When Are You Too Sore to Workout?

Finding the Balance Between Recovery and Progress

We’ve all been there—those post-workout aches and pains that make you question if you can even walk, let alone hit the gym again. But how do you know when you’re really too sore to exercise? And more importantly, when can you push through without risking injury or overtraining?

The Importance of Recovery

Soreness is a normal part of the fitness journey. Known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), this feeling typically kicks in 12-48 hours after intense exercise. It’s a sign that your muscles are recovering from the strain and rebuilding stronger. That said, recovery is just as important as the workout itself. Without proper recovery, you decrease your bodies ability to build muscle and increase the risk of overuse injuries, fatigue, and burnout, which can slow down your long-term progress.

When to Rest, When to Move

While rest is crucial for recovery, being sore doesn't always mean you need to skip your workout entirely. In fact, doing some low-intensity exercises can actually help reduce stiffness and increase blood flow to the muscles, speeding up the recovery process.

Signs You Might Be Too Sore to Push Hard:

• Sharp or intense pain in specific muscles or joints (this could signal an injury).

• Pain that persists or worsens with movement.

• Fatigue or weakness beyond just muscle soreness.

If you're feeling any of these signs, it’s best to give yourself a full rest day or engage in active recovery like light stretching, yoga, or walking. This Basic Vinyasa Yoga Practice with Hannah completely fits the bill and your body will thank you.

Signs You Can Still Exercise:

• General muscle soreness without pain or discomfort in joints.

• Mild tightness that doesn’t impede movement.

• You feel energized and able to perform low-impact exercises.

In these cases, you can still stay active, but consider lowering the intensity. Try doing some light strength training with reduced weights or activities like cycling, swimming, walking. These exercises will keep your body moving without overloading sore muscles. We love this Active Recovery Workout with Liz!

Soreness doesn’t necessarily mean you need to completely halt your workout routine. Listen to your body and find the balance between pushing yourself and allowing time for proper recovery. On those days when you’re sore, aim for lower-intensity exercises that promote blood flow and mobility—this will help you recover faster, reduce stiffness, and still stay on track toward your fitness goals.

Remember, progress is made over time, not just in one intense workout session.

Consistently Good

My tennis coach told me recently that it looked like one of my biggest hurdles I needed to get over is not letting one bad shot ruin the next 5-10 minutes of my game. The inability to leave the mistake behind and stay present in the now, is costing me the match. Why in the world should I expect to be perfect in every moment of every game. That’s unrealistic, right? In the two-plus decades of his professional career, tennis legend, Roger Federer won nearly 80% of his matches. But when broken down by point by point, his percentage of wins drops down to 54%. One of the greatest tennis players in history won barely more than half of the points he played. It appears that being consistently good can be a roadmap for success.

Consistently good vs. perfect

Do we expect too much from ourselves? When we aren’t perfect, is it too easy to throw in the towel and give up? Do we believe that we can actually achieve great things simply by being consistently good?! No one wants to be mediocre at something, but maybe being mediocre over time is actually the best thing for us.

Achieving any goal will require facing challenges, having setbacks, and moments of self-doubt. It’s unrealistic to expect perfection every single day. Learning to be consistently good is the most effective strategy for ultimately reaching your goals.

Why consistently good is a better strategy for reaching our goals:

1. Reduces Pressure: Striving for perfection can create immense pressure and stress. By aiming to be consistently good, you allow yourself room to grow and make mistakes without feeling like a failure.

2. Builds Sustainable Habits: Perfection is often unsustainable, leading to burnout. Consistency fosters habits that are realistic and maintainable over the long term.

3. Encourages Progress Over Perfection: Small, regular improvements accumulate over time, leading to significant progress. Consistently good efforts compound into success more reliably than sporadic attempts at perfection.

4. Increases Enjoyment: When the pressure to be perfect is removed, the process becomes more enjoyable. This enjoyment can motivate you to stick with your habits and goals.

5. Promotes Learning and Adaptation: Mistakes and imperfections are valuable learning opportunities. Consistent effort allows you to adapt and improve, while perfectionism often leads to stagnation.

So how do we establish consistency:

1. Set Realistic Goals: Break your larger goal into smaller, achievable tasks. This makes it easier to maintain consistency and measure progress without the burden of perfection.

2. Be Flexible!: Develop a daily or weekly schedule that incorporates time for working on your goal. A flexible routine helps you adapt to life's unpredictabilities while staying consistent. You may need to modify the task or pivot and do something different.

3. Use Reminders and Tools: Utilize calendars, apps, or alarms to remind you of your tasks. Tools like habit trackers can help visualize your progress and keep you motivated. This is what we love about our BBH Fit Coaching App!

4. Stay Accountable: Share your goals with friends, family, or a mentor. Our BBH clients know better than anyone that their weekly training sessions with their trainers help them best stay accountable and provide much needed encouragement.

5. Start Small and Grow: Begin with small, achievable tasks to build momentum. Gradually increase the difficulty or time commitment as you become more consistent.

6. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate your progress, no matter how minor. This positive reinforcement encourages continued effort and consistency.

Takeaway:

Embrace imperfection. Accept that mistakes are part of the journey. Notice them. and have a plan for moving forward. Consistently good rather than perfect is a mindset that reduces pressure, builds sustainable habits, and fosters progress. By establishing consistently good habits and following through with the next steps, you can reach your goals and even surpass them. Embrace the power of consistent goodness, and watch as it propels you toward success in every endeavor.