Should you workout with sore muscles? The last two days I really worked my lower body leaving me pretty sore today. I could barely walk up and down the steps, it was more of a waddle. So did I still workout today knowing I was that sore? Yes, I did.
Now, I don’t want to tell you to just jump right in and keep pushing on your sore muscles. You really need to listen to your body and determine what it can or cannot handle. But there are ways to still get a workout in if you are feeling sore.
Focus A Different Muscle Group
If the soreness is isolated to one part of the body then focus your next workout on a different part of the body. For Example, today my thighs were sore so I focused on my core where I did not have to use my legs quite as often during the workout.
Modify the Intensity
Personally, I feel better after I warm up the sore muscles during a workout. I do not usually go as intense as I would if I was 100%. Reduce your range of motion; don’t go as deep into the lunge or the whole way to the floor with a push up. Lighten your weights; choose a lighter weight or don’t use any weight at all depending on your level of soreness.
Make Sure You Do Your Warm Up
A lot of people will just jump right into their workout. I used to be one of these people. However, this can really increase the chances that you will hurt later. Warm Ups increase your body temperature and will increase blood flow to the muscles. Not to mention it can help to mentally prepare yourself for the actual workout!
Do Not Skip The Cool Down
It slows down your heart rate and blood pressure gradually. When blood pressure drops too rapidly can cause dizziness or fainting. Stretching during the cool down is ideal also because your muscles are already warm and by stretching you can reduce the chance of muscle cramps and stiffness.
To summarize, really listen to your body. It is okay and even sometimes can help to workout when you are sore, but if you feel that you will injure yourself then take it really easy with low intensity or stretching.
Comments
I used to make the mistake of working the same groups two days in a row. Till I had a trainer show me the right way
This is great advice… I usually find that light exercise after a tough workout really helps relieve any aches and loosens up tight muscles.
My volleyball coach always told us to workout when you feel sore. You go slowly in the beginning but as you rework the muscles through, you feel so much better!
I actually had no idea what the answer was to this question!
This is what I do when I have sore muscles, too! The hardest, though, is when my legs are sore from riding bikes but I still have to ride to and from with my son to school! We just leave a few minutes earlier those days so we can take it easy.
I definitely exercise when I have sore muscles but I also make sure that they get adequate rest time and I focus on another area. Great advice!
One of my intentions is to better care for myself this year. Exercising is one thing that I am going to resume in my daily activities. Thanks for sharing your post.
I’m trying really hard to get back into working out, so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this post!
I always try to plan my week’s exercise so that I avoid over-stressing muscle groups. This is great advice for those times I hit the mark!
Great suggestions Tiffany! I don’t workout a lot lately but I always try to keep any advice like this.
Definitely don’t skip the cool down period. Don’t try to go from 100 to 0 and expect to be ok. It’s hard sometimes but you have to do it.