Is muscle soreness good or is it harmful to your muscles?

Muscle soreness after exercise is a common phenomenon and is often seen as a sign of a good workout. Many people think that muscle soreness means that their muscles are getting stronger, but is that really the case? In this blog, we dive deeper into the question: is muscle soreness good or not?

Is muscle soreness good for you?

When you use your muscles, small tears can form, especially when used intensively. When the tears heal, your body creates new muscle mass. However, if the pain is extreme, lasts longer than normal or is accompanied by swelling or loss of strength, it may indicate overuse or even muscle damage. It is important to listen to your body and take adequate rest to avoid injury.

Is muscle soreness good after exercise then?

Muscle soreness often occurs after an intense workout. Is it harmful? Although muscle soreness can be very annoying, it is not harmful. Moreover, when you repeat the same exercises more often, your muscles will get used to the workout. As a result, you will experience less or even no muscle pain, while your muscle mass will grow. So muscle pain is not a requirement to achieve results. Note, however, that if you always have muscle soreness after training, it may indicate that your body has lost too much energy. It needs the energy to repair the muscles instead of using that energy to grow muscle.

Is muscle soreness bad when exercising?

Is muscle soreness good or bad during exercise? There is no harm in exercising when your muscles are still sore from your previous workout. This does depend on what kind of muscle pain you have. For example, after a full body workout it is recommended to take at least one day of rest before you start exercising again. If you train different muscle groups, it is best to train with muscle soreness, since you will not exert the muscle group with muscle soreness much during your new workout.

Can you exercise with an infection or flu?

In general, if your symptoms or inflammation are above the neck, it is best to exercise lightly, such as walking or running. However, if you have COVID or fever, dizziness or sore muscles, it is better to exercise another time. Your body then needs time to recover.

Why does one person have muscle pain earlier than the other?

Whether or not you get muscle pain does not mean that your workout went well or not. When two people do exactly the same exercises, the same muscle damage actually occurs. So how is it that one person gets muscle pain and the other does not? It has to do with the speed at which a body releases a pain signal. Muscle pain leads to a stimulation of pain receptors outside the muscle fibers. If you have sensitive pain receptors, you will experience muscle pain faster than people who do not.

What helps with muscle pain?

There are a number of things you can do to ensure that you experience less muscle soreness after exercise. Always start your workout with a proper warm-up and finish with a cool-down. Regular exercise is good, but also keep adequate rest when you have muscle soreness. For blood flow to your muscles, it is also recommended to take a hot shower or hot bath after your workout. A massage can also work wonders. Eat enough protein to make your muscles healthy and strong. By eating protein-rich foods and hydrating enough, you can reduce muscle soreness.