Muscle Soreness Question

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eponine1976
eponine1976 Posts: 143 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
On Sunday I did my first resistance workout in a VERY long time. I didn't think I overdid it but I'm still really sore 2 days later. I had originally planned to do my 2ndstrength workout today but I wasn't sure if I should since I'm still pretty sore. Is it okay to proceed with my next workout or does the soreness mean I should give my muscles another day's rest before proceeding?

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  • BSero1982
    BSero1982 Posts: 45
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    I'd stretch them out really good, then just try to work through the soreness. Once the body starts to get use to it, it'll loosen up and soreness will be a thing of the past! :D
  • PhilipByrne
    PhilipByrne Posts: 276 Member
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    I'd give it another day, you don't want to injure yourself.

    It's perfectly normal to be sore for a few days if you're not used to exercise.

    Phil
  • windyweather88
    windyweather88 Posts: 52
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    Go for it. You'll more than likely feel better after working out the second time since it will help you loosen the muscles again.
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
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    No. It is best to work when you are sore it helps break down the muscles more and they will heal faster. Make sure to stretch both before and after your workout but dont wait until you are no longer sore go ahead and work with the sore muscles.
  • yoshi91610
    yoshi91610 Posts: 177 Member
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    I think it depends on how bad it hurts, can you still work out safely without a lot of pain? If yes then go ahead. I recently had sore thighs but had to take a day off to give them rest.
  • horndave
    horndave Posts: 565
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    Do your workout, stretch before and after you workout and you should be fine.
  • lb7970
    lb7970 Posts: 79 Member
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    Drink lots of water. That will help get the Lactic acid in your muscles moving so you won't be so sore. If your muscles feel achy, I would proceed to your next workout as planned, unless you are so sore that you can't move. Actually using those muscle again and drinking water should help them to feel better. Listen to your body only you can decide if you are too sore to work out or not.
  • flimflamfloz
    flimflamfloz Posts: 1,980 Member
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    No. It is best to work when you are sore it helps break down the muscles more and they will heal faster. Make sure to stretch both before and after your workout but dont wait until you are no longer sore go ahead and work with the sore muscles.

    This is my experience too. Actually sometimes, I will work out the same muscle group earlier than expected just to get rid of the soreness before the day when I am supposed to. Don't need to do loads, just a 1 set of 8-10 reps.
  • armymil
    armymil Posts: 163 Member
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    DOMS = delayed onset muscle soreness. It's very common 48 hours post exercise. I've had some last 4 days after a high intense workout. It's all normal. Your body isn't use to the work and soon if you keep doing the same thing, it will eventually feel like nothing to do the same workout. Post workout stretching is supposed to help. I found that walking or running did not help my soreness in my legs, in fact they punished me later for it. I went swimming which felt great! But again, the soreness returned.

    Where's Joe when you need him, he usually suggests something for soreness.
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
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    On Sunday I did my first resistance workout in a VERY long time. I didn't think I overdid it but I'm still really sore 2 days later. I had originally planned to do my 2ndstrength workout today but I wasn't sure if I should since I'm still pretty sore. Is it okay to proceed with my next workout or does the soreness mean I should give my muscles another day's rest before proceeding?

    Don't wait! Soreness is generally worse day 2 but gets better once you warm you muscles up. So go for it! get a good warm-up in (at least 10-15 minutes), do your strength training, and make it a point to take time to stretch when you're done. It will get better.

    :drinker:
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    If you want to skip for a day, maybe load up on water, get a good stretch and go for a nice walk? I did that last night instead of 30DS and it felt great. It was a nice change.
  • khua0808
    khua0808 Posts: 95
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    proceed if it is a different muscle group, such as Back instead of arms or leg instead of chest or something. The soreness will stop by your 2nd or 3rd workout on the same musce group. Try to seperate all workouts into 4-5 muscle groups, and don't train the same muscle group twice a week.
  • jocraw66
    jocraw66 Posts: 52
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    Drink a lot of water, stretch before and after you workout but mostly afterwards. If you have a foam roller utilize it. If you don't it is a great investment of about $25.00.

    Remember too, there is a difference between pain and discomfort. Your muscles should feel discomfort after you workout. Sometimes this discomfort is more evident a couple of days after the workout rather than the day of. Delayed onset muscle soreness is perfectly ok.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    OP it depends. If you actually did too much and have bruised the tendons and it's at the point where it's painful to move your tendons then do not train. Instead take some BCAA's, and wait a few more days.

    If it's just DOMS then yes you can train.
  • kendernau
    kendernau Posts: 155 Member
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    Pain can be a good indicator either way. If it is just sore, but you still have full range of motion without sharp pains, then go ahead and do the workout - your muscles are just trying to adjust to the change.

    If you don't have full range of motion, or you have sharp pains while testing the range of motion - don't do the workout. You most likely overdid it, and injured the muscle. You will need to give it more time to recover.

    If you are not entirely sure, go ahead and start the workout, but don't go as intense. Test as you go to see if the pain increases noticeably, and stop if you notice anything more than just sore muscles. The stretching is very important to minimizing pain and avoiding injury - do it both before and after the workout.
  • eponine1976
    eponine1976 Posts: 143 Member
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    Okay, I think I will go ahead and do the workout. Even though I'm sore, it's not so bad that I won't be able to do the exercises. I'll do my normal treadmill walk first which should at the very least warm up my legs and I'll be sure to stretch after the walk and after the strength moves. I already drink TONS of water (when I was tracking I found I literally drink close to a gallon a day, sometimes even more and I wasn't even forcing myself to drink when I wasn't thirsty, I just naturally drink a LOT, at work alone I fill my 20 oz water bottle about 5 times each day)
  • eponine1976
    eponine1976 Posts: 143 Member
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    OP it depends. If you actually did too much and have bruised the tendons and it's at the point where it's painful to move your tendons then do not train. Instead take some BCAA's, and wait a few more days.

    If it's just DOMS then yes you can train.

    What is a BCAA?
  • DdoubleU77
    DdoubleU77 Posts: 65
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    On the opposite side of the spectrum...theory says that the cure for a hangover is another drink (no joke) ..it helps to come down off the negative force with more ease.

    Same goes for excercise. More excercise will help you to become more limber and it won't be so painful after your body has learned to grow a tolerance. Having said that...you muscles depend on rest time.

    When you strength train, your muscles tear. It is during that rest period that they are healing and craving more.

    Take a glutamine supplement to prevent lactic acid build up and this will help your muscles to heal with more ease.....UNTIL NEXT WORK OUT :wink:

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