Everyone knows sore muscles. It is almost part of doing sports and is a sometimes unpopular, sometimes promising side effect of a strenuous training session. But how exactly can sore muscles be alleviated, prevented or even avoided?

This question was addressed by researchers Herbert RD, de Noronha M and Kamper SJ. who examined muscle soreness treatments in the form of stretching exercises. The 2011 study looked at whether, and if so, how exactly stretching after exercise affects the intensity and occurrence of muscle soreness. They wanted to find out how differently muscle soreness manifested itself in subjects who stretched before exercise and those who did not.

The method of investigation was based on an analysis of a total of 10 studies from various databases, reference lists, registers and articles from various years with different research backgrounds. All types of studies, whether randomized or quasi-randomized, which dealt with stretching exercises before or after exercise were examined and analyzed by the researchers. They looked at 3 studies that observed stretching before exercise and 7 studies that observed stretching after exercise. The important thing was to find evidence that stretching before or after exercise actually helped relieve muscle soreness. The researchers also paid attention to the fact that the studies recorded the intensity of the muscle soreness and thus the effect of the stretching exercises.

To analyze this, the researchers converted the estimates of the effects of stretching exercises into a point scale and analyzed the results to summarize them into effects. It turned out that stretching before the exercise session reduced muscle soreness the day after exercise by an average of 0.5 points on a 100-point scale. Stretching after exercise, on the other hand, reduced muscle soreness the day after exercise by an average of 1.0 points on a 100-point scale. Also, stretching exercises between half a day and three days after exercise showed similar results.

The conclusion of the study was that stretching exercises did not improve or delay the onset of muscle soreness in young and healthy people.

**Citation**
- Herbert RD, de Noronha M. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD004577. Doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub2. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(7):CD004577. PMID: 17943822.

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Muskelkater effektiv bekämpfen- Forschungen zeigen was wirklich hilft

Fighting sore muscles effectively - Research shows what really helps

"10,000 steps a day is what you should be walking". This is the common assumption about the way to achieve and maintain a good fitness level. But is leisurely walking really enough to maintain a good fitness level, or should you do more to achieve it?

This question was the subject of research by Matthew Nayor and his colleagues, who collaborated in 2021 to release a study on physical activity and fitness in society. They wanted to find out what exercise intensity increased fitness the most.

To do this, they recruited 2070 subjects between the age of 45 and 63. As a baseline measurement to prepare for the study, participants were asked to carry an accelerometer for one week, which measured their activity. It recorded how much time they spent sitting, how many steps they took during the day, and the total amount of time they took for moderate, active exercise. 

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed on the subjects both before, during and after the study, with measurements that could be compared. Here, participants rode a cycle ergometer while maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was measured. The training intensities were set differently, with moderate and high-intensity training. Data on oxygen content and cardiovascular function were collected, which could then be used to classify physical fitness.

It turned out that training units with moderate intensity at regular intervals have the best effect on physical fitness. Approximately 156 minutes per week could be established as a guideline for this. These seemed to be sufficient and effective enough to maintain fitness levels or even increase them in the long term. The study's researchers also found that this intensity and regularity of exercise can compensate for long periods of sitting and too little movement throughout the day. In this way, diseases can be prevented, weight can be maintained as well as fitness can be preserved.

Thus, according to the latest research, in order to work on one's fitness, it is not mandatory to spend 2 hours in the gym every day. A regular fitness routine with moderate intensity is enough to do something good for yourself and your body and maintain fitness.

**Citation**
- Nayor M, Chernofsky A, Spartano NL, Tanguay M, Blodgett JB, Murthy VL, Malhotra R, Houstis NE, Velagaleti RS, Murabito JM, Larson MG, Vasan RS, Shah RV, Lewis GD. Physical activity and fitness in the community: the Framingham Heart Study. Eur Heart J. 2021 Nov 21;42(44):4565-4575. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab580. PMID: 34436560; PMCID: PMC8633734.

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Forschung zu Ausdauertraining- Diese Trainingsintensität verbessert die Fitness nachhaltig

Research on cardio training - This training intensity improves fitness in the long term

Massage Guns are a new trend from the world of fitness. They are small devices with a lot of power, which can be used for self-massage of body areas such as the neck, shoulders or legs. The small massage guns are said to be able to relieve muscle tension and increase flexibility, as well as improve overall body awareness.

Research has also addressed the question of whether there really is an effective measure of muscle regeneration behind the fitness trend as the Massage Gun (Link: Massage Gun) is said to be. A study conducted by Shagufta Imtiyaz, Zubia Veqar and M.Y. Shareef from 2019 looked at the comparison of massage therapies and vibration therapies in the prevention of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

In a randomized study, researchers recruited 45 female subjects who were healthy but not athletic. First, the subjects' baseline condition was assessed, and they were randomly divided into three groups (15 subjects per group). The subjects in group one received vibration therapy, during which the muscles were treated with 50 Hz vibration for five minutes. The subjects in group two received 15 minutes of massage therapy. The remaining subjects formed the control group and received no therapy. 

The subjects were now asked to complete an exercise session and the following parameters were documented: Muscle soreness (pain sensation), range of motion (ROM), maximum isometric force (MIF), repetition maximum (RM), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cretain kinase (CK). The parameters LDH, CK and 1RM were measured before and after the therapy treatments as well as immediately after training, 24, 48 and 72 hours after training.

It was found that the muscle soreness of the subjects in the experimental groups (vibration and massage) was significantly less than the muscle soreness of the subjects in the control group. With regard to the other parameters, a clear difference was not observed in all cases. The massage therapy showed a significant recovery of the value 1RM, which indicates the maximum repetitive force during strength exercises.

This and other studies, which have dealt with massage therapy as a form of faster muscle recovery, have not yet been able to come to a clear conclusion. Nevertheless, in this, as well as other studies, it was shown that massage therapy, which can also be achieved the massage gun, can have a positive impact on the regeneration of the body.

**Citation**
- Imtiyaz, S., Veqar, Z., & Shareef, M. Y. (2014). To Compare the Effect of Vibration Therapy and Massage in Prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH. [https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/7294.3971](https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/7294.3971).

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