Credit: Getty
Strong Women
DOMS relief: 5 pilates moves to relieve muscle soreness the day after a tough workout
By Lauren Geall
6 months ago
4 min read
Struggling with a bad case of DOMS? Try this simple, five-step pilates routine to increase mobility and relieve pain.
Navigating the morning after a tough workout can be a rollercoaster. One moment, you’re lying in bed, feeling smug about the session you smashed yesterday, and the next, you’re crab-walking down the stairs and struggling to sit down on the toilet.
Dealing with this kind of delayed-onset muscle soreness (also known as DOMS) can feel like both a blessing and a curse. While it’s a sign that you’ve made your muscles work hard, it can also make moving around a little tricky.
However, disrupting the inflammatory healing response that causes DOMS by taking medications like ibuprofen can delay the healing process and limit the impact of your training – which nobody wants. So, how can you manage DOMS without reaching for pain meds?
For Helen O’Leary, a physiotherapist and clinical director at Complete Pilates, the answer lies in some gentle movement. “Engaging in light exercise like pilates can enhance blood flow and oxygen delivery to the muscles, aiding recovery,” she says. “When our bodies feel stiff after strenuous exercise, we know that we’ll feel better after taking a warm bath, going for a massage or spending some time in the sauna. These activities increase the blood supply to our muscles, which ‘rinses’ away some of the chemicals that contribute to soreness.”
O’Leary continues: “The same happens when we use our muscles at a lower intensity, like when we’re doing pilates. With gentle movement and loading of sore muscles, the circulation to these muscles improves and we leave the session feeling less stiff than when we started.”
Below, she talks us through five pilates moves that will help increase blood flow to key muscle groups and alleviate stiffness in the days after a tough workout. Check out the videos above each of the moves to ensure you’ve got correct form, and make sure to hold each stretch before moving on to the next one.
1. Thread the needle
“The thread the needle exercise is the perfect start for your recovery,” O’Leary explains.
“It allows you to mobilise, stretch and open out the shoulders, chest, neck and upper back while allowing for a gentle twist of the spine. Start this exercise in a reduced range and build to a greater stretch feeling as the body allows.”
How to thread the needle:
- Starting on your hands and knees, raise your left arm up towards the sky, turning your body and head to face the raised arm.
- Bring your hand back down, ‘threading’ it behind your right arm until your shoulder touches the floor. Your head should follow the movement of your hand, finishing with your cheek on the ground.
- Repeat on the other side.
2. Mermaid
“The mermaid will help alleviate soreness and improve your mobility in the mid and lower back and the side of your body and hips,” O’Leary says.
“If being on the floor is difficult, you can start with a version seated on a chair.”
How to do a mermaid:
- Starting in a sitting position with your knees bent, bring both legs to the side so the foot of your front leg touches the knee of your back one. The shin on your front leg should face directly forwards. This is called a ‘z’ sit.
- Using the arm on the side with your bent leg, reach over your head to stretch the side of your body. Use your opposite arm for support.
- Switch your legs over to the other side and repeat with the opposite arm.
3. Hip stretch
“This stretch is great for helping you stretch and relieve soreness at the front of your thigh, an area of the body that is often sore following running or lower-leg gym exercises,” O’Leary explains.
How to do a hip stretch:
- Starting in an upright kneeling position, bring one foot out in front of you with your knee bent at a right angle and your foot placed flat on the floor.
- Slowly transition your weight into your front leg until you feel a stretch in your back thigh. The shin on your back leg should remain flat on the floor.
- Switch sides and repeat.
4. Roll down
“The roll down will help you gently stretch and mobilise your whole posterior chain – that includes your neck, upper back, lower back, hamstrings and calves,” O’Leary says.
“If you’re feeling really tight and sore in these areas, you can start off with a small roll down and gradually build your range as the tension starts to release.”
How to do a roll down:
- From a standing position, begin to roll your head downwards by placing your chin to your chest.
- Continue rolling downwards by hinging at the hip and trying to bring your chest to your legs, leaving your arms hanging.
- Roll back up slowly, reversing the process so your head is the last part of your body to unfurl.
5. Shoulder extension
“This seated shoulder extension stretch is great if you’re feeling soreness in your shoulders, arms and chest,” O’Leary explains.
“You can do this movement seated, but you can also do it in standing to get more movement through the hips and lower back.”
How to do a shoulder extension
- Reach behind with both hands until they meet, and interlace your fingers together.
- Push your chest forward until you feel a stretch in your shoulders.
Images: Getty
Videos: Strong Women; Complete Pilates
A weekly dose of expert-backed tips on everything from gut health to running.
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.