OT: Exercise question

sweetteadrinker2

I've started some body weight workouts to tone up some muscles that show now, since they aren't covered in a layer of fat. It's been a day and a half since my last glutes/thighs workout and the soreness has arrived. Do I do the next workout in sequence(that'd be today sometime) despite soreness, or do I wait till I'm not sore? I want to make progress, so I can't wait too long between, but my muscles are still in repair mode. Thoughts?

ceciliaslater

Gotta love DOMS (ouch). I really suggest working through it. The stiffness will ease as you get those muscles working. If you're constantly waiting for the DOMS to go away, you aren't going to make very fast progress.

Make sure you warm up properly (something to get your whole body moving and warm) and get in a good stretch immediately after your workout. That should help reduce future soreness.

The lady who runs our gym (and teaches many of the classes) always recommends doing something the following day, as well. Even if it's just a walk. Really just anything to get moving and keep the stiffness at bay!

Of course, I'm not a personal trainer or anything, so take my advice or leave it!

deksgrl

If you are doing just body weight workouts, I would try to work through the pain.

Edited: for my lack of original reading comprehension. lol.

sweetteadrinker2

Thanks guys.

wabmester

I believe in listening to signals from your body. Pain is telling you to take a break.

I'd get sore all the time in the early days of running. So I'd use a foam roller and walk (active rest) the following day.

Unknown

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sweetteadrinker2

There's no lower level. And I shouldn't be this sore when I'm actively ranching.

erinseattle

It takes awhile to get through that soreness and eventually it won't be so acute. It's important to know the difference between soreness and pain. Make sure you are hydrating and moving. I agree with @ceciliaslater - don't work the same muscle group on back to back days, but it's okay to get moving & do active recovery on the sore muscles and focus on the ones that aren't sore. Pain means you need to rest.

baconslave

erinseattle wrote: »

It takes awhile to get through that soreness and eventually it won't be so acute. It's important to know the difference between soreness and pain. Make sure you are hydrating and moving. I agree with @ceciliaslater - don't work the same muscle group on back to back days, but it's okay to get moving & do active recovery on the sore muscles and focus on the ones that aren't sore. Pain means you need to rest.

Yes, exactly.
I've gotten sick of the DOMS myself, so I've switched to Arms Day and Legs Day, so even if I have some soreness remaining, I can still do a strength workout on the unaffected area. My hamstrings are sore still from Thursday, but it's Arm and Abs day. I don't have to put it off, because my arms are recovered from my work on Tuesday. And by this coming Tuesday, my legs will be recovered and ready to work on again. Now, I work them really hard on their day, and I'm sore for a few days after, but it's not PAIN. And I get over it and have plenty of recovery time.

Dragonwolf

erinseattle wrote: »

It's important to know the difference between soreness and pain. Make sure you are hydrating and moving.

This can't be said enough. DOMS is soreness, and is common when starting any new routine, or even making changes to an existing routine.

tsazani wrote: »

You're doing too much resistance training for your level of conditioning.. Back off and progress slowly.

Eh...not really.

Yes, technically speaking, DOMS means that you've worked out in an unfamiliar way or more than your body is used to, but it doesn't necessarily means that you worked out "too much." It's more nuanced than that.

DOMS is not inherently bad, though it's also not required for progression. However, if you do experience DOMS, there does come a certain point where too much is too much. If your workout is going to generate DOMS (which is likely will if it's new for you or you're coming back to it from an extended break), you want to have a workout such that you can still work out those same muscles 2-4 days later. If you're too sore to do those workouts properly on your next workout day for that group, then you do need to back off a little. Keep in mind, that "too sore" is not "any soreness at all." You might still be a little sore on the next workout day for that muscle group, but it shouldn't interfere with your form or the workout itself. If it is interfering, back off on the intensity or volume for that workout back down to the previous one and progress from there as dictated by your DOMS level. However, if it does not interfere with your next workout, you're likely fine and after one or two more of that level of progression, you won't get DOMS anymore.

Breaking Muscle has a couple of good articles on the topic:
http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/doms-why-youre-so-sore-and-how-to-make-it-better
http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/doms-the-good-the-bad-and-what-it-really-means-to-your-training