11 Jul Should you work out if your muscles are sore?

Here’s a common question asked by many fitness enthusiasts? If you have a tough workout and are sore the next day, should you exercise again or wait until the soreness goes away?
If the muscles are sore to the touch, or your range of motion is limited then you might want to wait an extra day and reassess your condition.
However, if it’s just general soreness that’s not severe then a light workout is the way to go. In fact, it’s actually beneficial to exercise again the next day.
If you are not overly sore, you should get right back at it, but don’t exercise as hard.
Experts say that after a workout that leaves you sore it’s beneficial to put in a light workout the next day.
That can help get rid of byproducts in your system, specifically lactic acid that builds up. This is an important part of breaking muscles down and building them back up.
Light exercises such as walking or lightly jogging on a treadmill, or using an elliptical machine at a moderate pace are good ways to bounce back after a particularly hard workout the day before.
One thing I like to do on a light workout day is put the treadmill on an incline to work the muscles in a little different way.
Also. light weight workouts can also get the blood flowing. Make sure to stretch well, too, to help alleviate soreness.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com