Why do muscles hurt a day or two after exercise? Why dont they hurt when you do the exercise? What causes the muscles to ache? AND How do i help my muscles stop aching??
2007-01-11 19:08:17 · 4 answers · asked by Southern Belle 3 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Injuries
(Warning: lengthy answer)
When you exercise, especially during strength training, you are actually causing micro-tears in the fibers of the muscle tissue. The process of repairing these fibers thickens them and makes the tissue stronger. This is why it's not a good idea to do strength training every day, because the tissues need a chance to repair themselves.
So your muscles hurt because they're injured and inflamed (like the tender pink skin surrounding a cut in your skin). If you don't cool down properly after intense exercise they can cramp up (and I personally have had cramping issues for up to two days after forgetting to cool down).
The reason they don't hurt right away is because 1) you have to 'damage' them first and 2) the endorphins your body produces while you're exercising are natural painkillers.
The best way to get the muscles to stop aching is to massage them. I'm not sure why this works. The second best way, and most time-effective, is Ibuprofen (Advil, motrin, etc). It reduces the inflammation of the muscles. A warm shower (or sauna) will heat the muscles and relax them, so will stretching. Stretching will also keep the muscles from knotting up and reducing your range of motion (and causing you actual pain).
But preemptive action will do the most to reduce the chance of actual injury. Warm up and stretch before you start the 'serious' phase of exercise. Cool down when your finished. Make bananas and yogurt a regular part of your diet (the potassium helps prevent cramping). And when your body is in pain, stop (it's indicating that you are on the brink of injury if not actually injured yet).
Soreness after a workout is inevitable (I've actually started to enjoy the feeling as an indication of job well done). But you should still be able to achieve a full range of motion the next day (or at least 90% full motion). If you are painfully sore and barely able to move the day after normal exercise (as opposed to something extraordinary like running a marathon or decathlon) then step back your exercise regimen.
2007-01-11 19:42:32 · answer #1 · answered by LX V 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when u exercise ur muscles are breaking kinda wierd but its true. when u use them alot,ur muscle begins to rip lil holes those lil holes give u the feeling of achyness what happens to the holes is new muscle grows on top of them the muscle takes a few days to develop but they do eventually grow. the more u stretch the muscle out the more holes they will have the more holes the more new muscles pretty simple explanation
2007-01-12 03:24:31 · answer #2 · answered by victornope 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hurting muscles is a natural response of your body if you are not used to exercise every day....
try exercising regularly and after a while you ll see te pain and discomfort goes away...
2007-01-12 03:22:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't exactly rmb why it takes a few days but what what causes the tiredness and ache is lactic acid. you'll have to wait for your body to excrete them or smth..
don't force your body to work WAY BEYOND what it has done before..
stretches before and after your exercise is impt and massaging does help as well.
2007-01-12 03:15:58 · answer #4 · answered by jeskit2 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