Download We are starting week 3 and some of you might be feeling some

We are starting week 4 and some of you might be feeling some soreness from your workouts.
It's common for beginners to experience muscle soreness that lasts for a week or two, just as
seasoned exercisers will be sore after a tough work out. Yes, you should keep working out
even though you are sore, but there is more to it than that.
Muscle soreness has two primary causes. The first soreness you experience happens during
your workout ("the burn") and should subside within a couple of hours. This is caused by
lactic acid production. When you are training and your muscles are not getting enough
oxygen (anaerobic glycolysis), lactic acid builds up. You can break down lactic acid by
continuing to move and by doing light aerobic exercise (such as walking) after your workout.
This is why cool-downs are so important, especially for beginners. The longer you cool down,
the faster that lactic acid will leave the muscles (typically within an hour).
The type of muscle soreness you are experiencing, up to a day or two (and sometimes even
three) after your workout is known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). DOMS is
caused by microscopic tears inside the muscles, resulting from weight-training or fully
exhausting the muscles during cardio. This is normal. Again, beginners will be more sore and
usually for longer, but if you really worked as hard as you should have during a weightlifting session, you should be somewhat sore for the next day or two.
The 30-45 minutes following a workout is a critical time to nourish your body for proper
recovery. Recovery includes muscle building, replacing your energy stores and preventing
post workout fatigue and muscle soreness
This is where rest comes in. You should rest the muscles you worked for 1-2 days after a
workout. Take at least one day off between strength training sessions, and if you are still
very sore, take 2 days off. However, it is VERY important to realize that this means take 2
days off from lifting, not from all exercise such as cardio!!!
To help prevent soreness in the future, and alleviate some of it now, be sure to:
1. Always warm-up for 5-10 minutes (take us up on our offers of early arrival for warm up
time!) and cool-down for at least 5 minutes.
2. Only stretch when your muscles are already warm from some kind of light activity, never
a ‘cold’ muscle.
3. Stay active. The more your muscles move, the faster they will recover from exercise and
soreness. If you choose to rest completely instead of "actively recovering" with light exercise,
you'll probably be sore longer. Active recovery would be something like going for a walk, a
bike ride or perhaps a leisurely swim. Just keep moving in some fashion.
Bernadette – Trainer
Sheaffin’ OFF the Pounds
BOOMers w/Bods