Muscle Soreness and Vitamin C

Day 1

You’ve already decided that today would be legs day. You feel pumped but, but also mildly anxious of the thought of tomorrow when you’re sure to experience muscle soreness. You feel like you gave it your all on your workout and you’re feeling great. You go out for the night while you body is feeling like well oiled machine operating on all cylinders. Life’s good.

Day 2

It’s a new day! As you open your eyes, swing your legs to the side of the bed and stand, uh oh – your legs immediately crumble. You try getting back up again but your hamstrings and calves feel sore and painful to the touch.

What you are experiencing is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) – a common occurrence for those who strength train.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Sore muscles are often the result of physical exercise. However, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), is not readily evident while exercising. The symptoms and soreness are often experienced a couple hours after physical exercise instead. The soreness you feel can unfortunately last up to a few days and might restrict your general physical abilities.

Vitamin C Reduces Muscle Soreness

How you can make it better is through Vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in muscle growth. It’s essential for collagen (the most abundant protein built in our bodies) building. Heart tissue, blood vessels, and even muscle tissue is structurally supported by this connective tissue. It’s impossible to build up on Collagen without Vitamin C as Vitamin C is required in every step of the building process. About 1% to 2% of your muscle tissue and about 6% of your tendons are composed of collagen, making vitamin C an important building block to muscle growth and repair.

Effective vitamin C supplementation, both post and pre-workout, help you build strong lean muscles faster, while reducing the soreness you feel in the morning after.