View Full Version : Working out when sore?
Is it counter productive to work out when your sore? For those who say yes, what do you do about things like sore delts from chest day, or sore forearms from back day? I get about 1 day off between chest and shoulders, or back and arms.
The Wanderer
01-14-07, 10:13 am
To be honest, I push on through with my workouts. If you really can't do it switch up your routine so that you aren't working out sore. As I said for me though, I just push on through it, I can't let it affect my game. Also, I never take tylenol or advil before lifting or playing a sport (rugby or track in my case) some guys do but I find that it will just lead to injury, you need to know your weaknesses. Peace out bro.
If your delts are sore from cheast day then there may be a problem, is your cheast really sore? I know it does happen sometimes, especally if you are a beginer, what i usually do is just get a pump in that muscle group, get some blood into that muscle i find it helps alot with recovery. Like a couple of sets with light wheight, higher reps, the thing is you want to avoid injuring your self, give your body time to heal.
steching post workout will help you reduce soreness the next day as well it can increase hypertrophy in the muscles and will revent muscle shortening. try streching after your workout and see if your as sore the next day. Also trainins while sore should only be counter productive if it is actually pain your feeling and not just soreness.
I get sore where I am supposed to, but the assisting muscles get worked hard too. Ive tried several splits but i usualy do chest, back, shoulders, arms legs for 5 consecutive days, then 2 off. Im young and take a lot of supps but i still recover slow. Ive tried things like straps to save my forearms for arm day. But i find i just lift even heavier and still get em sore. Im really just asking does everyone here push through soreness, or have some remedy.
Giorgos
01-15-07, 11:34 am
king1 , i'd say increase your calories. your problem might not be your training split or your exercises, but most likely your diet. quality protein, fats, complex carbs are the way to go. and dont skip those veggies either mate ! wht about sleep? do u get at least 7-8 hours ?
okiron247
01-15-07, 11:40 am
Having really sore shoulders after chest day can mean that your form may off a little. Try protracting your shoulders when pushing the weight off of your chest and keepeing your elbows tight(not forced in).
i hit chest monday hard.. and im folowing a routine that has me do it today again...im sore all over my back and chest ..shoulders too,... would it be fine to hit the chest again or should i rest it off.?
Everyonedoes
02-01-07, 4:20 pm
I think i read this in m & f that training sore muscles doesn't add on to the healing time of the already torn muscles. So from that i gather its not going to hurt anything to train your chest again. Maybe train it slightly different. Try some new moves or switch up your routine.
ironaddict1985
02-01-07, 4:21 pm
i would rest but thats just me...if you decide too i would go real light
Thorgrym
02-01-07, 4:25 pm
If its too sore to tolerate then dont do it, if you can tolerate it then push thorugh it to grow.
I would also go light if it is really sore. It wouldn't be bad to get it warmed up and worked a little. Get it nice and strected out, and it won't feel as sore tomorrow
Frankie86
02-01-07, 6:16 pm
I recently just did this with my tris..stretch it out before you workout and strecth it during the workout after every couple of sets and youll be fine..For some reason i like the workout when im sore..and now that i think of it it usually is a good workout..
i agree, if you are too sore to lift hard then it wont hurt to get a nice stretch or maybe just drop the weight quite a bit, but keep in mind one of the keys to growing is rest
Man, listen to your body. If you're still sore you're not COMPLETELY recovered. Give yourself a little more time then get back in when you’re fresh. I understand wanting to follow a routine but if it wasn't specifically tailored for you think about you own recuperative abilities.
karmazon
02-02-07, 10:22 pm
I think rest is a very underrated aspect of building muscle.
dragondad
02-03-07, 11:42 am
I think rest is a very underrated aspect of building muscle.
why??????
