I've just started training again recently, so naturally after being at the gym, my muscles ache for a few days. My question is, do I keep training with aching muscles (maybe just lesser exercises at home) or do I rest entirely until they're back to normal? I want to keep training but don't want to cause an injury or prolong the aching. Thanks. :good
All of the above, and maybe don't go 100% with the aching muscles until you've worked up to it. It's hard to find the balance sometimes, between aggressively working towards progress, and recklessness. But you know your body best, so work as aggressively as you can while being mindful of pain. Just curious, how old are you? How would you describe your fitness, overall health?
most likely its just lactic acid build up... you need to get it out of there... being sedentary is the worst thing for it
Cheers, lads. Speechless - I'm 21, my fitness is quite poor, if I'm honest. I'm not overweight, probably the opposite if anything. My health isn't too bad, I eat okay. I do binge drink alcohol on weekends though which I'm cutting down on!
OK, so you're still young then. If you were older, i'd be more cautious. Not to say, you shouldn`t be cautious, just not as much as if you were older. Like Virus suggested, be mindful of things that cause you pain. Also, don`t hesitate to ask others for advice. Quite often, bad form is a cause for aches. You certainly don`t want to agitate that. Try to vary up your exercises. Some guys come in and want to hit a bag for a whole hour. Take part in the fitness classes if your gym offers any. If not, get advice on different exercises to do, that way you`re not working the same muscles & joints excessively.
It's just your body getting used to it again from what it sounds like. The post-workout soreness is always initially worse after taking a break.
Train through it, a lot of beginners make the mistake of waiting until they feel perfect again. Then when they lift again they feel sore again, because it's been so long. Your body adapts quickly.
Thanks. :good I trained again last night, still aching and after a while I felt better than when I started.
Just go for training even when aching unless it's pain you are dealing with. Most times, the aches goes away after stretching and some training. Eventually, it'll all go away.
The more you train, the less you'll ache (in general). Have an epsom salt bath after a particularly tough training sesh. You'll get to a point where you crave that burn
Eat a good healthy balanced diet which consists of mainly natural foods that are unprocessed. This will aid in having a healthy body which can recover from exercise well. You could also invest in a foam roller, a firm one, so you can massage your muscles yourself which will help to eleviate soreness. If you are unsure of how to use a foam roller use youtube or websites to find out how to hit the muscles which are sore. Have a look at how olympic weightlifters use the foam-roller as they are masters at it due to the need for them to be so flexible and not have any naughts in their muscles for their sport. Olympic weightlifting websites and lifters on youtube will have a wealth of knowledge.
