MUSCLE SORENESS

When it comes to training, muscle soreness can be off-putting. If you don’t feel like you can move comfortably, then why would you expect to have a good session?

Many think that a rest day is in order, but chances are - it probably isn’t.

If you are injured, this information does not apply. We are talking about the general soreness and stiffness that comes a day or two after exercise that makes it uncomfortable to move.

When you train, you are causing tiny micro ‘tears’ in the muscle. This is what gives you that sore sensation one to two days later. The body will treat these tears by inflaming, repairing and recovering to adapt to the stress you put on the muscle. This is how we get stronger, develop and retain muscle mass to give our bodies shape.

This happens every time we train, but we get used to the soreness and it stops becoming an issue as we train consistently. We adapt to the sensation so that we can get on with our lives, but it does takes time.

If you have a session after some time off or you stimulate an unexpected amount of stress during your workout - then the soreness will kick in!

Many people actually chase the soreness as an indicator that they pushed themselves, but you shouldn’t put your focus on the bi-product. You should put the focus on the action - so keep your mind on being stronger in the gym and you probably won’t feel fresh as a daisy the next day. That been said, soreness is not an indicator of progress - you can have a great session and not have that uncomfortable sensation afterwards.

Even with this soreness you can still train and even progress. Yes, you will be more uncomfortable and the sensation may inhibit your movement or strength, but your body will adapt and as you move, the feeling of soreness will reduce, your mobility will increase and you can still move towards your goal rather than resting. The more often you train, the more opportunities you create to get fitter and stronger and as the breaking down of muscle occurs even when there is no soreness - you are safe to do so.

In order to do this, you will want to spend a little more time on your warm up and get blood flowing through the target areas. This will help you ease into your movements and give you that freedom to give the highest amount of effort to your exercises.

Here is a simple rule to try that can be surprisingly effective when it comes to muscle soreness.

If you feel like you need a rest day, train anyway and take a rest the following day. You will be surprised as to how well you can train when you are uncomfortable. When you do that, you build a resilience that will serve you well for those uncomfortable last reps in a set.

Be smart, listen to your body - but know that when it has that delayed soreness from exercise, it’s trying to give you an excuse.