DA GOVNA
02-03-07, 11:47 am
i totally agree karmazon rest is crucial! u need 56+ hours a week of rest(sleeping, napping. etc) compared to the 6-9 hours of lifting a week if ur feelin really sore, take a day off, eat well, drink water and take all your vitamins and relax. then you can hit the wieghts even harder the next day at your full potential. PEACE
Enforcer25
02-03-07, 3:35 pm
I agree with Thorgrym, if you can tolerate it then go workout. I have worked out when sore and have had a good workout, probably above all is listen to your body, since I've been doing that it hasn't let me down.
If you're sore your body is telling you it needs rest to repair the muscles from whatever lifting you did. Lifting sore muscles just rips and destroys muslces in the process of repair, or at least that is the way it feels for me, peoples bodies are different. When you lift sore, I just don't think you can get as good of a lift compared to when you are not sore, so why lift? Work on something that is not sore. Rest is crucial for gains!
The other day i did my first workout after about a month and a half break. It was a back/bi workout. I did chins, dumbell curls, lat pulldown, superset sitting row with shrugs, some rear lat work then a lower back machine and a wrist roller. The workout took an hour and 45mins (my usually workout takes 1 hour 30mins, but since i went to the gym witha friend took an extra 15mins)
The day after this workout my biceps were jsut killing me. It took me a full minute to be able to straghten them because they were so sore. I was walking around with my arms bent the whole day.
Two days after the workout my biceps had made no improvement, and my lats stiffened up. My lats become so sore and stiff it took me about 3 minutes of heavy stretching to lay down and get my arms straight on the ground behind my head.
The third day and ive began too see some improvement. My lats are alot better after a nights sleep and lots of stretching on day two. My biceps are slightly better but it still takes about 10 seconds to straighten my arms.
Im hoping ill be all good by tomorow (4th day) not sure tho.
Is it good to hurt this much? Am I building muscle during this time or did I over-work myslef at the gym?
You should be fine. You know how it is when you come back and kill your body after taking a long time off. The first two weeks are the worst when you start back up again. Plus, an hour and 45 min is a long workout. That is probably why you are extra sore.
You'll be fine. After a long layoff, you might consider using a three day a week low volume/mod intensity starter routine for a couple of weeks, just to get back in to it. Once you are accustomed to it again, then you move back in to your regular split routine.
That will get the body prepared for the punishment you are sure to inflict upon it later without keeping you out of the gym for another week.
haha alright thanks guys!
Torque757
02-04-07, 2:42 am
I would highly recommend keeping your workout around 1 hr. If you are doing work and not lolly gagging, it shouldnt take any longer than that to get it done.
never_2_big
02-04-07, 3:56 am
man thats why were all here, the pain!
enjoy, it'll keep you growing
Joe D'Amato
02-22-07, 1:37 pm
i went snowboarding yesterday on a day off at the gym but today my legs are sore and i cut my face up and my right eye dont open up fully, but to top it all off, today is leg day. should i still work my legs out or no?
Hey bro,
You gotta listen to your body, if you dont feel u to it, switch it with a day and do something different today, or you could try a really deep stretch and go hard on legs anyway. I think people feel differently n the subject but even if im sore I go balls to the wall wih liting, I just feel like shit, like I cheated nobody but myself if i dont.... but ultimately, you need to listen to yourself, be safe and use your head....
brandona
02-22-07, 3:37 pm
Hey bro,
You gotta listen to your body, if you dont feel u to it, switch it with a day and do something different today, or you could try a really deep stretch and go hard on legs anyway. I think people feel differently n the subject but even if im sore I go balls to the wall wih liting, I just feel like shit, like I cheated nobody but myself if i dont.... but ultimately, you need to listen to yourself, be safe and use your head....
That says it all brother, you must listen to your body, if you are not injured, just sore...you can surly work out, hell it may even make you feel better, i know when i am sore after leg day, some times a good walk or spin on the bike to break up the latic acid really help....get the bolld flowing again.
-B
Big Rich
02-22-07, 3:50 pm
I though snowboarding was supposed to be fun...
