Should you workout while you're still sore?

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noobletmcnugget
noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a complete noob to any sort of strength training. Two days ago I downloaded the "You Are Your Own Gym" bodyweight training app and did a little bit of strength training. My strength is embarrassingly poor - I can't even do a push-up. So I really want to stick with this and get to a respectable level of strength.

Anyway, my muscles are still really sore today, and I can't really imagine trying to do another workout when they feel like this. Are you supposed to just push through the pain? Or should you just wait until you've recovered more? Do you feel this sore after every workout, or do you kind of adjust to working out? You should aim to workout 3 times/week with rest days between sessions, right?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm a bit clueless! Any help would be appreciated.
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Replies

  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
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    Whenever I have stopped and then restarted and get the initial DOMS, I always work through it. I find it makes it go away quicker, and helps your body to adapt quicker. If you rest longer you'll just get sore again. Swimming can be a big help too.

    You won't get this sore every time, yes there'll be DOMS but you won't look like you're made out of cardboard for 3 days lol. I actually like the slight soreness I get now after a good session, lets me know I've done something.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    Push through soreness, not pain, assuming you've had a rest day.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
    edited August 2015
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    If you're new to strength training the best advice I can give you is to always listen to your body.

    There are different levels of soreness. Some you can push through; others you can not. So if you feel like you are too sore to work out then don't. What's one or two extra days of rest in the grand scheme of things anyway?

    Eventually your body will adapt to working out and you'll be able to stick to your routine as scheduled because you'll no longer get sore.

    But for now rest if you must. And heed my advice about listening to your body always. If you're doing an exercise and it feels wrong - something hurts or doesn't feel right while you're doing it - fix it or stop if necessary.

  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
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    walterc7 wrote: »
    If you're new to strength training the best advice I can give you is to always listen to your body.

    There are different levels of soreness. Some you can push through; others you can not. So if you feel like you are too sore to work out then don't. What's one or two extra days of rest in the grand scheme of things anyway?

    Eventually your body will adapt to working out and you'll be able to stick to your routine as scheduled because you'll no longer get sore.

    But for now rest if you must. And heed my advice about listening to your body always. If you're doing an exercise and it feels wrong - something hurts or doesn't feel right while you're doing it - fix it or stop if necessary.

    This.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    edited August 2015
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    walterc7 wrote: »
    If you're new to strength training the best advice I can give you is to always listen to your body.

    There are different levels of soreness. Some you can push through; others you can not. So if you feel like you are too sore to work out then don't. What's one or two extra days of rest in the grand scheme of things anyway?

    Eventually your body will adapt to working out and you'll be able to stick to your routine as scheduled because you'll no longer get sore.

    But for now rest if you must. And heed my advice about listening to your body always. If you're doing an exercise and it feels wrong - something hurts or doesn't feel right while you're doing it - fix it or stop if necessary.

    Completely and totally disagree. With virtually every word.

    1. complete noobs don't understand what their body is saying
    2. Avoiding working out is the best way to ensure that the soreness lasts a week instead of a couple days
    3. Soreness is just soreness. Warm up, start slow and you'll get thru your workout perfectly fine
    4. The best way to stick to a plan is by sticking with a plan, not taking extra days off willy nilly. A well written plan already incorporated appropriate rest
    5. The soreness from the first workout or two is the WORST, but some soreness will pretty much always be there, even after adaptation. Just not nearly at the levels of day 1.
    6. Noobs don't know what "feels wrong" means. Hence their atrocious form
  • kozykondition1
    kozykondition1 Posts: 45 Member
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    @DavPul

    Spot on!
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    I have been sore since 1984
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited August 2015
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    I wish someone would write a good post describing different kinds of pains to look for, during and after a workout, and have that be a sticky. (I don't think I could)

    I think it kind of depends on the type of pain you have and what your body's like. If you're basically healthy, don't have joint or tendon problems, and it's just regular DOMS (a symmetrical, dull soreness that showed up over a couple of days), I think it's worth doing active recovery to help it along. And then I personally would do a lighter workout but would still work out.

