What a lovely workout that was. You were really getting into it and gave it your all. You particularly feel that the next day. Muscle soreness lasts on average two days, depending on how intense your training was. 

You may be wondering if it's bad to work out with muscle soreness? Read on to discover everything about what muscle soreness actually is, how to minimize it, and to what extent it is bad to push through the pain. 

What is muscle soreness?

When you exercise, you stress your muscles to make progress and get one step closer to your fitness goals. You do this by increasing the weight or by doing a few extra repetitions. Prolonged or excessive stress on your muscles leads to a buildup of waste products like lactic acid. This significant buildup of lactic acid causes you to feel pain, cramping, or stiffness in your muscles. Recognizable?

What happens when you exercise with muscle soreness

Let us reassure you, it is not bad to work out with muscle soreness. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. What you feel are small damages in your muscles. This is not harmful during exercise, but you may find it difficult to perform the exercises properly due to the muscle soreness. Therefore, it is advisable to give your muscles an extra day of rest. 

That doesn’t mean you should completely stop moving on this rest day. In fact, it is wise to keep moving with muscle soreness. Movement stimulates blood circulation, which promotes faster recovery. This way, you can get back to work in no time.  

Tips to prevent muscle soreness or reduce pain complaints 

Of course, muscle soreness is not 100% preventable. However, there are a few tips to help your muscles and make the pain a bit more bearable. Use these to your advantage. Your muscles will thank you.

1. Take rest days
   Motivated, you move towards your training goal. Be careful not to overload your muscles. After an intense workout, it is advisable to schedule one or two rest days.
   
   

2. Rinse with warm water
   We know that gas prices have risen significantly, yet we advise you to rinse with warm water for a few minutes after your workout. Of course, you can also look sweetly at your partner for a massage of the sore muscle groups. This stimulates blood circulation, which helps prevent muscle soreness.
   
   

3. Get enough protein
   The secret of many athletes is a protein shake or a bowl of quark after their workout. Proteins keep your muscles strong and healthy. So, how many grams of protein do you roughly consume per day? If you regularly participate in circuit training, it is advisable to eat a bowl of quark or yogurt a bit more often. Or cook a delicious meal with chicken, turkey, steak, fish, or a tasty egg.
   
   

4. Pay attention to your posture
   Many athletes experience muscle soreness because they adopt poor posture while exercising. The advantage of circuit training at Circle-Fit is that our modern fitness machines automatically adjust to your body. This way, you never adopt an incorrect posture while exercising.  

Achieve your fitness goals responsibly at Circle-Fit

At Circle-Fit, we know better than anyone how to achieve your fitness goals in a good and responsible manner. That is why we warmly welcome you during an introductory meeting. Together, we will look at your goals and how you can achieve them with our circuit training. Because our ultra-modern fitness machines automatically adjust to your level, training goal, and body structure, you never train too hard and perform the exercises with proper posture. This not only reduces muscle soreness during exercise but also prevents injuries.