Do not work your legs for at least 48 hours - The trauma (if any) will not be fully noticed until then.
Targac21
02-22-07, 3:52 pm
Skiing is where its at.
ItsSteveBlack
02-22-07, 3:58 pm
haha i snowboard and that is not how your face and eyes should look the day after; practice makes perfect though bro... about the legs though, switch up the workout save legs for tomorrow or saturday, theyre gonna need some rest, last week when i went boarding i did legs thursday then boarded saturday and i was good to go..
BLACK
do not need to overdue it bro let em rest.
SolidTongan
06-02-07, 5:04 pm
Okay, I read in another article about assisting muscle groups getting sore after working out the primary muscle group. For example, delts sore after working out chest. But my question is about working the same muscle group that may be sore. Some of you may think this is a stupid question, but I'm still a new-be to the sport and the answer is not so obvious to me. I change up my split from month to month and this month I'm on a 6 Day High Volume Single Move Split where I work each muscle group twice. I did my leg workout on Tuesday and my routine shows to work it out again on Friday, but I was still really sore! Sore as in walking around looks like I'm waddling. Is it counterproductive to work out my legs if it is still that sore? Or do I just go ahead and keep going at it?
Tuesday Leg High Vol. Workout
Squats 8 Sets of 8
Done with 295lbs to barely get through the 8 sets with 8 reps with a 2 min. rest between sets.
And did 30 min of interval cardio
Friday Leg High Vol. Workout
Leg Press 8 Sets of 8
musclealchemist
06-02-07, 5:47 pm
when you rest you grow, if your legs are so sore you cant walk, dont work them out again. Maybe do a light warm up type workout to get blood into your legs. Maybe even run, but do not go hard and heavy twice a week, you will just be fucking yourself over.
Gotta let them recover bro. If they're still hurting that bad you shouldn't work them. Most people will respond the same way... as I've had similar questions and a lot of people on here preach "listen to your body."
rocky36
06-02-07, 11:43 pm
they only grow and get stronger with proper recovery time
TXPWRLFTR
06-02-07, 11:53 pm
Listen to your body. At the same time it is ok to work some of the soreness out of your body. Stretching is a big key. Also you might want to change the volume in your training if you are to train a certain body part again. We all get the case of DOMS (delayed on muscle soreness)...listen to your body and do what you can do, after all you know how your body responds. Nothing wrong in your question bro, we are all learning! Lift strong bro!
18-Delta
06-03-07, 2:36 am
Remember, muscle grows outside the gym. RECOVERY!!
I wouldn't work a muscle that is not 100%, or damn near 100% recovered. It doesn't make sense to me to go into the gym and try to work a 70% muscle and expect 100% output and maximum growth potential.
In my opinion you will just be tearing your muscles to shit (in a bad way), and stunting your growth and strength potential. Work a split that matches your recovery time and I think you will see better results.
Just a thought.
its a real challenge to not do a bit of overlapping of muscle groups...but...you have to read your body's responce to whats going on.....I do Wraths split...and have grown using this workout now for 4 months....I live in pain...but fuck it...its how I live..its what I want...
SolidTongan
06-03-07, 4:19 am
Thanks alot, fellas, for all the helpful advice! Appreciate it.
Jigga What
06-03-07, 3:57 pm
its a real challenge to not do a bit of overlapping of muscle groups...but...you have to read your body's responce to whats going on.....I do Wraths split...and have grown using this workout now for 4 months....I live in pain...but fuck it...its how I live..its what I want...
Yo can you post that routine up
thanks man
gflash77
06-03-07, 6:49 pm
its a real challenge to not do a bit of overlapping of muscle groups...but...you have to read your body's responce to whats going on.....I do Wraths split...and have grown using this workout now for 4 months....I live in pain...but fuck it...its how I live..its what I want...
