Soreness – to exercise or not?
Can you exercise with muscle soreness? Or is it better to wait and skip training until the discomfort passes? Find out what muscle soreness is, whether you can exercise when it occurs, and how to improve muscle recovery.
WHAT IS MUSCLE SORENESS?
Muscle soreness is the common name for the pain that appears a day or several days after training. The intensity of the pain can vary – from a feeling of tension in the exercised areas to intense discomfort that makes normal functioning difficult or even impossible.
There are two theories about how muscle soreness occurs.
The first theory states that muscle soreness is caused by the accumulation of large amounts of lactic acid in the muscles. This is where the term “soreness” comes from. Indeed, during intense training, such a situation occurs – however, lactic acid causes what is known as acute soreness, felt during the workout. The pain caused by lactic acid can last up to two hours – that is how long the body needs to use up the lactic acid produced during training. Therefore, what we commonly refer to as “soreness” is not a result of lactic acid activity.
This brings us to the second theory of muscle soreness. It is technically referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This pain is caused by micro-tears in muscle fibers that occur as a result of significant exertion, accumulated hydrogen ions, and high muscle temperature. It appears 24-72 hours after exertion during the recovery of fibers, which rebuild stronger and more resilient. This allows for continuous progress during subsequent workouts.
If you are experiencing soreness, it may be comforting to know that your workout was effective and led to increased protein production and muscle growth. However, remember that post-workout pain should subside after two, at most three days. If after this time you are still unable to perform activities that caused the soreness and feel pain, it means you have overdone it and overestimated your strength. Prolonged pain may be a sign of injury.
WHAT CAN YOU EXERCISE WITH MUSCLE SORENESS?
It depends. If you are experiencing severe pain in almost your entire body that makes sitting, standing, climbing stairs, or lifting objects difficult, skip exercising until the soreness subsides.
But what if you only feel mild soreness in certain muscle groups? If you want to exercise during this time, allow yourself only light, slow training for other body parts than those you have strained and are sore. Remember that training sore muscle groups is a burden for them and weakens them. So if you trained your upper body and feel soreness there, you can perform a workout for your lower body, saving the upper body.
A good alternative is also swimming. It is a light physical activity that will not strain muscles tired from training. Additionally, the water relaxes tense muscles, helping them recover.
HOW TO DEAL WITH SORE MUSCLES?
There are several effective and proven ways to alleviate soreness more quickly. It’s worth taking advantage of them to feel better and continue with your training plan. What should you reach for when you feel sore?
- Mineral Water
One way to alleviate soreness is to drink mineral water with a sufficiently high concentration of bicarbonates. They change the blood pH from acidic to alkaline.
- Massage
A skillfully performed massage will relieve pain and relax tense muscles. It’s best to perform it using essential oil or warming gel.
- Shower or Bath
Alternating between cold and warm showers is a good way to relax sore muscles and speed up their recovery. This treatment dilates blood vessels, allowing blood to reach damaged tissues more quickly and nourish them. A hot bath, preferably with the addition of sea salt or essential oil, also has beneficial effects.
- Baking Soda
You can also try to combat soreness with tea that has baking soda added (it has alkalizing properties).
- Sauna
High temperatures relax strained muscles and reduce soreness after exercise. Using a sauna will also improve circulation – the body will be better oxygenated and relaxed. However, wait a few hours after your workout before going to the sauna. For the sauna visit to be effective, the body needs time to cool down.
HOW TO AVOID SORE MUSCLES?
For many people, especially ambitious beginners, soreness can be a significant obstacle in achieving training goals. Therefore, it’s worth knowing a few rules that can help you avoid it.
- Breathe Properly
Anaerobic training is the main reason for the occurrence of soreness. Therefore, when engaging in any exercises, control your breathing – this will help avoid muscle pain the next day.
- Warm Up
Warming up helps avoid soreness because it allows muscles to gradually become flexible and warm. Warmed muscles are less susceptible to micro-injuries that cause pain.
- Gradually Increase Effort
A sensible training plan also prevents soreness – gradually increasing effort allows muscles to adapt to work without significantly felt micro-injuries.
- Drink Cherry Juice Before Training
Cherry juice, consumed before intense training, effectively alleviates soreness. This was confirmed by research from the University of Vermont in Burlington, published in 2006 in the “British Journal of Sports Medicine.” This is due to the content of flavonoids and anthocyanins – compounds with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
- Stretch Muscles After Training
Stretching the muscles worked directly after finishing exercises is an effective way to avoid soreness. Using a special exercise roller also works great here.
Soreness can effectively discourage you from exercising, so it’s important to be aware of how to avoid it and what to do when it occurs. This will allow for a quick return to well-being and the continuation of your training plan.
I am a graduate in Managerial Economics as well as Finance and Accounting, with a specialization in Marketing. Since 2018, I have been working as a Copywriter at Balanced Body, where I create marketing content for the fitness and Pilates industries. One of my particular strengths is translating complex topics into accessible language and accurately analyzing the needs of target audiences. Outside of work, I am passionate about fire shows and volleyball, which helps me better understand the needs of physically active people.