Protein Against Muscle Soreness: How Protein Helps with Recovery

We all know it too well – the muscle soreness that comes after intense or unfamiliar workouts, often after long training breaks or competitions. The affected tissue is sensitive to touch, swollen, stiff and hurts with even the slightest movement. But how exactly does muscle soreness develop? Can protein really help alleviate the pain and promote recovery? Should you just grit your teeth and keep training? What else can you do to get rid of that annoying feeling – or even better – prevent it in the first place? In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about muscle soreness and how protein can help your muscles.

How Does Muscle Soreness Occur?

Our goal in every workout is to challenge our muscles. A certain training stimulus signals our body to activate protein biosynthesis and build more muscle fibres during recovery. However, if we overdo it, it can lead to more damage to our muscle fibres than is actually beneficial. Muscle soreness occurs as a result of our body's inflammatory response to these damages caused by unfamiliar or intense exertion [1]. Muscle soreness usually appears one to two days after the exertion and can last for several days, depending on the intensity of the exertion, your training condition, age and the affected muscle group. The common belief that muscle soreness is related to an acid buildup from lactic acid has been debunked [2]. While lactate accumulates during intense exertion, it is quickly flushed out of the muscles and metabolised into glucose in the liver and kidneys [3], causing no harm.

The myth that severe muscle soreness is a sign of a successful workout is also false. Of course, you should push your limits during training and mild muscle soreness is sometimes unavoidable – but your muscles grow with a sensible training program and proper nutrition even without regular severe pain. In fact, flexible muscles are more capable and you will get more out of your training in the long run if you are not constantly restricted by pain!

How Protein Can Help with Muscle Soreness

Protein plays a crucial role in recovery and muscle building. Especially the BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) valine, leucine and isoleucine in protein are significantly involved in the synthesis of new muscle fibres. By consuming enough high-quality protein, you can provide your body with the necessary building blocks to promote the healing process and repair the small tears in the muscle fibres [4]. But that's not all! A protein-rich diet not only helps alleviate muscle soreness but can also prevent it. By consuming protein, muscle growth is promoted, leading to stronger and more resilient muscles over time. Scientific articles show that timing doesn't matter. You can comfortably consume your protein sources throughout the day [5].

Our purely plant-based WAM Protein has been specifically developed to support your body in building muscles. In addition to 22g of protein per serving, WAM Protein contains 2.5g of leucine – the amino acid that stimulates protein synthesis and promotes muscle growth – and over 6g of BCAAs. It dissolves easily without clumping and is super easy to integrate into your diet and daily routine due to its natural taste and creamy texture.

However, this does not mean that protein is a "magic bullet" against muscle soreness that will magically make it disappear! Overloading your body with overly intense workouts repeatedly does you no favours. Therefore, if you have severe muscle soreness, you should definitely take a break instead of continuing to train! Adjust your training intensity to your training status, nutrition and recovery capacity and stay consistent. This way, you build muscles faster and better and prevent training breaks due to muscle soreness. 

Additional Tips Against Muscle Soreness

Besides a protein-rich diet, there are, of course, other ways to reduce muscle pain and prevent muscle soreness:

1. Adequate Rest: The so-called "working through the pain" can worsen muscle soreness and negatively affect the healing process. Give your body enough time to recover, especially after intense workouts.
2. Warming Up: A short but thorough warm-up before training can promote blood circulation and prepare the muscles for the upcoming exertion. Start with your body weight or a minimal weight and gradually increase to the day's load.
3. Nutrition: Your protein-rich diet should also include sufficient water, carbohydrates and fats. A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables also provides essential micronutrients like vitamins and minerals that help with cell repair.
4. Foam Rolling: A special type of self-massage you can do with a foam roller. This is supposed to loosen tension in muscle groups and fasciae and promote blood circulation. Studies have shown that this can reduce muscle pain [6].
5. Massage: A regular, gentle massage can also promote blood circulation, loosen tension in the affected muscles and so relieve muscle pain [7].
6. Anti-inflammatory Agents: Natural anti-inflammatory agents like arnica, ginger and turmeric may help with muscle soreness. However, the scientific evidence here is rather shaky.

Protein Against Muscle Soreness: Our Conclusion

Muscle soreness caused by small injuries to muscle fibres is a normal reaction of the body to unfamiliar or intense exertion, usually harmless and heals on its own within a few days. By consuming enough protein, you can support your body in regenerating your muscles. Our vegan WAM Protein powder is an excellent choice to meet your protein and BCAA needs as part of a balanced diet. Combined with other tips like warming up with light exercise and massages, you can effectively prevent and alleviate muscle soreness. This way, you can ensure that you can continue to train regularly and intensively without being held back by muscle soreness or injuring yourself in the long run.

Do you have any questions or further tips against muscle soreness? Send us an email! We look forward to your feedback.

Sources

[1] Hotfiel T, Freiwald J, Hoppe MW, Lutter C, Forst R, Grim C, Bloch W, Hüttel M, Heiss R. Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and Diagnostics. Sportverletz Sportschaden. 2018 Dec;32(4):243-250. English.

[2] Schwane JA, Watrous BG, Johnson SR, Armstrong RB. Is Lactic Acid Related to Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness? Phys Sportsmed. 1983 Mar;11(3):124-31.

[3] Yang WH, Park H, Grau M, Heine O. Decreased Blood Glucose and Lactate: Is a Useful Indicator of Recovery Ability in Athletes? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul 29;17(15):5470.

[4] Kaspy MS, Hannaian SJ, Bell ZW, Churchward-Venne TA. The effects of branched-chain amino acids on muscle protein synthesis, muscle protein breakdown and associated molecular signalling responses in humans: an update. Nutr Res Rev. 2023 Sep 8:1-14.

[5] Wirth J, Hillesheim E, Brennan L. The Role of Protein Intake and its Timing on Body Composition and Muscle Function in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Nutr. 2020 Jun 1;150(6):1443-1460. 

[6] Hendricks S, Hill H, Hollander SD, Lombard W, Parker R. Effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery: A systematic review of the literature to guide practitioners on the use of foam rolling. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2020 Apr;24(2):151-174.