I'm in the middle of the second week on Wrath's exercise plan as well. Like it a lot, I'm noticing my frame is much more defined than it was ten days ago! Is this a workout regimen that you can go longer than 8 weeks on without plateauing?
J 2the att
08-08-07, 11:02 am
I had a great chest and tri workout on monday and after full 42 hours later my triceps are still pretty sore. I want to go work on shoulders and do military presses and the machine presses. Should i train through the soreness or let it just heal up? B.T.W. I feel the soreness when i flex my triceps. thnx
rcrott1
08-08-07, 11:03 am
knock em out brother.
i sure as hell do.
brandona
08-08-07, 11:06 am
I think a better question would be do you guys ever train when you are NOT sore....lol....
As long as you can tell the differance between sore and injured, you will be fine...If I did not train through soreness, I would only train one day a week..lol..
-B
Pokoritel
08-08-07, 11:23 am
Yup. My whole body is soar right now. I am on my way to demolish my pecs, delts, and tris. Have you ever read Toni's Journey yet. She trains her legs like 2-4 times a week. Can you imagine how soar they are...but she still breaks through the workouts.
ChandlerXJ
08-08-07, 11:31 am
Hell yea, training sore? I think it gives you some more resistance, on the bench, hell, training sore makes ya' bench better!!!! Take some BCAA stack, glutamine galore. That will take most of the soreness away, anything after that is probably growth. Just know the difference between sore good and sore bad.
ironshaolin
08-08-07, 11:42 am
yeah, I'd say that 2 days after your chest/tri workout, you're safe to workout delts even if you're still sore. I don't know if its a good idea to train the SAME muscle group when you're sore, but a DIFFERENT muscle group is fine.
J 2the att
08-08-07, 12:23 pm
Those were the replies i wanted to read after i wake up. Well bros, i am about to hit the gym now. Thanx
Recovery is the least acknowledged part of Bodybuilding. If your waking up with stiff muscles and joints, if your feeling washed-out and fatigued, your not building muscle. Your body is in toxic shock and cellular dispair. Soreness is a result of your body's inability to deliver suffiecient oxygen to the area that you exercised.
ChandlerXJ
08-08-07, 1:45 pm
the best is when you switch up your workout completely, and it feels like you got hit by a train. the kinda sore where you can't even put your shirt on. the kinda sore where if there is a slight breeze you're hurting.
Don't forget, you have to properly stretch pre-workout, during your workout, and post-workout
do a little cardio first to get the blood flowing then strech out real well and you'll be fine. Everyone has to go through soreness...its part of the sport, no matter how long you do it, it never goes away or gets any easier.
Big Jawn
08-08-07, 5:20 pm
As a guideline, train though muscle soreness (use your descretion though, common sense is a good thing to have in this situation), rest through muscle pain.
Oh my God yes! I have had my share of soreness and still trained through it. You get used to it after a while. Now, I dont really get too sore anymore and I take advantage of rest days so I can fully recover. Plus, eating big when you train hard and heavy helps with recovery..this means carbs and good solid fats in your diet. I find I always eat more on leg days and back days. These are the days I probably exert the most energy and have the most intensity during my wo's.
As long as you can tell the difference between muscle soreness and an oncoming injury, your fine. Your sore, that is a good thing..muscle fibers have been torn up and are ready to repair themselves. Usually, I find light cardio and stretching will increase blood flow to the affected muscles, which may help diminish soreness. A bit extra vitamin C in the diet does the body good too...its an immune system booster. I take 500mg before and after I train as a chewable.
Always warm up properly before lifting and never stretch when your muscles are cold!
JUGGERNAUT
08-08-07, 5:27 pm
I think a better question would be do you guys ever train when you are NOT sore....lol....
As long as you can tell the differance between sore and injured, you will be fine...If I did not train through soreness, I would only train one day a week..lol..
-B
haha so true! You are only sore until you warm up and do some more...
