Should you workout if you’re sore?

Should you workout if you’re sore?

This is a  question I get a lot. Personally, I think if you can still get through a workout with proper form EFFECTIVELY then yes. You should. If you can’t even lift your leg to walk up the stairs and you want to do split squat jumps, probably not a good idea.

A lot you trying my POP Pilates or POP Cardio videos for the first time will find yourself sore the next day. Guaranteed. (I design my workouts that way! Muahaha) Personally, I LOVE this feeling. It is almost like a bittersweet reward I get for working myself hard. It also lets me know that I worked a new muscle or worked the muscle differently. This means that I challenged my body and kept things fresh. If you constantly change your workout, you will most likely be sore more often. If you keep your workouts the same for more than like 4 weeks, your body will adjust, become better and more efficient at what it’s been trained to do, and the moves will become easier. This is because the muscles become used to the moves. You don’t ever really want to get to that point if your goal is to continue changing your physique.

Now you don’t have to be immobile sore to say you had an effective workout. Nor do you even have to be sore at all to have a good workout. Our bodies all react differently and we all recover in different amounts of time. In fact, I’ve had the kinds of sore where it doesn’t kick in until day 2! I know, really weird.

WHAT CAUSES MUSCLE SORENESS? 

When you workout, you are actually creating small ruptures in your muscles. Don’t be scared, this is a normal, natural thing.

HOW DO YOU HEAL THE TEARS?

Give your muscles time to rebuild those tiny tears. Replenish and refuel yourself after a workout with carbs and protein within the 1 hr window you have after working out for the best absorption rate. You will usually be ok the next day even if you’re a little sore. Adequate sleep also helps generate the muscle fibers. It’s recommended to have 8-10 hours (I say this, but you know I’m not a good role model of that!)

HOW DO YOU PREVENT SORENESS?

Dynamic (moving around) stretching before you workout and static stretching after your workout. Make sure to foam roll to work out those knots!

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ENJOY THE SORENESS?

Haha, I’ve gotten this question a number of times and thought it’d be funny to answer. Umm, I guess I enjoy the soreness because I know what it means. To me it means I challenged by body in a different way. Nowadays when I do Pilates, it is hard for me to be sore because I have literally done every move in the book a million times, so I have to get to inventing stuff. Also, trying new forms of exercising is great for this too. That’s why I started weight lifting.

Oh but back to the question…how long does it take? I think I’ve always liked it. If you know the reason behind the pain, and why you’re going through it, you’re more likely to appreciate it and see it in a different light. It’s not pain as pain but pain as a proof of something good that’s happened.

POPSTER QUESTION: Do you like feeling sore?

18 thoughts on “Should you workout if you’re sore?”

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  1. Robbie Fey says:

    When I’m feeling sore, I know that my muscles are growing. Definitely a mind over matter situation. To help out with the soreness I use a body-iron. Helps release the muscle fascia and gets me back to healing and working out faster!

  2. @wanlikethenumber says:

    When im active in sport, I feel sore after 3-4 days. but when i havent workout in a long time, the next evening will be sore as hell. #truestory

  3. Deya says:

    She’s not really answering the question. Should you go on with exercising?
    I started the PoP Pilates for beginners and now I can’t even get up because my abs are super sore… How am,I supposed to do the Abs work out??

    1. @wanlikethenumber says:

      its like what she said… “If you can’t even lift your leg to walk up the stairs and you want to do split squat jumps, probably not a good idea.”

      Honestly u would know your body well. if you cant get up, then dont. wait til you can.

  4. John says:

    I agree about enjoying the soreness if you know what it means. Knowing your body is getting stronger, and healing is a great feeling… and I never enjoyed it more than when, doing it for the first time in years(as an actual extended workout), and having my first sit at your desk all day office job, I could feel it throughout the last couple of days. I was just looking at articles to see if they recommended working out on the third day of soreness (I have been for the most part extremely sedentary). It is funny because over the years, on exercise and the body, pilates, or any other matter I am always googling for articles, even if I know the answers, because I just enjoy the conversations and differing experiences so much.

  5. yunhae says:

    The feeling of sore is sooooo goood!! i totally love it but it hurts me a little in a gooood waaayyy!!
    i love yu cassey ho.

  6. Aja says:

    I love feeling sore. I think that was part of why I got so into your workouts when I first started them. You pushed me and I felt like I had actually done something the next day because I felt so sore. It’s kind of like a trophy.

  7. Angelina says:

    I love being sore! Like you said, it’s proof that you challenged your body in a new way. You earn you soreness haha. And I also have times when I feel the most sore 2 days later!

  8. Courtney says:

    I love being sore! Soreness is a confirmation that I’m getting something out of my workout.

  9. I love feeling sore! I feel so accomplished and know that my body is changing, which motivates me to keep going.

  10. Rebecca says:

    I adore feeling sore! It makes me feel like I’ve maximized my workout time and I like feeling exhausted (in a good way, of course). Being sore also puts me more in tune with my body and I tend to pay attention to hunger cues better and am willing to rest when my body needs it and work hard when it doesn’t. It’s hard to describe…I guess what I mean is that soreness is a good thing because it’s a sign that you’re not settling for mediocre workouts.

  11. Lex says:

    Yes, I LOVE the sore feeling a day after(although I do complain about it A LOT!) It makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished a lot from any workouts. With your POP Pilates Legsercizes video, I felt it after two days!! Even though your videos make me sore beyond belief and I work up such a sweat, it is so rewarding. 🙂

  12. Kendra Pickren says:

    I love the sore feeling! I’m actually kinda bummed when I work out and DON’T feel the soreness later on or the next day, haha. I take it the same way you do- as a sign that I worked hard. The soreness is what drives me in some ways. It’s kinda like the ads for mouthwash- the burn means it’s working. That’s how I feel about my muscles (well, my developing muscles anyway-still a beginner, but getting there :))! So for me, yes, the soreness is a good thing.

  13. I love that feeling of being sore too! Like you said I believe in challenging my body in new ways. I still workout even when I am sore, but I do something different that day, maybe a cardio day or maybe a yoga class. I like to mix it up. I have always liked being sore and especially since I work in the yoga and fitness industry I know all the benefits to challenging the body in new ways.

  14. Max says:

    I love the feeling of being sore after a workout! It lets me know I did something right! 🙂

  15. Nina says:

    Hey Cassie! Just a little FYI: delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is typically felt the most 48 hours post exercise! So the 2-day thing isn’t so weird :)! It is often caused by eccentrically loading the muscle (so for squat jumps, it’s the landing portion of the exercise that is really working the muscles in a good way!) I love the feeling of good-sore muscles…I just always make sure to stretch a little bit more te next few days.

  16. chelsea says:

    I’ve always loved feeling sore! It’s like a pat on the back from my muscles for knowing I went above and beyond lol.

  17. Mana says:

    The first video I did was your POPCardio Kick-It (apartment and all), and I felt it for two days afterwards! I didn’t feel it after the workout, though. Had to sleep and then wake up before the soreness kicked it. Weirdest thing … but that’s gone done since I’ve done it more (don’t work up any less a sweat, though!)

    I usually like the warm sore feeling after doing weight lifting exercises – it typically doesn’t last too long if I’ve maintained proper form. I think it feels kinda good in the same way you mentioned – I know why I’m sore and that knowledge turns a sore pain into a warm feeling (still sore, of course!).