What actually helps muscle soreness: tart cherry juice, saunas and the rest

Does tart cherry juice help muscle soreness? Maybe a little, for some things, in some studies. The most recent meta-analysis found it helped strength come back after hard exercise but found no significant pooled effect on the soreness itself. Saunas, ice baths, massage and foam rolling all have similar stories: small studies, small effects, mixed results. The things that reliably help are boring and free.

That's the honest summary of the tart cherry juice muscle soreness question, and of most of the recovery aisle. Below: what each popular remedy actually shows, how much to trust it, and why the biggest lever is the plan, not the bottle. If you'd rather the plan did the work, that's what a plan that adjusts to how you actually trained is for.

One rule first: this is about normal training soreness. Sharp pain, pain in a joint, swelling, or anything that feels like an injury is for a professional, not for cherries.

Why the plan beats every remedy

Most soreness is self-inflicted scheduling. A new exercise, a big jump in volume, or a downhill long run the day after heavy squats. Fix the input and you need fewer remedies for the output.

The fixes are dull and effective:

• ›Ramp new things in. First week of a new program or a new hill route: fewer sets, shorter sessions.
• ›Progress in small steps. Bad soreness usually means a big jump.
• ›Keep hard sessions apart. Heavy legs and hard runs don't go on neighboring days.
• ›Sleep and eat enough. No supplement outranks these.

A program that balances the running and lifting from the start, like a hybrid schedule you can start Monday, does most of this for you. And the days between hard sessions matter as much as the sessions; what to do on a rest day is mostly walking, sleeping and eating, which also happens to be the best soreness protocol available.

If you want the background on why soreness happens at all, and whether soreness means growth (it doesn't, reliably), that's its own topic. This post is about what to do once you're already sore.

Tart cherry juice for muscle soreness: what the studies show

Tart cherry juice, usually Montmorency cherries, is rich in polyphenols, and the theory is that their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects speed recovery. The theory is fine. The results are mixed.

The marathon study everyone quotes. In a study of 20 recreational marathon runners, those who drank cherry juice for five days before, on race day, and for 48 hours after recovered isometric strength faster and had lower markers of inflammation than the placebo group (Howatson et al., 2010). But the other damage indices, which included muscle soreness, were not significantly different. Twenty runners. Faster strength recovery. No clear difference in soreness.

The newest meta-analysis. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 19 trials in trained athletes (Daab et al., 2026). Tart cherry juice significantly improved recovery of maximal strength and reduced one inflammation marker, but there were no significant pooled effects for muscle soreness. The authors rated the certainty of evidence from very low to moderate and called for cautious interpretation.

The scoping review. A 2026 scoping review of 28 trials on Montmorency tart cherry noted that most studies had small samples and short interventions. Six out of 22 studies reported significantly reduced soreness (Zhu, Smith and Cohn, 2026). The authors concluded that the findings for soreness are mixed.

So: if your question is literally "will tart cherry juice make me less sore", the best current answer is "probably not much, and the evidence is weak". If it's "might it help my legs feel and work normally a bit sooner after a brutal race", the answer is "maybe, based on small studies". It's not dangerous for most people, but it is sugary and not cheap. Anyone with a medical condition or on medication should check with a doctor before adding any supplement.

Cold water immersion (ice baths)

The best-reviewed remedy on the list, which isn't saying much.

A Cochrane review of 17 small trials, 366 participants in total, found some evidence that cold-water immersion reduces delayed onset muscle soreness compared with resting or doing nothing (Bleakley et al., 2012). The reviewers rated study quality as low and said high-quality research was needed. Compared with contrast or warm-water immersion, there was no evidence of a difference in pain.

The catch for anyone who lifts: in a 12-week study of 21 active men, those who took a 10-minute cold water immersion after each strength session gained less strength and muscle mass than those who did an active recovery instead (Roberts et al., 2015). The authors suggested regular cold water immersion after strength training should be reconsidered.

Practical version: an ice bath after a race or a one-off brutal session is a reasonable choice if you like them. A daily ice bath after every lifting session is a strange way to train for muscle.

Saunas

Saunas are popular and the evidence is thin and small.

In one crossover study, 16 male basketball players did a resistance and plyometric session followed by either 20 minutes of passive recovery or 20 minutes in an infrared sauna (Ahokas et al., 2023). After the sauna, muscle soreness was less severe and perceived recovery was higher, and the drop in jump performance was smaller. One study, 16 people, one type of sauna. Interesting, not settled.

If you like a sauna, there's no reason not to use one after training. Just don't do it dehydrated, don't do it after a session in the heat, and if you have a heart condition or any medical concern, ask a doctor first.

Massage, foam rolling and compression

A meta-analysis of 99 studies found active recovery, massage, compression garments, water immersion, contrast water therapy and cryotherapy all reduced DOMS to some degree, and concluded massage seems to be the most effective method for reducing DOMS and perceived fatigue (Dupuy et al., 2018).

Foam rolling is the budget version. A meta-analysis found foam rolling after exercise reduced muscle pain perception, but described the overall effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery as rather minor and partly negligible (Wiewelhove et al., 2019).

Compression garments sit in the same "some effect, small" bucket. Wear them if you like them.

The muscle soreness remedies scorecard

The pattern is clear. The free stuff at the top does most of the work. Everything below it is a small effect at best.

When soreness isn't the real problem

Soreness that clears in two or three days is training doing its job. Soreness that never quite clears, alongside heavy legs, bad sleep and worse sessions, is something else. If you're asking whether you're overtrained or just tired, no remedy in this post is the answer. Less training is.

The same goes for daily streaks. If you're on day 40 of running every day and searching for soreness hacks, the more useful question is is running everyday bad for you at the volume you're doing. Usually the fix is a few easy days, not a juice.

And if a hard block has left you flat for a week or more, that's our guide to overreaching vs overtraining territory: lighter training and time, not a supplement.

What to do when you're sore today

• ›Mild soreness: train as planned. It usually eases once you're warm.
• ›Moderate soreness: keep the session, lighten the sore muscles, or move them to later in the week.
• ›Heavy soreness: easy movement only. A walk, an easy spin, upper body if your legs are wrecked.
• ›Sharp, localized or worsening pain: stop and see a professional.

Then add whichever remedy you enjoy, with realistic expectations.

How exrsz handles soreness

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, with running and lifting balanced in one plan so heavy legs and hard runs don't land back to back. It adapts each week to how you actually trained and reshuffles missed sessions instead of piling them onto sore legs. The cherries are up to you.

FAQ

Does tart cherry juice help muscle soreness?

Not much, on current evidence. A 2026 meta-analysis of 19 trials found tart cherry juice helped strength recover but found no significant pooled effect on muscle soreness, with certainty of evidence rated very low to moderate (Daab et al., 2026).

How much tart cherry juice for muscle soreness?

There's no agreed dose, and studies used different products and amounts. Given the weak evidence for soreness specifically, it's a low priority, and anyone on medication or with a medical condition should check with a doctor first.

Do ice baths help muscle soreness?

There's some evidence they reduce soreness compared with doing nothing, from mostly low-quality trials (Bleakley et al., 2012). Regular use after strength training was linked to smaller strength and muscle gains in one 12-week study (Roberts et al., 2015).

Does a sauna help sore muscles?

One small crossover study of 16 basketball players found less muscle soreness after an infrared sauna session than after passive recovery (Ahokas et al., 2023). It's promising but far from settled.

What is the best remedy for muscle soreness?

In one large meta-analysis, massage was the most effective recovery technique for reducing DOMS (Dupuy et al., 2018). The cheapest effective option is still sensible progression, sleep, food and easy movement.