    If you have sharp pain, pain that's just on one side, pain that shows up during an exercise or immediately after that, listen to it, definitely. And if you have reason to believe your body's recovery is worse than most people's, like you've been injured bc you pushed yourself too far or are prone to overuse injuries, maybe it's worth taking a couple of extra rest days.

    I do think that in general, it's very wise to listen to what your body is telling you. (I haven't been wise, that's why.) It's also true that when you're new to exercise, you don't really know what it means :/

    active recovery = http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/active-versus-passive-recovery.html/
  • junglejd13
    junglejd13 Posts: 55 Member
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    Michael190lbs wrote: »
    I have been sore since 1984

    hahahah^ YES!

  • hamptontom
    hamptontom Posts: 536 Member
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    _benjammin wrote: »
    Push through soreness, not pain, assuming you've had a rest day.

    i've gotta side with this guy - because there is a difference. soreness will hamper you somewhat, sure...but you can still get in a workout with soreness. pain is a different matter.

    i spent over two hours at the gym on Tuesday night...did 45 minutes of elliptical, followed by my full weight training circuit, followed by 45 minutes on the treadmill - and i'd been travelling the previous five days with no access to the gym, so I definitely felt it yesterday. But I went last night and did an hour on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the bike, just to have gotten my cardio in.

    i'm still feeling it today - but i'm committing to the notion of incorporating strength training into my routine, so i'll be back at the weights tonight.

    i just try to remember the progress i've made with cardio - notably with cycling - and keep in mind that there are payoffs to making the extra effort.

    hang in there, man. it gets better.
  • williamwj2014
    williamwj2014 Posts: 750 Member
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    It really depends on how sore you are..after working a certain muscle group, I think 1-2 days rest for that muscle group is needed before working it again. For a noobie, you will feel sore much longer so like others have said, after 1 rest day, you should push through the soreness.
  • Miss13x
    Miss13x Posts: 15 Member
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    I think I heard/read somewhere that running helps the muscles.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    DavPul wrote: »
    walterc7 wrote: »
    If you're new to strength training the best advice I can give you is to always listen to your body.

    There are different levels of soreness. Some you can push through; others you can not. So if you feel like you are too sore to work out then don't. What's one or two extra days of rest in the grand scheme of things anyway?

    Eventually your body will adapt to working out and you'll be able to stick to your routine as scheduled because you'll no longer get sore.

    But for now rest if you must. And heed my advice about listening to your body always. If you're doing an exercise and it feels wrong - something hurts or doesn't feel right while you're doing it - fix it or stop if necessary.

    Completely and totally disagree. With virtually every word.

    1. complete noobs don't understand what their body is saying
    2. Avoiding working out is the best way to ensure that the soreness lasts a week instead of a couple days
    3. Soreness is just soreness. Warm up, start slow and you'll get thru your workout perfectly fine
    4. The best way to stick to a plan is by sticking with a plan, not taking extra days off willy nilly. A well written plan already incorporated appropriate rest
    5. The soreness from the first workout or two is the WORST, but some soreness will pretty much always be there, even after adaptation. Just not nearly at the levels of day 1.
    6. Noobs don't know what "feels wrong" means. Hence their atrocious form

    yup.gif

    and yeah...I'm pretty much always a little bit sore...comes with the territory.
  • calx77
    calx77 Posts: 31 Member
    edited August 2015
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    I first started doing push ups 3 months ago and remember how sore I was for like 5 days after the first time I did 10 straight reps. I can do 30 in a row now and not feel too sore the next day. Just rest until you're no longer that sore and do it again, it won't always be this way and you'll be able to do them every couple days eventually.
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    edited August 2015
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    You'll feel so much better if you do some light training here and there. I use a tension band to stretch out my arms and legs. I do bridges and bodyweight squats to open up my hips. I also swim A LOT and this helps keep things nice and loose and work out the kinks. You can also do some ice packs on really tender areas or even that Ice gel or Rub A535. Getting a professional massage helps too! Just be aware of soreness versus pain, as others have correctly pointed out.

