Lifting and soreness

On Monday I did a proper weights workout, squats, deadlifts etc. Yesterday I was very very sore. I was planning on lifting again today. I'm still quite sore on certain movements, but not as bad as yesterday. Should I lift today as planned, or wait till the soreness has completely gone? I'm aware that if I lifted today, it would feel harder because of the soreness, but I'm not planning on increasing the weight load at all as I didn't complete all reps on Monday.

Replies

  • You should be doing different muscle groups today...in which case, the soreness wont be a huge factor. Push through it.
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
    If I'm slightly sore, and I've already given those muscle groups at least one day of rest, I'll still follow my schedule and work them out. Sometimes it even helps to alleviate the soreness.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    If you wait for the sorness to go away, you're always going to be sore. Just stick to the program and lift every other day.

    EVERY DAY IS SQUAT DAY!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    You should be foam rolling on off days to help w/ soreness.

    Go ahead and do you scheduled workout today as long as your soreness starts to go away after warming up.
    If being sore starts to affect your form, then you don't want to continue. Otherwise, carry on.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    I don't lift the same muscle group more than once a week, twice for legs, but I wait 4 days in between. If you don't give your muscles time to recover you won't be able to lift with correct form, intensity, etc.. At minimum, 48 hours between muscle groups if you are doing a full body routine.
  • Thanks everyone. I've seen foam rolling mentioned before, though I'm not sure how to do it (I work out at home). Off to YouTube again then!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Thanks everyone. I've seen foam rolling mentioned before, though I'm not sure how to do it (I work out at home). Off to YouTube again then!

    keep in mind it's perfectly fine to hit the same muscle group multiple times per week. You're a beginner - not an elite strength athlete. You aren't capable of putting the stress on your body that needs that kind of recovery.

    Too much recovery time just results in slower progress.

    (Even many advanced athletes don't subscribe to week long recovery for a muscle group.)
  • I do a day of circuit training w/weights and then take a day off to let my muscles repair. Off days I do cardio only. I'm just now learning to feed those muscles before and after your workouts which has definitely helped with fatigue and muscle soreness. Good Luck!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    keep in mind it's perfectly fine to hit the same muscle group multiple times per week. You're a beginner - not an elite strength athlete. You aren't capable of putting the stress on your body that needs that kind of recovery.

    Too much recovery time just results in slower progress.

    (Even many advanced athletes don't subscribe to week long recovery for a muscle group.)

    this.
    That's why most beginners are put on a full body routine 3x per week.
    Frequency is great when starting out because your body is recovering quickly.
    It takes a lot more to recover from 800 pound squats and 600 pound deadlifts than it does with 200 pound squats and 200 pound deadlifts. Beginners (and even most intermediate lifters) can squat 3x a week.
  • I'm using ridiculously light weights in terms of numbers, but they are heavy to me! I did the workout, and it was a lot easier than I anticipated once I'd got warmed up and moving. Completed all reps so will be increasing weight on Friday!