What a wonderful workout that was. You were totally focused and gave it your all. You especially feel that the day after. Muscle pain lasts two days on average, depending on how hard your workout was.
You might be wondering if it's bad to exercise again with muscle pain? Read on quickly to discover all about what muscle pain actually is, how to ensure minimal muscle pain and to what extent it is bad to exercise through pain.
What is muscle soreness?
When exercising, you strain your muscles to progress and get another step closer to your fitness goal. You do this by building up the weight or performing those few extra reps. Prolonged or excessive strain on your muscles causes a build-up of waste products such as lactic acid. Due to the large accumulation of lactic acid, you get the feeling of pain, cramping or stiffness in the muscles. Recognisable?
What happens when you exercise with sore muscles
Let us reassure you, it's not bad to exercise with sore muscles. That doesn't mean it doesn't feel unpleasant. What you feel are the small damages in your muscles. This won't hurt you during exercise, but you may find that performing exercises properly is difficult due to the muscle pain. Therefore, it is advisable to give your muscles an extra day of rest.
This does not mean that you should not move at all during this rest day. On the contrary, it is wise to keep moving with muscle pain. This is because movement stimulates blood flow, which makes for faster recovery. So you can be back at it in no time.
Tips to prevent muscle soreness or for less pain
Of course, muscle soreness cannot be prevented 100%. However, there are a few tips to give your muscles a helping hand and, more importantly, make the pain symptoms a little more bearable. Take advantage of it. Your muscles will thank us.
- Take rest days
Motivated, you head towards your training goal. Be careful not to strain your muscles. After a vigorous workout, it is advisable to schedule one or two rest days. - Warm shower
We know that gas prices have risen considerably, yet we still recommend you take a few minutes to take a warm shower after your workout. Of course, you can ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to massage the aching muscle groups. This stimulates blood flow, which prevents muscle soreness. - Get sufficient protein
The secret of many athletes, a protein shake or a bowl of quark after your workout. Protein keeps your muscles strong and healthy. Because roughly how many grams of protein do you eat in a day? Especially if you regularly participate in circuit training, it is highly recommended to eat a bowl of quark or yoghurt a bit more often. Or cook a delicious meal with chicken, turkey, steak, fish or a delicious egg. - Mind your posture
Many athletes get muscle pain because they maintain incorrect posture during exercise. The advantage of circuit training at Circle-Fit is that our modern fitness machines automatically adjust to your body. That way, you'll never have the wrong posture while exercising.
Reach your fitness goals responsibly at Circle-Fit
At Circle-Fit, we know better than anyone else how to reach your fitness goals in a proper and responsible way. That's why we like to welcome you with an introductory meeting. Together, we look at your goals and how to achieve them with our circuit training. Because our state-of-the-art fitness machines automatically adjust to your level, training goal and physique, you never train too heavy and you perform the exercise with good posture. This not only saves muscle pain during exercise, but also prevents injuries.
