Exercising when sore?

Shonjikari

Does anyone have any tips on exercising when sore? I just started working out again for the first time in 3 years or so and two days ago I did 30 mins of core training. When I went to go do it again today, my legs were so sore and it was painful to put half as much effort in as the first time I did it.

Is it even safe to exercise when sore and achey? Should I power through it? Or should I do something else for the time being? Right now going to the gym is out of the question and my house is way too small for home equipment.

knot_enough

i was just thinking about this. When youre sore your muscles have tiny tears in them. They'll repair themselves overtime to become stronger. So a little soreness is great, but since it's your first time in 3 years, I'd take it slow and give it some time to rest and heal up. If you don't feel like resting, then i guess some very light exercise is fine. But I would definitely recommend resting. The first signs of soreness is always the worst. it's all uphill from here. rest it out and be patient.

chunkyboy79

I've had the exact same problems. I've kept on doing excercices after taking a break for a day or so. when i do start somthing the pain seems to go away and then come back later once my body relaxes. Im just thinking no pain no gain but i do worry i may be making things worse by forcing it somtimes. my question would be when do aches and pains stop or is it all just part of leading a healthier more active lifestyle?

marypatmccue

When I have newer people in my classes, I recommend they take a rest day between.

Usually for me... the soreness is worse on the second day, I just do it anyways, and it makes me feel better right away. There's a difference between soreness and injury, if you're just sore, you can still do your training without an issue.

kshadows

Ether take a rest day, or do something low impact, like yoga

tegalicious

They do stop eventually if you get into a solid routine. But by then you will miss them . Sometimes if I workout when I am a little sore it actually takes away the soreness. I don't work out if I am in genuine pain though because that could mean injury. One thing I would suggest investing in would be a foam roller. YouTube has videos on how to use it to relieve soreness. It is painful at first but the benefits outweigh the discomfort! You can also look into getting some Epsom salts and soaking in a bath with them. It can help relieve the soreness.

ndj1979

not to stray off topic here, but why are you doing 30 minutes of core work two times a week?

Are you doing any other strength training?

In reality, you should focus on getting rid of body fat and then start working your core. Something like three days a week of weight lifting with cardio on off days to increase burns..

nytrifisoul

This is going to sound counter productive, but if you exercise daily your body wont get as sore as if you only exercise a few days a week. Dont believe me?....One day exercise as much as you can, then exercise the very next day and write down what body parts hurt and on a scale of 1-10 how bad.

Now the following week exercise as much as you can, but dont exercise the next day or two and write down what hurts and how bad on a scale of 1-10. You will find that you feel more sore a few days after without execise.

So try to keep those body parts moving everyday if you dont want to feel sore all the time.

Shonjikari

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm gonna keep pushing then and not worry about whether or not I can go as "far" as I did the other day. I used to take self-defense during high school so I'm no stranger to soreness, I just tend to get freaked out if my body doesn't extend as far as it did when I am not sore since I feel like I am not working as hard. But at the same time I don't want to injure myself since I have hyper mobility issues and sadly pulling muscles is something I am way too familiar with.

ndj1979 - Oooh no I was planning to do 30 minute core stuff daily until I can get access to a gym. Right now I'm on the hunt for a good at home cardio workout that doesn't involve jumping around since I live in an apartment. 30 mins twice a week is definitely not enough.

chelso0o

Check out "active recovery" and "DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness" After I ran my first half marathon, then walked around San Francisco, I was minimally sore-- much to my surprise! After seeing how awesome I felt because I stayed *minimally* active while I was recovering, I am forever converted towards "active recovery"

Meesa518

Try Jillian Michaels ripped in 30 or 30 day shred. She can be kind of brutal but I am definitely seeing results. Because it does involve strength training along with the other exercise, you will be losing body fat but gaining muscle mass. You may not lose as much weight but you will lose inches. When we strengthen our muscles we are always going to gain some muscle weight. Muscle weighs more than fat. Be sure to measure yourself, not just weigh yourself... you will see more results this way!!! Good luck! Keep at it, it's worth it!!!

loubidy

My trainer speaks highly of rest days. This means next time you work out you can give it your all.

fushigi1988

Rest, drink water, take some magnesium, sleep enough, take a walk.