MassMonster
08-08-07, 5:27 pm
havent read through the responses.... but in my opinion it depends on the degree.... is it DOMS soreness or just a lil burn you know your body so u gotta make the call...
Lowdown5
08-08-07, 5:29 pm
I constantly train when I am sore, but if I am hurt I will take an extra day to heal up and get treatment. Gotta know the difference.
Big Jawn
08-08-07, 5:36 pm
Toneee hit it on the nose, soreness is a good barometer, it tells ya you're
doing something properly, as long as you allow yourself to recover the benefits will keep stackin' up.
Malloy1344
08-08-07, 7:22 pm
yeah im pretty much always sore in some area of my body..lol.....pain is just weakness leaving the body!
to be honest...I forgot what it was like NOT to be sore....its a mixed feeling....sometimes its murderous...other times its a feeling I want...if I dont have it...its like Im missing something........
If your delts are sore from cheast day then there may be a problem, is your cheast really sore? I know it does happen sometimes, especally if you are a beginer, what i usually do is just get a pump in that muscle group, get some blood into that muscle i find it helps alot with recovery. Like a couple of sets with light wheight, higher reps, the thing is you want to avoid injuring your self, give your body time to heal.
Having really sore shoulders after chest day can mean that your form may off a little. Try protracting your shoulders when pushing the weight off of your chest and keepeing your elbows tight(not forced in).
i totally agree karmazon rest is crucial! u need 56+ hours a week of rest(sleeping, napping. etc) compared to the 6-9 hours of lifting a week if ur feelin really sore, take a day off, eat well, drink water and take all your vitamins and relax. then you can hit the wieghts even harder the next day at your full potential. PEACE
Listen up to these and these like it..No real cure for dms just have to rest up check your form. rst and eat.. The brothers have laid it down king. I and all the others here know what you are going throough...
Yo man, do not workout if your muscles are sore. The muscle is sore becasue your body is telling you not to use it. If you shoulders are hurting from bench, then something is wrong. If the muscles hurt to the touch then def dont workout.
darkside64
08-17-07, 3:08 am
I trained legs last friday. Pretty fucking hard mind you. Difficulty staying conscious, throwing up. The whole shit burger. Problem is legs are today and my teardrop is sore, and so are certain other parts. Not to the extreme, but still should skip legs(not in favor seems like wasted time) or train. ADVICE
Your muscles obviously have not recovered in a sufficient amount of time..usually soreness starts to go away within 72hours for most athletes...depends on the style of training too.
Are you eating enough to aid in recovery? What about resting those muscle groups that are sore? I always give myself a complete day of rest right before hitting legs (cause I know legs take longer to recover for me and I need sufficent rest to hit them hard on leg day anyway). I also take in more calories the day before and the day of leg training. Those muscles are surely getting a beating and being that they are a large muscle group, they need that much more fuel to aid in recovery.
Obviously, you need loads of water before, during and after training, along with replenishing your electrolytes, carbohydrates (CHO), and protein.
Stretching after training and pre wo warmups will help move that lactic acid around too.
Supplements such as Vitamins C and E are known to reduce the proliferation of free radicals, and COQ-10 and L-Carnitine have also been investigated in the treatment of DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness).
Believe this or not, but pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain which in simple terms of explaining things...goes in and picks up all the debris floating around your damaged muscle. When you overwork a muscle enough to cause pain, bits of muscle fiber actually break off. These tiny scraps of protein may clog the muscle and cause pain and inflammation. The body then has to clean house..through assistance with your diet, supplementation and adequate rest.
darkside64
08-17-07, 4:59 am
Your muscles obviously have not recovered in a sufficient amount of time..usually soreness starts to go away within 72hours for most athletes...depends on the style of training too.
Are you eating enough to aid in recovery? What about resting those muscle groups that are sore? I always give myself a complete day of rest right before hitting legs (cause I know legs take longer to recover for me and I need sufficent rest to hit them hard on leg day anyway). I also take in more calories the day before and the day of leg training. Those muscles are surely getting a beating and being that they are a large muscle group, they need that much more fuel to aid in recovery.
