My Muscles Are Sore But It Feels Good

by healthy_blogging

Sometimes people complain that working out is a physically uncomfortable experience and they use it as an excuse to avoid fitness training altogether. Well, anyone accustomed to intense exercise is familiar with muscle soreness. I'm talking about muscle soreness which is completely distinct from muscle pain. In the latter case, any sharp or acute pain could be an indication of physical injury and the person experiencing it should seek medical help as soon as possible to prevent long term damage to the body. But what I'm talking about is the soreness you get from a good hard workout in the gym or some other intense physical activity.

I regularly workout with free weights at my local gym. I'm a strength trainer which means that my workouts focus on developing my body to lift very heavy loads of weight. Because of my intense training program I put my body through a lot of work to achieve the results that I'm after. Quite often, hours after I've left the gym, I'll begin to feel soreness in my muscles. Actually I welcome this feeling because it is an indication that my body indeed met the challenge that I imposed upon myself and I know that I'll be able to do more of the same the next time I train those muscle groups. The soreness that I feel is what sports physiologists and physicians often refer to as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. (This soreness is different than the burning sensation you may experience while you are actually performing workout sets at the gym. This pain is caused by the build up of lactic acid within the muscle, lactic acid is a natural by-product of glycogen metabolism for physical activity. Usually this burning sensation will wear off after a few seconds as you allow yourself a brief rest before going on to your next set.)

DOMS is something that does not happen immediately, because it is actually the result of the body working to repair tiny microscopic tears within the muscle fibers that were stressed during your workout. This is process of tissue tearing and repair is perfectly normal. People who are new to working out or have been out of physical activity for a prolonged amount of time will experience it most intensely and it is these people who are more likely to become discouraged by what they are feeling and discontinue working out. What I'd like for those of you who are novice weight trainers to keep in mind is that the soreness you are feeling right now may be very annoying, you may have a lot of difficulty putting on your shirt, jeans or getting out of bed but your body is actually becoming stronger as a result. At the end of this process those muscle fibers will have become stronger and larger leading to increased strength. Even those of us who have been working out for years still experience muscle soreness -although for shorter duration than with the novice- and many of us accept it as part of the territory, a necessary component of a healthier, stronger body.

If you reach a point where you no longer feel the soreness, it maybe that your muscles have adapted to the exercises you're performing. When this happens, the body no longer experiences the challenge and your strength will begin to taper off and plateau. The way around that is to modify the exercises, continuing to add more weight. One thing people often wonder is if they should just go ahead and train those sore muscles anyway. DOMS generally subsides after a few days, during that time I would not put undue stress on those muscles because if I work them before they have had a chance to heal, I'd be slowing down the healing process. That is why it is best to work different muscle groups on different days, this way you get a full body workout allowing some muscles to get exercise while others get a much needed rest. What happens is that my body becomes stronger and I'm able to increase the intensity the next time I hit the gym.

What should a person do when they feel that soreness creeping in? Muscle rubs are good for alleviating soreness as are hot showers, cold packs. From personal experience a good hot shower tends to ease the soreness and I make it a point to not over-exert the sore muscles until the discomfort subsides which is usually within two or three days. Also remember to eat properly, a diet of high quality protein such as lean meats, chicken and fish; moderate fats such as fish oil, nuts and olive oil; and carbohydrates such as wheat, dark green vegetables and fiberous fruits will keep your body running smoothly and speed up muscle recovery.

Workouts should be fun, the human body thrives on challenge. Don't let a little muscle soreness keep you from achieving your fitness goals. At the same time, be reasonable and listen to your body. If you are in real pain, stop your workout immediately and seek medical attention. Never start any exercise or nutrition program without consulting your health care provider.

This article discusses delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS and offers some useful tips for alleviating it. This information is for the layman and is not an academic paper. Nor is the material herein intended to advise anyone on any health care issues, treatments or diagnoses. Living Fit, Healthy and Happy does not provide medical advice of any kind and does not diagnose or treat any condition. If you have a medical question please consult your health care provider.

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