While muscle soreness can sometimes be an indicator of a good workout, too much pain is not good and is often a warning sign that you might be overtraining. The soreness you might experience after a tough workout is actually the result of tiny micro tears within the muscle fibers. These tears will trigger an inflammatory response in the muscles that can act on pain receptors, which is actually the direct cause of the painful sensation. However, excessive pain can be counterproductive and limit optimal performance.
How Do I Know If I’m Overtraining?
As long as you’re always challenging yourself during your workout, going above and beyond your normal limitations, you can rest assured that the muscle will be stimulated and positive growth and development will follow. This is why it is so important to track your progress and record your weight and reps from workout to workout. Just a few extra reps or a couple of extra pounds each time in the gym will make a huge impact at the end of the week or the month!
If you do experience soreness that is very intense and lasts longer than 72 hours, then you may have overdone it. Ask yourself the following: Did you get enough rest? Did you replenish your muscles immediately after your workout? Did you satisfy your protein requirements to ensure adequate recovery and development? If you answered NO to any of these questions, then this awful pain could have been diminished or avoided altogether.
Immediately following your workout, it is critical that you refuel your body. A whey protein supplement can help to replenish exhausted muscles and give you the amino acids you need to start the rebuilding process. Six Star Whey Protein Plus* offers a great-tasting, premium-quality formula without breaking the bank. Meeting your daily protein requirements will help your muscles recover faster, and help you build more lean muscle
