Muscle pain - when to push and when to rest?

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Levedi
Levedi Posts: 290 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I want to keep pushing myself and not make excuses. On the other hand, OW - my thighs really hurt today. When I go down stairs I feel wobbly and need the railing for balance. Should I go back to the gym and do squats and elliptical anyway? Find a different form of cardio for the day? Work out, but not as intensely? How do you know the difference between "suck it up and keep pushing" and "back off a little before you hurt yourself" ?

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  • needtobefitt
    needtobefitt Posts: 37
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    i need to know the same thing!
    this week i didnt have any break days, and im kinda in pain but i dont know if im pushing myself too hard.
    or should i keeep going because i really want results in a little less then a year

    and even when i say "today is my break day" i end up doing something like walking and then i end up doing more
    yes, im in pain but i really want to continue.
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
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    Great question. I am wondering the same thing. I started running in January and worked though what I thought was shin splints,only to find out it was tendinitis and I was out for a month. That is no fun.

    I will be watching to see replies.
  • Azdevil
    Azdevil Posts: 6
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    Ah! The dreaded leg day? Feeling that way is fairly common.

    Your body needs to rest. The general rule when strength training is to let the muscle group you just worked on to rest for 2-4 days. (2 is really the bare minimum)

    Go with a different cardio workout. I do not suggest lowering your intensity because then you will not be gaining anything. But, there is a point where too much intensity can cause injury. The point differs for each person. I always suggest going to the gym with a partner, so they can spot you when you are working out. Bringing a friend, that you TRUST, can greatly diminish the chances of injury.

    One thing I always look for when I am working out is if I feel a pain in area not within the muscle group the workout is intended, that is usually not a good pain to push through. Hope this helps.
  • Levedi
    Levedi Posts: 290 Member
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    Thanks - that does help. :)
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Go for a nice walk - nothing too intense - just a 30-45 stroll. Or a mellow cycle. Or a light swim. Something restorative....

    If you were squatting intensely yesterday, you shouldn't really be squatting today. You don't want to ruin all that quality work you did yesterday, do you? Give your body the chance to heal and get stronger.
  • fitnessfreddie
    fitnessfreddie Posts: 74 Member
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    The body needs time to heal. If you're gonna do anything with your legs do it light and moderately. An easy bike ride helps the muscle recover quicker.
  • jaysonhijinx
    jaysonhijinx Posts: 663 Member
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    Work a different muscle group if you did an intense lower body/leg workout yesterday so that you can keep active without interfering too much with your recovery.

    Also consider getting a foam roller to use as they're pretty damn awesome for speeding up the recovery process - speaking from personal experience :)

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