Development of muscle soreness

Athletes are familiar with the feeling and know that muscle soreness is a frequent companion. The pulling, aching pain does not occur directly during or after exercise, but often only the day after the workout. Everyday movements are difficult and are associated with pain, but in the context of training, this comes with the calming feeling of having demanded sufficient performance from the body. No pain - no gain is a popular saying among bodybuilders and athletes who devote themselves to building muscle and accept the pain during and after training in order to have a great figure. In order to avoid muscle soreness, the athlete must know how it develops and deal with the causes of muscle pain. What is hidden behind the term muscle soreness We learned as children that the formation of lactic acid leads to muscle soreness and causes pain. Today, thanks to years of research, we know that the pain has nothing to do with the chemical substance in the body. Rather, microscopic tears in the muscle fibers are the cause of painful muscle soreness that lasts for several days. If the muscles are stretched and tensed at the same time, the muscles are exposed to a constant change of movement and thus the basis for the formation of small tears. It is not the fast and automatic movements, but above all the slow and controlled movements that lead to muscle soreness. In muscle building, it is known that a strong muscle feeling during training is accompanied by equally strong and painful muscle soreness. Avoiding sore muscles - is that possible? Since muscle soreness is associated with excessive strain and training without a warm-up phase, it can be avoided by paying attention to these factors. After a hard workout, muscle pain sets in around 8 hours later and is most noticeable during the rest phase. After 2 days, the pain reaches its peak and then slowly subsides. If you skip the warm-up before a strenuous workout, you risk small muscle fiber tears and feel the pain as a sign of overexertion. Exercises that are performed infrequently or weights that are too heavy and training for too long can also cause muscle fibers to tear and become sore. The often-used theory that severe muscle soreness also indicates better training results is incorrect. Rather, the body is using the pain in the muscle fibers to suggest that it has been put under too much strain and urgently needs rest. If the training sessions, the weight of the weights and the length of the exercises are adapted to the athlete's actual fitness, muscle soreness does not necessarily occur. Since sore muscles are not an indicator of faster muscle building, but rather of unsuitable training sessions, it is advisable to change the training methods and possibly change the weights and training times. The best avoidance strategy is a harmonious combination of training and appropriate rest breaks.