What do you guys do when you’re really sore from a workout?
It’s funny, when I started routinely lifting weights a few years ago, I entered into a state of perpetual soreness. I would lift weights one day, wake up sore the next day, it would last 1-2 days, I’d heal and then it was time for another session and the whole process started again. As I got better at strength training and my body was stronger, I had to increase the amount of weight I lifted in order to get that same soreness. It was a cool feeling to be strong enough to lift weights and NOT be sore the next day.
With my cardio conditioning, I haven’t really felt that much soreness with my running or cycling that I do. The biking to work has made my legs stronger and improved my running and I still use swimming as my recovery activity when I’m sore (it helps!).
That being said, I recently hit a wall. My biking schedule for the bulk of the summer has been Mon-Wed-Fri. While I like it and it works great for me in my training, I realized this week that the schedule was too much. The reason it was too much was because by Monday I felt like crap. Fridays I biked to work, Saturdays I hit the weights hard and ran, Sunday I swam and by the time Sunday night arrived and I was packing my bag for Monday’s bike ride I was done. My body was done.
I was sore. I was tired. I was mentally tired. My hips had been sore for a week (something that doesn’t happen often). My calf muscles had huge knots in them and when Michael pressed on them I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. My quads were tight and achy and no amount of foam rolling was going to fix them in time to ride to work the next day. Even my beloved Biofreeze couldn’t help me:
I took a day off.
There is a reason that my workout routine has been Friday, Saturday, Sunday, REST MONDAY, Tuesday, Wednesday, rest Thursday. The reason? Because my body needs a rest after 3 days of working out. I cannot do physical activity for 4 or 5 days in a row. It hurts.
I recognized that I was getting close to overtraining and did not want an overuse injury. Been there, done that. Sometimes it’s ok to take an unscheduled day off. So that’s what I did. It didn’t take much convincing, either. I knew I needed a break.
The plan was to go for a run on Tuesday after work. Yeah…….that didn’t really happen. I met my friend Sam for happy hour at East Burn, one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. The food is always fantastic, the service is always friendly and the atmosphere is just plain cool. Sam and I sat out on the back patio surrounded by bamboo and sitting next to a fountain. It was a nice night.
Sam and I shared all our happy hour eats. We got the pulled pork sliders on tiny brioche buns, mac n’ cheese and the spinach and pear salad. Everything tasted wonderful. The sliders were small but satisfying. The mac n’ cheese was so good I wanted to order another (but I didn’t).
Tuesday nights are also $2 pint night! Score! I got the Mojo IPA Nitro. It was good, a lighter IPA than I’m used to (which is strange since it was a nitro) but I liked it. Sam got the Coffee IPA from Migration. I do NOT like my beer to taste like coffee. And I don’t want my beer to taste like chocolate, either. I’m purist, I guess. But I had a sip of Sam’s beer and it was surprisingly good. Then we shared a Diablo Rojo from Boneyard (my current favorite brewery).
After spending a few hours at the restaurant, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and then I headed home. Still planning on going for a run. I got home and decided I just wasn’t into it. So I took another rest day. Instead of exercising, Michael and I walked a mile around the nearby track.
The walk was sufficient. I did not beat myself up for skipping another workout. My body obviously needed it. I biked to work on Wednesday and felt rested, physically better and mentally better. 510 calories in the morning and 450 in the afternoon.
Thursday after work I went to the gym to do a short workout followed by yoga. My body desperately needed it! I’m glad I took the break earlier this week. It felt so good to have two days off in a row.
QUESTION: Do you listen to your body and take breaks?
Marc
Yes, I listen to my body. Lately it’s been yelling, “move it, fatso!” I don’t like the way it talks to me. In all honesty, at my age what seems to work is one day on and two days off for recovery. You’ll find out, getting old ain’t easy:)
Lisa Eirene
Glad you found something that works for you. I’ve learned the hard way that I do best with 2 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, rest.
Beth
It sounds like you’re really doing the right thing and taking some time off when you need to. I think I’m better than a lot of people about taking a rest day when I need to, but if I’m training for something really big I’ll sometimes push through when maybe I shouldn’t.
Your beers sound fantastic. Gotta love microbrews.
Lisa Eirene
Learning when to push through it & when to listen is hard. Slowly learning that…
Alex @ Brain, Body, Because
It’s so hard to tell whether my body is saying, “I’m lazy” or “I need to rest.”
Unfortunately, I tend to push when I shouldn’t.
Lisa Eirene
Haha! Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish.
Krissy
I’m glad to hear you had perpetual soreness when you began lifting weights too. I just started a strength training routine, and I have been constantly sore…hopefully the soreness will subside soon. But, there are definitely times when I realize my body needs a break, and I take them.
Lisa Eirene
Yeah…the soreness is nice but can get old quick. It isn’t always there, which is good!
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance
I try and listen to my body, but I could definitely do better. I think I push myself too much sometimes–I hate taking extra “rest” days (I always take one day off for sure). But . . . I’m a work in progress! This summer was a true test when I injured myself hiking and had to rest for a while. I did it, and I was proud I didn’t go insane in the process. lol. And it turned out to be the best decision–to rest, and let my body repair itself. 🙂
Lisa Eirene
I’m sorry to hear you hurt yourself hiking. What happened?
I hate the extra rest days but this time I was grateful! Another sign I needed it.
Karen P
Yes! Since my regular work outs are walking/ hiking I take rest days less often. And I schedule my weight lifting so I’m recovered when I go back to the gym.
One key component of my exercise is that I do NOT work out so that I can eat more food. I work out to maintain weight loss, via : better mood, better sleep, core balance to prevent falls, prevent osteoporosis , and finally to do my photography hobby. Not so I can eat junk food, more food, or because I’m eating out or a big meal later that day.
Because I don’t exercise to eat more or burn off a binge (exercising off a bad diet doesn’t work) that helps me take a break. Good topic. KarenP
Lisa Eirene
That’s a good balance. I don’t workout do I can eat more but I sometimes do eat more because I’m hungry.