Exercising when sore

misssmarita

So yesterday I walked to the gym, did an aerobics class, 20 minutes on the treadmill, and walked back home. I am really out of shape, so now I am REALLY sore. My legs were killing me yesterday, but now my legs are pretty much ok, but my back between my shoulderblades and the very upper left and right part of my abs are so sore. I took the day off today, but should I go back tomorrow for some yoga, and perhaps some more work on the cardio machines? Or leave it till I feel ok again? Do you ever get sore? Do you still exercise?

htimsm87

Some exercise is often times the best thing for soreness. I think you will find after some light warmups that your sore/stiffness will be greatly reduced. Instead of doing nothing try to get a good warmup in and then some light excersice. Alternate this with a heavier workout for a couple of weeks and the soreness will go away.

TallGlassOfQuirky

Keep exercising.

If you work a specific muscle group really hard, you probably want to give that muscle group a rest for a day or two (meaning find some other kind of exercise to do), but general cardio is something you can do pretty much every day.

If the soreness is more "I did something wrong and it's painful" instead of "I am not used to working these muscles and they are yelling at me now," then you need to be careful with your form and whatever it is you're doing; however, if it is just the screaming of under-used muscles, keep working them!

The more you do, the stronger you'll get and the more you'll be able to do without getting so sore.

PAZ1315

Hi there...as an on-again and off-again excerciser, experience has shown me that you need to go right back to it, even when you are sore. I'm not saying to overdo it...just do some light cardio. It will help loosen up the muscles and ease the aches. I had the same issue this week. I have been walking for months, but was at a hotel and decided to use the ellipitcal machine. This used to be my favorite cardio machine. I excercised for 45 minutes, and the day after, I could barely walk after sitting for an hour at a time (I'm in a sedentary job). That night, I did 35 minutes on the treadmill, then 10 more on the elliptical, and I'm feeling so much better! Like I said...pace yourself...do a long warm up to loosen up your muscles (and a long cool down). You will ultimately feel better! Remember, don't overdo it. Keep up the good work!!!

PaveGurl

i almost always work out when I'm sore. It seems like the last thing I'd want to do, but it always helps. I alternate groups, but there's always some full-body something.

For example: On Sundays, I go jogging with friends. Monday, my legs and hips hurt (they always have), so I work arms and shoulders in my lifts, do some Pilates to stretch and manage my core, and maybe take some easy time on the elliptical. By Tuesday, I'm jonesing for some yoga to stretch it all back out and release the tension in the muscle fibers that's causing the soreness. By Wednesday, I'm ready to work on my lower half, because I've done some active recovery

xveer22

I'm afraid of injuries when I workout when I'm sore. Also I'm lifting weights, so rest is an important factor in that. You have to rest to become stronger. So I'm training my arms on one day, the next day I'm training my legs and the third day I take 'rest'. And then everything from the beginning again. In this way, each muscle gets two full resting days and I can workout hard 2 in 3 days. Works great for me

KellyDeitrick

I had to same thing happen last week. I am just getting into exercising and I pushed myself to work really hard on a 30 minute walk at lunch and then my Zumba that night. My legs (shins) hurt so bad the next day. I skipped my walk and my Zumba because I was beyond sore, it felt like they were going to cramp at any second. I did however, made sure, I got right back to it the next day and have been fine since.

I guess my point is to really assess if you are hurting or just sore. Just sore, then I would push through it! Hope it helps a little!

ChaleGirl

This thread was so useful as I'm feeling really sore from a class on Wednesday!
I had yesterday as my rest day and I'm looking forward to a class tonight but I am soooo sore,
Think I'm going to battle through and go tonight!!!

294Rich

For me, it just depends on "how sore". If you are really sore, then best take a rest day. But if you are moderately sore, then keep exercising; maybe go a little bit easier than usual...

miracole

"sore" is just a general state that I've become accustomed to. So long as it's not pain suggesting an injury I usually take it as a signal that I have not been doing enough of the exercise because my body is protesting the different use. My best example is when I started a boot camp a couple years ago. The first day we worked hard and the next morning I wasn't sure that I would be able to move, but bootcamp was 5 days a week so I made myself go. Working the muscles again that day made me feel a lot less stiff (until I stopped moving and had been sitting at my desk for a couple hours) but despite the fact that my muscles screamed every time I changed position I went the next three days as well. By the second week I was able to do all the exercises with only mild muscle protest after the fact. By the end of the 4 months that I did I was in MUCH better shape and well able to handle all the exercises and ramp it up. But at no point did I have a point where I didn't feel any muscle soreness; if you can walk away from a hard workout without lactic acid build up then you weren't working hard enough.

Chieflrg

Sore=You did something right. Tear the muscle and let it repair itself over a day or two to grow bigger.
Pain or Injury=You should stop for a while. Find an exercise that doesn't aggravate it.

You shouldn't work the same muscles out in weight training two day in a row. I rarely work the individual majors out more than once a week because of how I alternate my different muscles in my lifting program.

Cardio hit that all you want. If your shins,knees, feet etc. hurt, stop or slow down and adjust your routine to prevent it. Be it better shoes or correct form.

Like mentioned previously warm up, stretching, more cardio will loosen up those sore muscles real good.

MuddyEquestrian

for me, unless I'm so sore I literally cannot move then I work through it. Stretch, stretch, stretch and don't stop pushing yourself during your workouts. It's okay to take it easy but don't sit at home because you're sore. SORE = YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT

TR0berts

In addition to what has already been said, it sounds like you're new to all this. Some soreness is to be expected. Work through it, starting off lightly. But, pay attention to your body's signals - if it feels like you're pushing too hard, back off a little. It will get easier.

jamers3111

When I'm super sore (say after a long run or a crazy HIIT workout) I feel so much better after going for a walk, using the eliptical, or doing yoga. Your muscles will thank you for getting them warm and stretched out... plus you'll burn some cals Great day yesterday!!

misssmarita

So the whole give it 48 hours to heal thing only applies to strength training? How about yoga? Could I do f.ex. yoga one day, cardio the next, and then some weight training at the gym the day after that?

prokomds

Rest days are really important - definitely don't be afraid to take 1-2 days off after an intense workout. But after that, if you're just sore and not injured, you should get back to it. Sometimes easy exercise is the best way to relax the tensed up muscles and things (and you might find that once you're warm, you're not that sore and you can work out harder than you thought you'd be able to). Even just walking is way better when you're sore than just sitting around.

PaveGurl

So the whole give it 48 hours to heal thing only applies to strength training? How about yoga? Could I do f.ex. yoga one day, cardio the next, and then some weight training at the gym the day after that?

You can totally do that. That's called "active recovery," and it's a godsend for me. I am a momentum-based kinda gal - if I take two days off, it's really easy for it to become three or five or a few weeks. Plus, it helps keep me from getting bored, because I know I always have something new coming up that I enjoy.

^__^

misssmarita

This has been super helpful, thanks so much to everyone who put in the time to answer

NewLIFEstyle4ME

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