Yes, soreness can be a bit uncomfortable but that soreness can be a good thing!

That soreness is caused by little tears in the muscle, usually along with a bit of inflammation. Not bad tears like a pulled muscle for example. But little microscopic tears caused by performing an activity that is beyond the typical activity for the muscle.

Though soreness may not be critical to gaining strength and muscle, the body's response to that tearing may be to build up the muscle so that next time it does that same activity it doesn't get those little tears! Pretty cool--your body is super-adaptive! And extra muscle will make you look more toned and will boost metabolism. Awesome!

By the way, that "next day soreness" IS NOT in any way caused by lactic acid. Lactic acid causes the burn you feel during the activity. It builds up when your body is relying heavily on carbohydrates for fuel, basically when you are working at a level that makes you "out of breath." But within a few minutes to a couple hours that excess lactic acid is cleared out and is back to normal levels and has nothing to do with the "next day soreness."

So what can you do for that soreness? Healthy post-workout meals are important. Meals packed with protein and anti-oxidants may help accelerate the repair process.

Also, keeping the muscles somewhat active is important. If you just sit around you'll notice when you stand up those muscles feel super tight so you will probably want to keep moving.

Gentle stretching may help the discomfort a little temporarily but it will really only serve to help you "loosen up" and won't truly get rid of the soreness.

Basically it's just a waiting game with that soreness and will usually take a couple days to work itself out for new exercisers. But if you make it through that first workout soreness, often times that is the most sore you will be if you just keep up with your workouts and stay consistent.

SUBSCRIBE HERE