Rest or push through soreness?

YellowStrawberry

I usually have at least 30 min of some type of cardio 6 days a week. I went for an hour walk which ended up being about 2.5 miles. I have been pushing myself to jog what I can. Well, I did and it was hard but I pushed through 1.5 miles of off and on jogging. Made myself walk another mile after to go get some milk at the store.

I was feeling it yesterday and still today. It is not bad, I can tell that my body needed it but I do not know if I should push an elliptical workout today, or have today be my rest day. I can do an easy elliptical with low resistance vs when I do one of the training programs. I had done a training program the day before and I did not have this sore feeling. I thought I stretched well before and after. The soreness is when any muscle flexes, I can feel it. I hate pain and can live, but do I push myself and do a work out or rest today?

Much thanks!!

fridayjustleft04

I usually push through it because my muscles (for the most part) feel better after I work them. I started c25k on Monday, as well as 30 DS, and I'm still sore, but I did my shred yesterday, and I'm doing it again today as well as day 2 of c25k. I would say to go ahead and do what you can, but don't push too hard. Good luck!

hottamolly00

I concur.

rfcollins33

If you run, you will be wobbly and sore at first, but once you are warmed up, the pain eases so you can continue your workout. I normally push through. Now joint pain/bone pain should not be ignored. But ultimately, I would listen to my body. Good luck!!

kimmerroze

They say when you muscles are sore, it is good to do an easy cardio work out... just to keep them moving so your muscles dont get so tight.. make sure to streach too!

emciriaco

I push through, too, but it also depends on what's sore. If it's just overall muscle soreness, then yes, definitely push through. But if it's something funky like a weird pain in your shins that could be shin spints (which I had 2 weeks ago), take a rest or just don't use those muscles.

rfcollins33

I concur.

A lot of people get really offended by the correction of lose/loose, but it really drives me crazy as well. So, I just love your signature!! LoL! I always pick at my friend who says she wants to loose weight. I say, "oh and then you'll have lose skin!"

WhyWait

I agree, keep going! Here are a few other tips.

1 STRETCH! Really focus on stretching before/after a workout as needed. And if sore, maybe throughout the day!
2 Consider training different parts of the body. I love weight training. When I do arms, the next day they can be super sore. But, if I am working on my legs then next day, it makes it ok that my arms are sore since they have a "rest" day. So mix it up!
3. Consider different activities too: If you like to be on the elliptical or treadmill, why not stop by the pool instead?
4. My secret weapon for soreness- glutamine! Add a spoonful to your water and it can really help reduce the soreness. Get it at places like GNC. :-)

Hope that helps.

Egger29

Rest is the most often neglected part of any fitness program, and I'm not referring to how much sleep you get at night.

Exercise in any form is a stress on the body so you need to give yourself breaks in order for the body to recover from the stress, adapt to it, and come back stronger.

Where some is good, more is not necessarily better when it comes to exercise. Giving yourself time to recover from your workouts will allow you to progress faster since you'll come back stronger and with more energy for the next session.

Remember, you don't get stronger during the workouts....you get stronger in between the workouts as your body re-plenishes energy stores to prepare itself for the next round of stress.

Case in point, I've had clients get twice the results by actually working out LESS frequently and giving themselves time to recover completely between sessions.

Soreness is generally a sign that your body isn't fully recovered from the last session so give it time to heal and come back harder for the next workout.

Cheers.

chevy88grl

When I first started, I would have said "Push through it!" because that is what I did. However, in the last 15 months I've learned that our bodies need time to rest, recover and heal. They need us to take days off so they can repair from what we've been putting it through.

I used to ALWAYS push through soreness - ALWAYS. No pain, no gain, right? Well. That was my motto and viewpoint until I pushed through pain one too many times. Ended up with a stress fracture in my hip.

So. In my opinion, if you've pushed hard for the last few days - give your body a rest. It'll thank you for it!

YellowStrawberry

Wow! Thank you for all the super fast replies!! I work out here in my home and go between Leslie Sansone DVDs, my elliptical trainer and walking the neighborhood when I can (more like pushing the jogging stroller with 30 lbs in it.. lol) I am trying to do some weights with my arms as well. We have a small pool, once I am over this cold, I will be able to get some water time in as well.

I have joint issues, but that is not the soreness. The elliptical helps me push my body without killing my knees. I used to have a recumbent bike, but the pedal broke. After the swimming season, we might replace it.

I think I will work on my homework and see how I feel later tonight and get some time in then. If I am still this sore I will hit it tomorrow. Will sure be stretching throughout the day!! I can feel my muscles twitching just after running around my house after my child. Its nice to have body parts working again!

Thank you again for all the quick replies!