Should I Workout Again If I’m Still Sore : Here’s How To Decide
“Should I workout again if I’m still sore from a previous workout?”
It doesn’t matter if you are a gym beginner or seasoned lifter – we’ve all been sore after a workout at some point!
This muscle soreness is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – or you may have heard it called DOMS for short.
Normally it’s manageable, and we can go about our day or push through another workout with no issues.
Other times, it’s a struggle to dry our hair because our arms feel tender, sitting down in a chair is tough because our legs are aching – and the thought of doing another workout again right away is hard to bear!
In this post I’ll chat to you about what DOMS is, factors in your workout program that can cause you to get sore and how to ease the pain when it does happen.
What Is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?
When you lift weights, you are essentially causing microscopic tears in the muscle fibres, which your body then has to repair, and recover from in order for your body to adapt and get stronger.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS for short), is just a side-effect of the repair process.
Symptoms of DOMS include:
- general muscle soreness
- body feels stiff, tight or tender
- temporary reduced range of motion
- temporary reduction in strength
These symptoms will usually start to develop around 12-24 hours after workout, and you may feel at your sorest around 24-72 hours.
DOMS in general, isn’t something to worry about, as usually any soreness will go away after 3-5 days.
Plus, the more consistently you workout and as your body adapts to certain exercises, the severity of the soreness will probably lessen or reduce in frequency!
What Workout Factors Contribute To DOMS?
Ever wonder why sometimes you feel sore after a workout, and other times you feel totally fine?
If you are sore after a workout it may have been because:
- You’ve tried a brand new exercise you’ve NEVER done before
- You’ve started a NEW training program
- You’ve NEVER lifted a weight before or are new to weight training
- You did an exercise that you HAVEN’T done in a long time
- You took a BREAK from exercise for a period of time or you’ve been INCONSISTENT
- You used a HEAVIER weight than the week before
- You focused on TEMPO and TIME UNDER TENSION
- You’ve really focused on the LENGTHENING portion (eccentric phase) of an exercise (eg; lowering the dumbbells slowly in a bicep curl)
note: if you are EXCESSIVELY sore all the time, it could be an indicator of overtraining and not recovering properly from your intense workouts.
(you shouldn’t feel shooting pains in joints or bones etc with DOMS. if you the soreness or pain does not subside, do consult your doctor or health professional as it could be sign of injury.)
When Should You Prioritize Rest With DOMS?
This will really depend on the severity of soreness you are feeling.
If you are EXTREMELY sore all over and in absolute agony – I would suggest TAKING A REST DAY.
If your range of motion is seriously reduced or it feels painful to perform daily activities – it’s likely you won’t be able to perform a workout to the best of your abilities anyway.
In this case, prioritize rest and get back to working out when you feel recovered!
Remember that your muscles need time to repair and recover, so rest days are super important and will have a positive impact on your overall progress in the gym!
If you are STILL keen on doing some kind of movement, then I suggest opting for something a bit more restorative rather than another intense session.
Think a walk, swim or gentle yoga flow. These kinds of activities can help get the blood flowing to the muscles without adding more stress to your body!
When Is It Okay To Workout When Sore?
Like I said above, if your body overall feels like it’s pretty wrecked, take a rest from the weights and get back to them in a couple of days when your body has fully recovered.
However, maybe your muscles are feeling just a *bit* achy, and you aren’t feeling excessively sore in any areas.
In this case I’d say it’s generally okay to proceed with another workout – if you feel up to it.
Something I would suggest in this case however, is to consider what type of workout you have planned and if it’s hitting the same body parts that feel slightly tender.
For example – if your legs are feeling sore from a workout you did yesterday, maybe you could do an upper body workout instead, as that will target different muscles and give your legs an extra break.
If you are doing hitting the same areas that feel sore, just make sure to do a warm-up, and be prepared to switch anything up if you need to!
How To Reduce Soreness & Promote Recovery
Sadly, there’s no way of completely eliminating DOMS once we get it – we just have to wait it out 😂
However, there are some things we can do to help reduce the severity of the soreness we are feeling after a workout and increase recovery in the future.
- Prioritise rest days. Whether sore from a workout or not, you should still plan to take rest days from the gym. Your body needs time to repair and recover. How many rest days you take will be up to you, your workout schedule and how you feel. I suggest AT LEAST 1-2 rest days from lifting weights per week. You can still do some form of movement on your rest days IF YOU WANT TO, but try to keep it low-intensity. This is called ‘Active Recovery’. Things like yoga, swimming, an outdoor walk etc are good examples.
- Ease yourself into a new program. Often when we start a new program, we might find ourselves feeling more sore than usual until our body adapts. Make sure to increase intensity & progress with weights gradually.
- Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can have negative effects on muscle building and recovery. Make sure to stay hydrated before, during and after your workouts.
- Stretch it out. Static or dynamic stretching can help increase blood flow and range of motion at the joints. Although it won’t eliminate soreness completely, it can often give temporary relief.
- Be consistent with your workouts. The more consistent you are with your scheduled workouts, the more likely your body will get used to the movements or activity that you are doing, meaning overtime you will experience less soreness.
- And lastly, listen to your body. Whether you’ve been training for a while, or just starting out, ALWAYS listen to your body. Take note of how you feel before and after your workouts. If you are just starting out with exercise, take things slowly and increase intensity gradually. Similarly, if you’ve been working out for a while and feel constantly fatigued and sore, maybe consider reducing your workout days and taking more rest.
Other ways to ease the symptoms of delayed onset muscles soreness include : eating enough protein, getting plenty of sleep and gentle self-massage techniques.
Not Feeling Sore Post-Workout?
Whilst a small bit of muscle soreness can be a reminder that we have lifted or moved our bodies in certain way, being sore or in absolute agony all the time is not the ultimate indicator of an effective or *good* workout.
If you are constantly struggling to tie your hair up, sit down on the toilet or in serious pain in the few days after you workout – it’s going to be much harder for you to do your next workout, or be consistent with exercise.
In fact, I would say if you are rarely getting sore from your workouts – that’s a bloody good thing!
It means you can keep doing your weekly workouts, which means you’ll gain strength and progress better!
Conclusion
While it can be tempting to just go ahead and push through another weight training session, don’t be afraid to take rest days as and when you need to.
Take into consideration how your body is feeling, assess the severity of your soreness & consider the type of workout you’re going to do!
Remember there is absolutely no harm in prioritizing rest, and know that it will help you progress better in the gym long-term!
Jane XOXO
If you liked this post you may like:
- 10 Upper Body Warm-Up Exercises For A Better Workout
- 7 Simple Tips To Help Overcome Gym Anxiety For Beginners
- 80+ Helpful Fitness Terms To Know As A Beginner
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