While there are times that pain is bad, there are also times that pain is good. After a workout, you should feel a little sore. Aches in the muscles and pains in the areas that you’ve worked on are nothing to be worried about, as long as they don’t stick around. Here are six reasons a post workout ache isn’t anything to worry about.
You’re Using Muscles More
Your muscles have to put more effort in, so they feel the pain afterwards. It’s like walking after a few days of sitting stationary or laying in bed.
They’re getting the movement that they’ve not had for a while and need time to get used to it. The more you workout, the less these pains will be.
Your Muscle Tears During the Workout
Micro tears appear during any workout.
These heal on their own over the next 24 hours, and are actually good for the muscle.
You become stronger from the healing process, and eventually the muscles will stop tearing as much. You know when a tear is bad enough to be worried about. Not only will you feel it, but you can usually see the bruising form. The pain will also be intense and last days.
Lactic Acid Builds Up
You will usually feel a pain that is common referred to as cramp. This is a buildup of lactic acid and perfectly normal. While nobody really understands why this happens, the most popular theory is that the body wants to reject the workout and tries to fight against it
. The acid buildup happens afterwards, usually a few hours later and is especially painful if you don’t stretch off properly after your workout.
It’s in the Groups You’ve Worked On
Signs that the pain is from the workout is when it affects all the groups that you’ve been working on.
You may find muscles that you never knew existed, like the buttocks after a good running workout. Usually, the muscles just need stretching to ease off.
Now and then, you will need to delay your next workout to give the groups a chance to ease off. You should leave a week between group workouts anyway to give the muscles a chance to build and repair.
Your Body Is Dehydrated
It doesn’t sound good, but it means there is no damage to your muscles. Dehydration affects the muscles because it means they don’t have the water they need.
You may also find that they are empty of electrolytes. It’s important to put the fluid and nutrients back into your body and help to ease the pain.
You’re Pushing Yourself
You should feel the pain if you’ve pushed yourself hard enough. Remember it’s your muscles getting used to the workout.
If you stop feeling the pain, there is a chance that you need to do more. Your muscles have gotten used to the workout and now find it too easy. You’re not going to gain any benefit if you don’t up your game.