We have all been there.
That amazing leg workout is finally finished.
Yes!
You are happy, thinking the struggle is over. But surprise, surprise! The next morning, you find yourself feeling your muscles heavy as lead. You try to walk and it is even worse than going through the workout itself.
What did you do wrong?
NOTHING!
That soreness you are experiencing is good. In fact, it’s darn good!
It is your body telling you that your muscles worked hard and that now it is time to rebuild them.
So:
Relax, you are fine. You might walk funny or be unable to take a shower without suffering every time you lift your arms, but overall you are ok!
What you are experiencing is called DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness. It is a positive sign that your workout is effective.
Stay with me, and in the next paragraphs, we will dig into the causes of this pain and what you can do to deal with it.
Contents
- 1 Why do You Experience Muscle Pain After Your Workout?
- 2 Is Muscle Pain After Workout Good or Bad? The Benefits
- 3 The Fine Line: Injury vs. Muscle Soreness After Workout
- 4 How to Cope With Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
- 5 Final Words: Don’t be Afraid of Muscle Soreness After Workout
- 6 Other Helpful Resources
Why do You Experience Muscle Pain After Your Workout?
Let’s dive in:
That pain you are feeling has a straightforward explanation.
Your muscles have been exposed to a level of work they are not used to. It could be that you increased the weight you usually lift, you started a new routine, or simply that your current routine is still demanding.
Think about it this way; your muscle fibers have a limit. When you go over it, micro-tears in those fibers take place. In other words, your muscles have suffered from some damage and need to be repaired.
And as the progressive overload is the key to building muscle this pain is inevitable.
Hey, but don’t worry!
The word damage has no negative meaning in this case. On the contrary, it means your body is adjusting itself to be able to cope with the new effort.
Nice!
DOMS should not be confused with the pain we feel after we finish our routine. That heaviness you feel immediately after a workout is caused by lactic acid.
Whereas the effect of this goes away within 1 hour after your workout, the soreness caused by DOMS usually takes place between 24 to 48 hours after exercising and can last up to 4 days.
Yikes!
Don’t be scared to try new things in your training because of the pain you could feel, once it is gone you will be stronger and ready to take on new challenges.
Keep it up!
Is Muscle Pain After Workout Good or Bad? The Benefits
I know what you are thinking:
What benefits can I get from pain?
Dr. David J. Szymanski, Director of Physiology at Louisiana Tech University explains that soreness after a physical effort is a positive reaction. It means that your workouts are getting your body out of its comfort zone.
As a consequence of your muscle’s adventure to unknown territories, you will get fitter and stronger.
Similarly, DOMS could be a good indication of when to implement something new in your workout plan. If you have no pain at all the day after you complete your workout, it might be time to tweak that routine a bit.
Be careful though! Don’t hurt yourself!
Still not convinced?
See it this way: As soon as that period of walking funny or struggling to shower is gone, your muscles will be capable of dealing with that new effort in a better way.
Yep, you just improved your fitness level.
Kudos to you!
The Fine Line: Injury vs. Muscle Soreness After Workout
An essential aspect of exercise-related pain is to learn to spot the differences between a sore muscle and an injured one.
I know I mentioned before that your muscles should be damaged to improve their condition, but that does not mean you should incapacitate them to achieve that.
Let me explain:
If you have recently modified your workout routine, chances are you will experience DOMS the following days. However, that pain should be manageable and not prevent you from moving.
You should feel heavy and sore, but you should be able to move. Any stabbing or sharp pain in any muscle after a training session indicates a possible minor injury.
With that in mind, it is a good idea for you to refrain from performing hard body-taxing routines on consecutive days.
Also, train different body parts if the other areas are too sore to go. When you increase your weight load in the gym, do it with no more than 2 to 3kgs at a time.
My super-effective 3 day split workout routine is designed to provide your body with the needed rest in between workouts. Go check it out!
SPECIAL WARNING: The levels of pain are different for every person. This means that the only person to assess this is yourself! Nevertheless, if you are unsure about lasting muscle pain, make sure to check it up with your physician. You don’t want that minor problem to become a bigger issue.
Stay safe!
How to Cope With Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
This is where I tell you how to make that pain disappear…
Well, not this time.
Unfortunately, my dear reader, there is no such thing as a magical cure to relieve DOMS.
The only solution would be never to change the way you exercise and never to challenge yourself. But realistically, that will not give you the results you want.
Let’s face it:
Experiencing soreness after working out will always happen if you want to improve yourself physically.
So the only thing we can do is to learn to deal with it and help our bodies go through the process.
Here are some tips that will help you:
1.STAY HYDRATED: Water is the element of life for a reason.
Make sure to keep your body hydrated at all times: Before, during, and after a workout.
It will help to reduce body inflammation, which should make you feel better in less time.
- Reduces pain, swelling and inflammation.
- Increases cell hydration.
- Increases ATP production (energy)
2.EAT PROPERLY: Needless to say, you have got to help your body with nutrition.
Some foods that might help are nuts, sweet potato, tart cherries, spinach, and my favorite; dark chocolate.
Provide your body with the nutrients it needs and that soreness will ease faster.
3.WARM UP: Those 5 to 10 minutes you spend heating up your body before a training session can determine how sore you will be afterward.
Make sure to properly warm up all your muscles so that they are ready for action.
4.RECOVERY: Sore muscles need to rest, but it doesn’t mean they should not move during these periods.
Active rest with light soft exercises will help your body aches go away. These smooth movements help with muscle restoration which speeds up the recovery process.
5.ICE AND MASSAGES: If the pain is too unbearable, you can help your body fight it with some ice patches.
Icing the sore areas twice a day in periods of 10 minutes should be enough.
Additionally, muscle massage can really make a difference in helping you reduce inflammation. Like we need an excuse to get a massage?
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Final Words: Don’t be Afraid of Muscle Soreness After Workout
Is Muscle Pain After Workout Good or Bad?
In short, as you can see, muscle pain after a workout is a good thing.
Embrace it and accept it as a part of your training process.
It is, after all, the sign that all that hard work has had a positive effect on your body:
Remember that once it is gone, you will be an improved, stronger, and fitter version of yourself!
Okay:
Now that you know that pain is your friend, go check out my strength training resource, -packed with workouts, tips, and hacks!
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- Best Barbell for Home Gym Use: Reviews and Top Picks
- What is the Best Power Rack for Home Gym? Reviews and Top Picks
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