Tip Avoid NSAIDS and Icing Sore Muscles Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Avoid NSAIDS and Icing Sore Muscles When you ice or use pain killers after a tough workout you' re actually putting the brakes on muscle growth Here' s why by TC Luoma December 28, 2015August 3, 2022 Tags It Hurts Fix It, Tips, Training The Truth About Inflammation Without inflammation, wounds wouldn't heal... ever. Any illness might last for years. Even the muscle you strive to strengthen and build might never get bigger or stronger if inflammation didn't exist. The whole battle that takes place after an injury or a tough workout is a tightly choreographed offensive designed to heal the body. The swelling that comes with inflammation allows the superhero-like proteins, white blood cells, and antibodies to come charging into the area. However, if you treat an injury with ice or NSAIDS (aspirin, Aleve, etc.), you thwart all that. You actually stop healing. So while icing or pain relievers might be okay for long-term chronic pain, think twice about using them to combat short-term pain. Recommendations Don't ice after a workout. Icing doesn't heal anything; it's purely analgesic (pain reducing). Don't use NSAIDS after a workout or minor injury, unless absolutely necessary. To combat daily, non-exercise related inflammation and maximize chances of being healthy in general, avoid inflammatory practices (not getting enough sleep, boozing it up, using drugs, crappy diet), and take anti-inflammatory nutraceuticals like curcumin and/or concentrated fish oil. To combat chronic inflammation or severe pain, use NSAIDS as recommended on the label or use up to two capsules curcumin twice a day, and/or 4-8 capsules of fish oil per day. If you bust it up in the gym and drive inflammation up to deleterious levels, doing some light exercise the day after, e.g. walking, can reduce inflammation to non-damaging, muscle-building levels. If busting it up in the gym day after day is your status quo, use peri-workout nutrition supplements such as Surge Workout Fuel or Plazma to keep inflammation in the sweet zone. Inflammatory processes won't run amok, you won't be as sore, and you'll be able to tear it up in the gym day after day and make progress. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The 4 Single-Leg Exercises You Need Improve your strength, performance, and overall physique with these moves. Powerlifting & Strength, Tips, Training Nick Tumminello September 21 Training Stupid Things Young Guys Do in the Gym Ten mistakes younger guys make in the gym.. and yeah, some older guys too. And some women. Bodybuilding, Training Nate Green September 2 Training Tip Cross-Body Plank If you can plank for more than 30 seconds, you need a more advanced variation. Try this. Abs, Exercise Coaching, Tips Nick Tumminello February 21 Training Tip Bench Pressing vs Real-Life Here's why the bench press falls short for athletes, and what to do instead. Training Chris Peil January 14