Should you exercise when sore? I often wonder that myself after I try to leap out of bed in the morning only to come to a screeching halt on sore legs!
It’s very common to have sore muscles after a workout that can happen 24 to 48 hours after exercise. So it’s no surprise that a day or two after your workout, is when your muscles are sore.
If you have sore muscles from exercising, don’t give up!
All too often people who are starting a fitness program give up after experiencing muscle soreness. But you can learn how to workout with sore muscles in a safe way!
Why Do Muscles Get Sore After Exercising?
I’m no doctor or medical profession, just a person who exercises six days a week! I did some research to get this question answered. Here you go:
According to WebMD.com, “Mild soreness just a natural outcome of any kind of physical activity,” he says. “And they’re most prevalent in beginning stages of a program.”
And what about when your muscles are sore one to two days after the workout? Here’s what they had to say, “”Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to,”
That’s a simple enough explanation for me! It makes sense. I always push myself when I exercise so being sore is a natural outcome of that.
What To Do if You Have Sore Muscles
Before we go any further with figuring out if you should exercise when sore, it’s important to differentiate the two main types of pain.
I have experienced both!
OK, ready?
There is muscle soreness pain from exercise. It’s pretty normal and may feel a little better after you warm up. I do Yoga when I am really sore and it helps a lot, as does an Epson salts bath!
Then is the muscle soreness that is really pain from an injury. Oh yea, been there, done that!
This can be a pulled or torn muscle or something else. It’s usually extremely painful from my experience.
Know the difference!
If you are sore after working out here are a few tips!
- Embrace your pain. What? If you are just starting a fitness program or changed things up a bit, muscle soreness is bound to happen. If it’s not an actually injury, I work through it. Here’s why. If I stop, wait days until the soreness goes away and then start again, the cycle starts all over again! If I work through it safely, eventually I don’t get as sore from exercising as my body adapts to the changes.
- Eat healthy. This is a given whether you have sore muscles after a workout or not! If you want to lose weight or just get in better shape, eating healthy is a must. Without that, it will be difficult to reach your goals.
- Stretch. You can recover better if you include stretching into your exercise routine. I get sore muscles from exercises and Yoga does me a world of good! Keep the movements easy, nothing crazy! Stretching gets your blood circulating better and can help improve recovery time.
- Exercise. Really? When your muscles are sore do you really want to exercise?I do and it feels great! It’s much worse if you sit around with no activity. Just take it easy on your workout and be sure to warm up. Do a recovery workout. These type of workouts are aimed at not breaking down too much muscle tissue.
Should you exercise when sore? It’s up to you to evaluate your soreness and make sure it’s not an injury!
