If you continue your usual exercise regimen even when you're sore, you're not giving your muscles enough time to heal. In fact, pushing yourself during a bout of soreness can eventually lead to an overuse injury. Overall, you're at risk of causing harm to your body by not resting.
In most cases, gentle recovery exercises like walking or swimming are safe if you're sore after working out. They may even be beneficial and help you recover faster. But it's important to rest if you're experiencing symptoms of fatigue or are in pain.
Muscle soreness is related to muscle damage, which can promote, but is not required for, muscle growth. In a nutshell, unless your goal is to feel sore, then you don't need to be sore after every workout.
If you continue your usual exercise regimen even when you're sore, you're not giving your muscles enough time to heal. In fact, pushing yourself during a bout of soreness can eventually lead to an overuse injury. Overall, you're at risk of causing harm to your body by not resting.
When dietary protein is lacking, the body pulls from its reserves in both the muscles and joints. As a result, muscles tighten and ache, and joints stiffen.
"Working out when sore is okay as long as it isn't affecting your movement to the point where it's causing you to compensate and do something in a way that's unsafe," says Dr. Hedt. "Muscle soreness can be a deterrent to exercising, but it's temporary and the more you exercise, the less you should feel it.
You burn calories with sore muscles
Sore muscles do burn calories, however it may or may not come from the fat on your body. Also, please note that sore muscles do not burn calories any more than muscles that are not sore. Lean tissue (i.e. muscles) is the primary driver of our metabolic rate.
Soreness following a workout is not an indicator of a good workout, nor is the absence of soreness an indicator of a poor workout. Feeling sore is an indicator of tiny microscopic tears in the muscle resulting in inflammation, often referred to as DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness).
Delayed onset muscle soreness is common after exercise and usually means your muscles are getting stronger.
Soreness is considered normal if it occurs between 24-72 hours after a workout, and if it does not prevent you from completing normal daily activities. If it lasts longer than this, or is so intense that it prevents you from functioning normally, it could be a sign of significant damage. I'm Sore: What should I do?
A recent, small scale study concludes that protein shakes, compared with high carbohydrate drinks, do not reduce muscle pain or speed up muscle recovery after a workout.
Classic weightlifting programs such as the push/pull workouts, or the legs/chest/back workouts, allow for 1 to 2 days between sessions for muscle recovery. The upshot? You can work out if you're sore. Don't exercise the same muscle groups that are hurting.
First of all, building muscle requires a positive energy balance, which means that you have to take in more calories than you burn.
"Typically, muscle soreness peaks around day three and starts diminishing afterwards. If your soreness persists beyond three days, it means you overdid it — you pushed your muscles a little too hard. But, prolonged muscle soreness can also be a sign of an injury," warns Murray.
The occasional case of DOMS after you've mixed up your training or done a really hard session is nothing to worry about. If you're frequently suffering from muscle soreness and stiffness though, you probably need to add more rest days or look at reducing the intensity or duration of your training.
A lot of very advanced athletes and bodybuilders are almost never sore from training. Their body is so used to handling training that they very rarely traumatize their muscles enough to cause the stress response that will lead to debilitating soreness.
Protein helps to strengthen the muscle fibres that have been torn during exercise, refuelling the muscles and reducing the impact of delayed onset muscle soreness. After a workout, you should consume protein-rich foods or drinks to prevent muscle soreness and help the repair, maintenance and growth of muscles.
Previous research has shown that protein can ease soreness, speed up recovery, and help repair the muscles that are torn during weightlifting. Plus, one review of nearly 50 studies found that protein supplementation greatly enhanced muscle strength and size during resistance training.
Drink at least 16 ounces of water or healthy drinks, such as coconut water, green or black tea, and chocolate milk. Or you can choose a low-sugar sports drink. These drinks contain electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, that can prevent and relieve muscle cramping.
For people recovering from injury or surgery, proper hydration is important to the success of physical therapy. Water flushes toxins out of the body, transports nutrients into the cells and helps regulate body temperature and pH balance. Water also helps with muscle soreness and tension.
The acknowledgement that we've performed our best, linked with achievement, accomplishment, satisfaction and improvement to physical and mental health makes those aching thighs and tight biceps a pleasant pain. Some pain, however, isn't bearable.
Your muscles are weaker when healing from DOMS, so working through the pain won't earn you any strength gains, and may delay healing. The use of lighter weights, stretching, and massage have also been shown to be of little help.
Go ahead and skip a leg workout day if you are very sore, have a potential injury, or are feeling under the weather. This may include feeling very tired. If you have a cold and are experiencing minor symptoms such as sneezing, a runny or congested nose, or a sore throat, you can still work out.