Three reasons why training with muscle soreness can be dangerous

Anyone who says that has exercised and has never felt muscle soreness one day after, hasn’t really worked out. It has all happened to us, and it even gets worse on the second day due to protein metabolism, which in theory is a process that lasts approximately 48 hours.

In fact I could tell you that every change I make in my training routine comes with muscle soreness (sometimes mild, sometimes strong). Even though it is very difficult to avoid it completely, it can be reduced with the correct diet, specific exercises and of course, physiotherapy.

Although this process of regenerating muscle fibers can be seen as normal, you should understand that performing very intense or long lasting exercise sessions involving the affected muscle groups can be extremely dangerous. The three main reasons are:

1. Increases the risk of injury

Training an overloaded muscular group can cause a malfunction of the muscle, exposing yourself to a large number of injuries. Muscular tears are one of the most common.

2. Sports performance declines

Although muscle soreness is the product of a session that is likely to bring benefits in the medium and long term, it is demonstrated that working out in the short term (up to 4 days after working) certain muscle groups that are already charged may cause negative effects in performance.

3. We can generate (or worsen) muscle imbalances

It is common for our body to have stronger muscle groups than others; therefore while exercise generates a counterproductive effect on a recharged muscle group, it can impact positively in other muscle groups. This can result in the appearance or worsening of muscular imbalances in our body.

The recommendations to deal correctly with muscle soreness are very simple:

-After a very intense session that leaves us recharged, it is good to have an active rest. This involves exercising THE SAME muscle groups from the previous session but at VERY LOW intensity.

-Perform stretching.

-Use the foam roller after an intense session and in the later days. This helps release the fascia (membrane that covers the muscle tissue that is affected).

-Consume foods that contain carbohydrates, protein (include milk) and fruits.

-Stay well hydrated with water.

Remember that not exercising at all to "recover" from the soreness is NOT beneficial. It is very important to respect the recovery times and follow the above recommendations. And if someone tells you that the best thing to do to recover from a recharged muscle is another session that is equal to or more intense than the previous one, please just ignore him/her.

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