    As you build more strength, you'll feel less sore and you will recuperate faster after each workout. In February, I could barely balance on on leg (bad leg injury kept me from training) and now, I am in the gym doing Strong Curves programs. Keep going and best of luck!
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    Thanks for the replies everyone! I agree with what people are saying about paying attention to how your body feels, and also the fact that I'm most likely poor at this because I'm such a noob haha.

    After reading replies, and looking at a few websites I'm confident it's just soreness, not pain. I went for a long two hour walk today and feel a lot better having done so! Will either do the next workout tonight or tomorrow morning.

    Thanks so much for the advice and reassurance and tips for how to deal with it. :)
  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
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    If you're not injured and just feeling sore keep working out.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    DavPul wrote: »
    Completely and totally disagree. With virtually every word.

    1. complete noobs don't understand what their body is saying
    2. Avoiding working out is the best way to ensure that the soreness lasts a week instead of a couple days
    3. Soreness is just soreness. Warm up, start slow and you'll get thru your workout perfectly fine
    4. The best way to stick to a plan is by sticking with a plan, not taking extra days off willy nilly. A well written plan already incorporated appropriate rest
    5. The soreness from the first workout or two is the WORST, but some soreness will pretty much always be there, even after adaptation. Just not nearly at the levels of day 1.
    6. Noobs don't know what "feels wrong" means. Hence their atrocious form

    You're kidding, right? Even a complete noob knows when something feels wrong. Hell, a child knows. You do not have to be an expert to realize oh *kitten* my back really hurts when I pick this weight up, it feels painful when I do shoulder presses, or my knees really hurt when I squat. Injuries come when people ignore these obvious signs because Davpaul says disregard them, and then they continue to further aggravate their issues.


    Last week I saw two beginners deadlifting. By second set I could see they were both in obvious pain so I went over there and helped them out - taught them how to stop hyperextending their lumbar by maintain a neutral spine and brace their core. But they should have continued with what they were doing until they eventually blew a disc out, right? :) You "completely and totally disagree" that they should have listened to their body's pain signals and fixed what they were doing wrong.

    Now how about the guy who tore his pec out during benching. He shouldn't have stopped benching and gone to the hospital right? Because you completely disagree with "stop if necessary".

    I'm also not advising taking days off nilly willy, just for the hell of it. My point is if necessary then do it. I told OP if he really feels like he can't work out then don't. But he responded that he went for a walk and feels fine so he's going to work out. Perfect. That's how it should be.

    Now if he comes back tomorrow and posts that he tripped and broke a leg, I'll be sure to tell him not to skip his next leg day because Davpaul doesn't believe in deviating from a plan for any reason.
  • jhass80
    jhass80 Posts: 15 Member
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    DavPul wrote: »
    walterc7 wrote: »
    If you're new to strength training the best advice I can give you is to always listen to your body.

    There are different levels of soreness. Some you can push through; others you can not. So if you feel like you are too sore to work out then don't. What's one or two extra days of rest in the grand scheme of things anyway?

    Eventually your body will adapt to working out and you'll be able to stick to your routine as scheduled because you'll no longer get sore.

    But for now rest if you must. And heed my advice about listening to your body always. If you're doing an exercise and it feels wrong - something hurts or doesn't feel right while you're doing it - fix it or stop if necessary.

    Completely and totally disagree. With virtually every word.

    1. complete noobs don't understand what their body is saying
    2. Avoiding working out is the best way to ensure that the soreness lasts a week instead of a couple days
    3. Soreness is just soreness. Warm up, start slow and you'll get thru your workout perfectly fine
    4. The best way to stick to a plan is by sticking with a plan, not taking extra days off willy nilly. A well written plan already incorporated appropriate rest
    5. The soreness from the first workout or two is the WORST, but some soreness will pretty much always be there, even after adaptation. Just not nearly at the levels of day 1.
    6. Noobs don't know what "feels wrong" means. Hence their atrocious form

    This for sure!

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