How to not feel so much of the post archery dodgeball burn

The Archers Arena community knows the ache very well after a solid session of archery dodgeball, so we wanted to share a few suggestions to help ease those aches. Anyone who has ever played archery dodgeball knows all the running, dodging, dive, squats, lunges and pulling that goes into a game. Its usually around 12-48 hours later that all of those activities can catch up to you. This is referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness and its quite common to experience soreness or stiffness after enduring exercise or movements you don’t usually do. Here’s a few tidbits to help ease the burn:

Light post-archery dodgeball stretching

After your dodgeball archery games, do around 10 minutes of light stretching focusing on trapezius, hamstring, hips and anywhere else that may feel tight.  

Ice, Ice, Baby!

You know that bag of frozen vegetables in the back of your freezer? That bag you swear you’ll use up but never do? Time to put it into use and apply it to the sore area intermittently. Don’t over do it though,, only apply for a maximum of 15 min. This can also be applied to bruises

Protein

As soon as you’re done your archery dodgeball session, replenishing your body is a good move. When you exercise, your body is using up crazy energy and the stored glucose in your muscles need to be replenished. By consuming protein in the first 30 minutes post exercise assists in rebuilding the stored glucose. Why is restoring important? It helps decrease the chances of muscle soreness. Here’s a few things you can eat post dodgeball archery.

Say “No” to Bed Rest

Keep moving and don’t let those muscles rest for too long. Its important to keep the blood flow going to all areas to prevent muscles from getting too stiff and uncomfortable. The oxygen in our blood helps repair the muscles that got a work out.

Lingering Pain

If you feel that its been a day or two longer than usual for your body to recuperate, never ignore lingering pain as it may be an indicator that you may have done some damage. If you suspect somethings not right, please contact your health care provider.

Going forward, its best to be prepared before any archery dodgeball game. Stay hydrated, stretch and wear appropriate athletic wear and foot ware. It truly makes all the difference in ensuring you have the best experience at Archers Arena!

Your fellow archer,

Erin S.