Obviously, you need loads of water before, during and after training, along with replenishing your electrolytes, carbohydrates (CHO), and protein.
Stretching after training and pre wo warmups will help move that lactic acid around too.
Supplements such as Vitamins C and E are known to reduce the proliferation of free radicals, and COQ-10 and L-Carnitine have also been investigated in the treatment of DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness).
Believe this or not, but pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain which in simple terms of explaining things...goes in and picks up all the debris floating around your damaged muscle. When you overwork a muscle enough to cause pain, bits of muscle fiber actually break off. These tiny scraps of protein may clog the muscle and cause pain and inflammation. The body then has to clean house..through assistance with your diet, supplementation and adequate rest.
are you saying that training too hard perhaps, may actuall destroy muscle and not build it. I mean like I said im a little more sore than usual cuz I hit it hard, and I had not trained legs in like 3 weeks.
aH HAH ha! the first time I trained legs with weights I was sore for over a week. that's cause I had never trained legs with weights and didn't know how much I could do or should do so of course I overdid it. plus you gotta walk so it takes a bit longer to recover the muscles since you use them everyday
at least you train legs. don't be an UpperBodybbuilder.
The_Dude
08-17-07, 8:18 am
When you're working out your muscle fibers are tearing, someone correct me if i'm wrong, they start to grow when you eat and rest. You do not grow when you workout but only during rest which is the reason why everyone emphasizes the words EAT and REST. I get the same way when I train legs, Im sore for 2 days straight. I love that feeling. You can also take some aspirin, which acts as an anti-inflamitory. I've heard and read that most bb'rs take aspirin so that they may train more. You can also research this on line or use your search button on this site, there are a shit load of threads on here regarding this. Good luck bro...
you said, "are you saying that training too hard perhaps, may actuall destroy muscle and not build it. I mean like I said im a little more sore than usual cuz I hit it hard, and I had not trained legs in like 3 weeks"
Muscle soreness doesnt always mean growth...let's remember that. DOMS is not an indicator of whether or not you had a "good" workout. Many people think that if they are not sore following a workout that they wasted their time. That is nonsense! To have a productive workout, you don't have to be sore for days following it.
Whenever a person trains in whichever sport, depending on the intensity, the muscles tear down but in a microscopic sense. After the torn muscles are fully recovered, new muscles will grow which are much bigger and stronger than before.
Most scientists are in agreement on one thing when it comes to DOMS, that it is caused by an eccentric muscle contraction. An eccentric contraction is defined as the lowering or lengthening of a muscle against some form of resistance, in our case..weight training right? Eccentric muscle contractions have been shown to cause a greater amount of tissue damage to the contractile tissue in the muscle. On the other side are concentric muscle
contractions or the shortening of a muscle against a resistance. These are less likely to cause large amounts of damage to a muscle cell.
Another point that has been studied in relation to DOMS are overstretching of connective tissue, (ie. tendons/ligaments), that are attached to muscles (tendons) are responsible for the pain/soreness.
As I mentioned earlier, your muscles will be able to grow to its full potential when they are fully recovered after the tissues are torn down. It is good to make sure that your body is feeling better and all soreness has gone out before training the same bodypart again. If your sore for that long..possible you have overtrained???
i am sore from my game, but really want to lift weights. i hurt my bicep, ands its bruised, and was wondering if it was still cool to do curls and shit. it just feels like a bruise pain. and i twisted my ankle, and was thinking of doing deadlifts, i htink ill be fine, but was wondering if it will make it worse
TufffGuY
09-30-07, 10:10 pm
I squatted with a brused quad muscle, really deep too. It hurt like Fuck and I almost cried but it was all good and I felt liek my muscle got a good workout cause I couldn't walk the next day lol.