Is It is ok to be sore after a hard workout?
493911
Absolutely.  In fact it is normal to be sore if you work out hard for the first time in a while.  Next time you work out, I would suggest working out your legs (leg press, squats etc.) and doing only a light arm workout to get the soreness out.  If you keep up the workouts you will get sore less and less.\n\nBut remember to alternate your workouts (i.e. upper body one time, lower body the next).  You get stronger because your muscles actually break down and regenerate stronger to accommodate the heavier loads, and if you don't give them time to heal, then you won't get any stronger and you won't have as much energy.
1171421
You need to drink lots of water. If you are that sore, then you must be sweating it out by the buckets! Also, plain water is not the best. Drink something that balances your electrolyets, like Gatorade or some similar product. If you don't want to go broke buying Gatorade, make your own. Just mix Kool-Aid or whatever brand you prefer (non-sweetened) with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. This replaces what your body loses during the workout. I would recommend drinking 1 liter of water for every hour you are working out, and following up with one liter of Gatorade and continued water until bed. Also, keep water by your bedside and drink it regularly when you wake up at night (to turn over or to get up and go to the bathroom). Doing these things will prevent your body from getting too dehydrated from the work out and will rebalance your electrolytes. Also, do not strenuously work out the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. This does more harm than good as the muscle does not have time to repair and grow between workouts. DO however stretch the muscles thoroughly and make sure that you do not "nurse" them the next day. Stretching a couple times throught the day, combined with your normal activity, will help to release the lactic acid from the muscles as quickly as possible. The less you drink and the more you "nurse" the muscle, the longer you will be sore. Finally, eat banans and raisins as your snacks. These are high potassium fruits and will help to prevent muscle cramps, especially at night. I learned all these things the hard way when I began working out. I hope what I have learned helps you!
1177898
It doesn't mean that your training is ineffective, just not as effective as it might be.  Muscle soreness is a sign that you're tearing down the muscle fibers, forcing them to rebuild bigger and stronger.  If your muscles are not getting sore after a workout, you are probably not pushing them hard enough.  This means you should increase the weight that you perform exercises with (not increasing sets/reps).\n\nStudies have shown that workout intensity is the number one factor in stimulating myodilation (muscle growth).  Intensity means putting up as much weight as you can for as many reps as you can.  This translates into sets of 6-8 reps until failure followed by several forced repetitions (a spotter helps you lift the weight after you have reached muscle failure with the full weight).  Of course make sure you are warmed up properly before attempting any heavy weights.  With this kind of training, you should experience extreme strength and muscularity gains (assuming you follow proper nutrition for a weightlifter).  High-intensity training allows you to workout much less often as your muscles and nervous system need more time to recover following your workout.  You should not work any particular muscle group more than once in a 5-day period.\n\nSo, basically, lift harder and heavier and you'll get better results.
1166996
No. This is DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. It means you tore the muscle, and certain chemicals leak out of the muscle and cause pain. You can grow muscle with having DOMs or without - in other words if your muscle are not sore the next day it doesn't mean they didn't grow.\n\nJohn
428026
Good carbs, plenty of protein, well planned rest and hydration, and hard workouts but only when you are well rested, don't overtrain damaged muscles, you'll end up injured.  Most importantly, enjoy your workouts, it will keep you coming back.
132133
You need to talk to a personal trainer about your routine. There are terms we use called microcycles, macrocycles and periodization which are short-term and long-term variations in programs that work together to keep your fitness moving forward.  Each week's change in exercise focus gives the body a new stress to adapt to while providing a chance for the body to recover from the previous stress.\n\nHere's a sample:\nhttp://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Periodization.html\n\nJust as a side note, just because you don't feel delayed muscle soreness that doesn't mean you're not having an effective workout.  That's a misconception.\n\nIt's too lengthy to explain further for the purposes of this forum, but the concepts are readily available in several text books that focus on strength conditioning.
263414
When you work out your muscles get tiny tears in them, this along with lactic acid build up secreted by the muscles during exercise are what make you feel sore. When your body undergoes protein synthesis and muscle regeneration the tears are healed with another layer of muscle tissue. Over time the tissue will increase a noticeable amount and will increase the size of the actual muscles. In order for protein synthesis and muscle generation to take place you need to work out hard with a balanced diet and plenty of fluids.
