(as heard on Calvary 88.5 FM 1/28/10)Client question: How sore should I be after a workout? Is it good to be sore the next day?
I have had clients in the past that have been extremely sore (hard to sit down and get back up out of their chair) sore when they start to work out. This soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. This is typically caused by tiny tears in the muscle fibers from overloading the muscles during your workouts. You might experience soreness 24 to 48 hours after a workout in which you did a new exercise or increased the weight that you lifted.
If you are a seasoned exercise buff, you may still experience soreness the day or two after a workout in which you did something different (a different move, more reps, etc.) or when you go up in weight as you get stronger.
Although many people view muscle soreness as an indicator of how hard they worked during their last workout, it is not always the best measure. Varying your work outs, increasing your weight, lifting to fatigue and working in your target heart rate zone are all great ways to make sure you are getting a good workout...with or without soreness.
To prevent soreness or to alliveiate sore, tight muscles try the following:
- Stretch all major muscle groups after your workout
- Apply heat to the sore area...heat...hot water, heating pads and such rush blood to the warm area to help heal muscles
- Move it...doing light cardio exercise will increase blood flow and your muscles should relax a bit
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