Sore, stiff muscles - to stretch or no?

Natalie started this discussion · 6/13/2009

So I've been hitting the gym (and of course the pole) pretty hard lately, now that I have more free time. Trying to get stronger, in shape, all that. Anyway, now a bunch of my muscles are really sore and stiff, especially my inner thighs. Any kind of stretching hurts a lot! Now I know stretching should be done every day, but I also know it should feel like discomfort, not pain... so while these muscles are so intensely sore and stiff should I leave them alone? Or will they tighten? Will stretching them while they're this sore hurt them? I can barely sit indian style right now it hurts so much 🙁

5 replies

Trena · 6/13/2009
I wish I could help you out here Natalie but Im a little clueless in the stretching area! 🤔 Sorry! 🙁
Fleur · 6/13/2009
I wouldn't say that stretching should be done every day but I would say that stretching should be done directly after working out. Stretching the muscle groups you worked on while they are warm is more effective and may reduce soreness the next day. Stretching when you are sore can also alleviate discomfort and yes, if you are very sore it is VERY uncomfortable (ever tried a foam roller on your sore quads? OMG death!). I would encourage you to stretch but be careful and listen to your body but chances are you won't overstretch if you are very sore. Fleur
Veena · 6/13/2009
Thats great your working out in addition to pole it will help a lot!! It sound like your body is telling you to slow down and give it a rest for a bit though. When you start a new form of exercise having to deal with sore muscles WILL happen. 😈 You need to be sure your giving your body adequate rest in between the workouts, pole included. So you may need to adjust your schedule a bit to be sure you have enough time off. When you execise you want a day of rest for your body to recover in between your work outs. Exercise breaks the muscle tissue down, its the rest and heathy diet builds them back up so they can grow. 💪 Here are some tips. If your sore from working out..... Be sure your stretching AFTER, not before, during is ok too, but after is best. Never stretch a cold muscle, this is counter productive and can cause more soreness. Try a hot bath with Epsom salts MOVE....by that I don't mean more hard exercise, but sitting for long periods will leave your sore muscles feeling REALLY sore and stiff. So go for a walk, move, but do it gently, you will feel better. So some LIGHT stretching but ONLY after your body is warm, like after a walk or bath. Massage is great for sore muscles Drink lots of water. It is ok to do a workout if you are still sore, but if the stiffness/soreness doesn't get better after you have warmed up then you so take a break to prevent injury 🌸
Natalie · 6/14/2009
Thanks for the advice - I do notice they feel less tight if I walk around for awhile (when I first stand up I can barely walk!). My day-of-rest schedule so far has been that I do a gym/pole workout no more than every other day, then some of the alternate days do yoga. I do have a couple days a week of complete rest though. I'll grab some Epsom salts though, a bath sounds nice to me! 🙂
Veena · 6/14/2009
Sounds like you have a great work out plan! You can't beat a hot bath! 😀