901204
Not necessarily. Depends on how many days a week you workout, and whether you use a split and what kind.\n\n My advice- if you want to permanently reduce DOMS- is to work each muscle more than once every 7 days, ideally every 4 or 5. Why is this? Yes, a muscle is completely recovered when all the soreness is gone. HOWEVER, some muscle fibers hypertrophy and then regress before some of the other fibers are completely recovered. In other words, for optimal gains you can never wait until you are completely and utterly recovered except during periods when you are giving yourself a break from working out. \n\nSo my advice would be to do a lighter workout while you are sore , and make sure that you work each muscle more than once in a 7 day period and eventually you will not have the type of soreness that will hamper your workouts.
810615
I would say d.\n\nToo much lactic acid is what causes soreness after a hard workout....  so I would think insufficient lactic acid means you're doing great!
47797
haha okok first off i admire your effort..you really went after it...so whats wrong with your legs??blood...when you worked out did you cool down..or did you sit down..when you left your workout room were you out of breath??if you didnt cool down(same exercises with lower reps and weight) you left a good amount of blood in your muscles(legs) are the biggest muscles=more pain) ..you're heart pumps oxygen rich blood your the muscles that need it ...a cool down would have help the blood get back to the heart faster..so you wont have to walk to the car feeling like you have an elephant on your back..also you could have just overwork yourself..after a workout,when you go home check your heart beat ..if i still beating fast two hours after working out ..you need it clutch down a gear..if this was recent go for a walk...you'll be less sore after work outs to!!...hope this helps..a very smart question too
1107268
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/hamstring.htm\nThis website is very informative and I hope it is of some help to you.  I did the same years ago and it HURTS!  Ouchy!  If it doesn't hurt anymore you should be ok but remember some things tore inside so be gentle on yourself.
789940
There is a popular misconception that muscles are 'broken down' by the lactic acid that builds up during exercise, but this isn't quite true.  Lactate will indeed build up to high levels in the muscle, but not lactic acid.  The reason why acidosis may occur in muscles after strenuous exercise (leading to fatigue and then later soreness) is because of the protons that build up when ATP is hydrolysed.  This will cause some damage to the muscle fibrils (within the muscle cell), and when they recover they will be replaced with greater numbers.  Note, there is no increase in the amount of muscle cells, the muscle cells just get bigger.
606852
Resistance weight training causes micro-tears to the muscles being trained; this is generally known as micro-trauma. These micro-tears in the muscle contribute to the soreness felt after exercise, called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It is the repair to these micro-trauma that result in muscle growth. Normally, this soreness becomes most apparent a day or two after a workout.\n\ntake l-glutamine around 3000mg a day to help this
640870
Sore muscles are caused by lactic acid, which builds up in your muscles naturally, and causes the burn you often feel when lifting weights or are exhausted from a soccer match. When you warm up your muscles, the increased blood flow can remove some of the lactic acid, and make your muscles feel better. To further get rid of lactic acid, try stretching, eating bananas, or drinking tonic water (gin optional). \n(the quinine in tonic water breaks down lactic acid)
913102
First tell yourself that the aches will get better the more you exercise as long as you are doing it properly.\nHeating pads and cool packs do good.\nhomemade cool pack:\n1 part water\n3 parts rubbing alcohol (higher % if you can find it)\nPut in ziplock baggie and freeze....it will not be solid, more like gel\nplus it is reusable and cheaper.\n\nEpsom Salt Baths do great to.\nOr talk to your Dr if you have the money and get a tens unit....you would be amazed how that helps.\n\nJust stretch it out before and after exersizing  to keep from getting stiff. Much luck to you!
540336
If you worked out with weights I wouldn't. You have to give them time to repair and grow. If you workout again while they are still sore you'll risk injury. You might be able to get away with that if all you were doing was calisthenics. Give yourself a day or two.
222703
Yes, it is normal for you to still be sore and feeling discomfort... however, you should not be in excrutiating pain at this point.  If you are still experiencing severe pain then get back in to see your dentist as soon as possible.  Listen to your body... it always knows best.