I try to do cardio everyday, which evens out to be about 4-5 days a week. I go to the gym and lift weight 2-3 times a week, but I only ever work out my upper body and abs because I feel like all the workout my legs really get, they'll get from running.
I went to a body works class last night which gave me a full body workout and I woke up this morning sore all over. My legs were so sore that I couldn't go for a run (they're that level of sore where it hurts to walk up and down stairs). Tomorrow, I was planning on going to a spin class, but my soreness has only increased throughout the day and I know it won't be gone tomorrow, so how do you work through this?
I know you're supposed to give your muscles 48 hours to heal, but I always thought that was only in reference to weight lifting, as in don't workout your biceps two days in a row.
If you're supposed to do cardio every day, how does that give your leg muscles time to heal? And if you work out your legs really hard lifting weights, how do you get up and do cardio the next day? Do you just power through the soreness or are you supposed to wait until you're not sore anymore?
Recommend
Comments (12)
I'm no expert, but I've heard that if you work a sore muscle that it could lead to injury. Instead of doing a cardio workout that involves legs, you could do an upper body cardio that way you're still getting your cardio in for the day but you're also allowing your body a chance to heal.
I do intense cardio workouts 4 times a week - one for resting and one for slow recuperating stretches and minimal exercise. I stopped feeling sore after the first three workouts. I mean, I could do these intense workouts for 7 days and I don't feel sore at all. My body adjusts to it. Just wondering, you stretch, right? I spend 20 minutes stretching each day... Not really sure how most body works.
When I'm sore, and I'm talking can't-walk-up-the-stairs sore, I ride my bike or a stationery bike the day after my very hard workout. Sometimes I'll even do the elliptical - it flushes out the lactic acid in your legs and it eases your soreness so that 48 hours after the hard workout, you can get somewhat back into it again!
It seems to work for me anyway!
Or just take a day off. Hah
I'm not sure how healthy my habits are, but I know that when I am so sore I can barely move doing a workout is the only thing that helps. stretching everyday prevents a lot of my soreness. So I guess I say work through it. slowly.
I know exactly what you mean! Sometimes I'll do those workouts by zuzana on bodyrocktv, and the next day I can barely move. So on those days I just go on a really long fairly fast paced walk. I also take long strides, so that I can feel my leg muscles stretching. It helps a lot!!
Lighten the workout load the next day. Lessen the impact, like walk for a bit or move around in a pool. then do a little stretching and warm up the muscles from a very short, very light jog, and then concentrate on flexibility and stamina--- yoga/stretching, stability excercises. stability, I mean balancing on both feet, even out your weight distribution, and as for stretching, be gentle. don't force the muscles to challenge your range of motion, rather, to relax the muscles and promote blood flow during the sore days. then some sort of light workout to keep the muscles warm 8 ]
After an intense workout, I usually like to do a complete body stretch and a long relaxing walk the next day. I feel that if you continuously use your muscles you would start to feel better as the day goes by.
For example, when you wake up you'll feel sore, but instead of sitting down or lying in bed longer, you could walk it off or take a warm shower to ease out.
ok, i'm actually a practicing personal trainer so here goes....It is perfectly fine to do daily cardio work. But this goes with the exception that you are able to. For those who's ability simply isn't up to that yet, it may be too strenuous and they'll need to have a break between sessions. If you find that a day after a work out, your legs are too soar to run than I would suggest spending a session stretching, and slowly walking. Muscles in general have a great ability to loosen up during steady activity. STRETCH!!!
But basically, there is no rule for this other than what your body is capable of at you current situation.
great post, thanks for asking this question, I've wondered it myself.
I was raised in ballet. We had no choice but to power through, so I take what I learned at the barre to the gym. And the only way you'll build lean muscle is if you power through. You don't feel pain in your legs when you run because your legs have plateaued, which is why they are sore from body works. Spinning is hard. My butt hurt for days, as well as my abs and my legs. It's a great class though.
If you're really sore, you shouldn't power through anything else; you could hurt yourself.
When I began stretching after excersize, I noticed a lot less soreness the next day. Next time you have a rigorous session, try to spend a few minutes stretching afterwards.
stretching, cold showers and > LIGHT < exercise, if you must exercise.
I'm under the school of thought where, if you can't work it to its optimum,
don't waste your time. But definite major emphasis on stretching.