exercise may decrease symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage; HOWEVER, these findings were from UNTRAINED individuals that were not used to working out consistently. So these results may not be the same for TRAINED individuals.
Nonsteriodal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen are perhaps the most widely touted therapy in the treatment of EIMD and delyed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). NSAIDs inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandin, a fatty acid derivative that works in the body to create edema and PAIN during acute inflammation (except aspirin techniquely, but I will stay out of the weeds). Evidence is currently in agreement for the use of NSAIDs in the reduction of the signs and symptoms associated with EIMD. It's perfect then...right? Not necessarily and I will give you three reasons:
- NSAIDs do not increase performance. It would seem that with a reduction of EIMD you would see an increase in physical performance, but you do not. In many cases, there was no effect or a reduction in performance....that's definately not what we want.
- Although NSAIDs are generally well tolerated, there are some severe adverse effects with habitual or long-term use such as ulcers, renal complications, and liver disorders.
- Inflammation is the body's NATURAL response to EIMD and the use of NSAIDs may inhibit protein synthesis. So it goes without saying that in this case (and most others) too much of a good thing is not a good thing.
Conclusion Statement for NSAIDs
Given the acute effects of NSAIDs, the lack of performance benefits reported, and the negative long-term side effects of administration, the use of NSAIDs is not recommended as an effective strategy to prevent or treat symptoms of EIMD.
Stretching
Types of Stretching
- Ballistic: uses your body's momentum that involves a lot of bouncing movements. This type of stretching is not considered useful and could possibly lead to injury!
- Dynamic: also involves moving parts of your body to gradually increase reach, speed of movement, or both. Do not get this confused with Ballistic stretching. Dynamic stretching with gradually get you to the limits of your range of motion in a controlled manner while Ballistic attempts to force you past that limit!
- Active: is where you get to a position and hold it there without assistance. For example, bringing your leg parallel to the ground then holding it. The hold is usually only 10 secs.
- Passive: is where you get to a position and hold it there with assistance from yourself, a partner, or an object/apparatus.
- Static: is sometimes used interchangebly with passive stretching.
- Isometric: type of static stretching that uses the tensing of muscles such as wall sits
- PNF: is a technique that combines passive stretching and isometric stretching by the hold-relax and hold-relax-contract techniques.
Stretching is propsed to decrease the stiffness of muscle so eccentric exercises are not as damaging. A group of research by LaRoche and Connolly says that 4 weeks of static stretching maintained range of motion and stretch tolerance (all GOOD stuff), but did not reduce muscle soreness. More research is needed for the other types of stretching.
Conclusion Statement for Stretching
Stretching may be effective in preserving range of motion, but more research is needed on how dynamic and PNF stretching can possibly reduce EIMD.
Massage
This is a widely used therapy in the treatment of athletic muscle soreness and small injuries.
Conclusion Statement for Massage
Most of the evidence points towards massage being effective in getting rid of muscle soreness! However its effect on muscle function and performance is unclear. But we finally have the best way to get rid of that pain...get a massage!
