Is It Okay To Workout When You're Sore?

Being an aspiring pro cheerleader gives you the opportunity to expand on your fitness knowledge. Various workout techniques are part of the experience.

But with new exercises to do in order to achieve ideal pro cheer health, there’s just no easy way for you to get there. You could experience pain and paralyzing muscle sores as a result of a new workout regime.

To understand why this happens, stick around till the end. You’ll find the answer to the question, “Is it okay to workout with sore muscles?” and “If so, what workouts are safe?”

What is delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS?

DOMS is the searing pain and stiffness that occurs as a result of increased muscle inflammation during a workout. High-intensity workouts and eccentric exercises such as bicep curls and downhill running often trigger these kinds of inflammation. This is because your muscles contract while lengthening, which causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers.

You don’t feel the increased inflammation due to the endorphin release in your active state. Once your endorphin levels go down after a workout, so does the pain-killing effect. This is why you only notice soreness the next day following an intense workout session.

Should you still workout even if you're sore from yesterday's session?

It depends on the severity of the soreness and where the pain is. If it’s minimal, it is better to continue working out to ease the sore. But, minimize your workout intensity or move gently. You can do some active-recovery exercises as well.

Resting with a minimum discomfort will only worsen the pain and stiffness. Avoid continuing high-intensity workouts on the sore muscle area, as it will only delay your recovery and make the pain worse.

You can do other workouts on areas of your body that aren't in pain. For example, if your arms are stiff and sore from yesterday’s session, choose to have your leg day today. If the pain is too severe everywhere, taking a day off for muscle recovery is your best option.

What kind of workouts can you do instead?

1. Yoga

Sore muscles aren’t just painful, but they’re also stiff. The more you give in to the stiffness, the harder blood, oxygen, and protein gets into your microfiber tears. To properly recover from soreness and alleviate the pain, do some stretchings and yoga. As you stretch in various forms with deep breathing, you’ll enjoy the bliss and relief from the sore.

2. Bodyweight training

Lunges, planks, and squats are simple yet effective active recovery workouts. They’re good for increasing blood flow and relieving fatigued muscles. With no equipment required, you can do these anytime and anywhere when you feel stiff! However, if you want to use additional weights, choose 25-50% of the heaviness from your normal lifting load.

3. Light cardio

Biking and walking are exercises that put more oxygen to your muscle sores. The gentle full-body movement and fresh outdoor air help in the faster healing of soreness. As more oxygen flows into your bloodstream, more nutrients like protein also get into your muscle fibers resulting in a quick recovery

4. Swimming

Dip in a pool to relax. Let the flow of water gently massage your muscle knots for relief. Every form and stroke you perform in the water stretches your muscles. Talk about relaxation, relief, and recovery in one!

5. Resistance bands

If you want a light strength active recovery training, resistance bands will help you get that. This is very useful for stretching and relieving soreness on the chest, back, and tricep areas. You can also mix them with your glute exercises. Strap a band to both of your ankles and do some side lunges. Not only you’re recovering from upper-body soreness, but you’re also building butt form.

Bottom Line

If muscle soreness is only minimal, you can still workout. But make your routine gentler or lighter. You can also workout on a different body part. If you’re in intense pain, take the day off. Eat a lot of lean protein and stretch your muscles for recovery and relief. It is also important to take deep breaths and drink lots of water.

Need a Great Workout Routine for Your Pro Cheer Audition Prep?

Pro cheerleaders stay fit, flexible, and strong so they can give out their best performance in the arena. However, achieving that wow-worthy, toned physique doesn’t happen overnight. You need to arm yourself with the right daily workouts.

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