Muscle Pain When You Exercise Too Much
When you incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine, you will see that it brings many physical, mental and emotional benefits. However, if you do it too much, it can be harmful to your health. Keep reading to find out what happens to your muscles when you exercise too much.
A few recommendations
The types of exercises and the amount of repetitions you do will always depend on your personal circumstances and abilities, whether it be your age, lifestyle or any illnesses you may have.
For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Alternatively, you can do 75 minutes of intense exercise per week to strengthen key muscle groups.
What happens to muscles if you exercise too much?
Muscles are made up of soft, pliable tissues that allow the movement, stability, and structure of bones and joints in the body. In addition, there are many different shapes and sizes of muscles, representing almost half of a person’s body weight.
After the muscles have been trained too much, delayed muscle soreness can develop. This is usually caused by muscle contractions.
This often occurs in people who have not exercised for a long time or as a result of the sudden increase in the intensity or amount of exercise of a seasoned athlete.
What causes this muscle pain?
Eccentric contractions occur when the muscle stretches and contracts at the same time. A clear example of this is when a person is used to running frequently on a flat surface running up a hill. The next day, this person will definitely have muscle pain, because his body is used to exercising on a flat surface.
This pain is due to micro-tears in the muscles. In addition, it can appear when you put more stress on your muscles than usual, because you stretch and tighten them too much when you exercise too much.
Exercising too much puts you at greater risk of damaging your muscles. Possible injuries can be, for example, pulled or even torn muscles.
Therefore, the intensity of your exercises should be appropriate and harmonious. In addition, make sure your workouts are safe and protective of your physical health.
Muscle Pain Prevention Recommendations
1. Don’t ignore the pain
Reduce the intensity of your training sessions. This is the only way to keep your muscles healthy and make sure you don’t risk injuring yourself.
If you continue to train at such a high intensity, your ligaments and joints will not be able to rest sufficiently. As a result, you increase your risk of muscle soreness and tearing.
2. Relieve the pain and rest if you exercise too much
Take a warm bath or enjoy the sauna in the gym. This will help relieve your pain and relax your muscles. In addition, the heat will help eliminate toxins and release endorphins. Don’t forget to rest. This is essential if you want the affected muscles to recover.
3. Use cold and warm compresses if you move too much
Before you start your physical activity, apply a cold compress to the area where you feel muscle soreness. Later, when you’re done with your workout, apply a warm compress to the same spot to help relax the muscles.
In addition, you can also use gels or creams with soothing ingredients, which are very helpful for any discomfort.
4. Don’t forget the warm-up
To avoid muscle soreness, always warm up before starting a workout. In addition, when you’re done with your workout, do stretches to relax your muscles.
When you follow a certain routine, gradually increase the intensity. It is also essential to do this regularly. This way you rarely suffer from muscle pain. It is very important to give your body enough time to adapt to the higher demands.
5. Take care of yourself
If you want to get in better shape and improve your emotional and mental health, you should always keep in mind that it is essential to love, care for and respect your body. Do this in the healthiest and safest way.
Do not ask more of your body than it can give. Anything more is harmful, so don’t move too much. Set up a varied and complete training program. Your workouts should include at least 30 minutes a day and adapt to your physical condition.
This way you can gradually increase the intensity of your training. As a result, you will be able to achieve the goals you have set. In addition, you will successfully increase the strength, flexibility and volume of your muscles, as well as the endurance of your tendons and ligaments.
Getting some exercise will not only improve your appearance in general. In addition, exercise is also very beneficial for your posture. You will have more energy to do all your daily activities. However, don’t forget to take care of your muscles: so don’t exercise too much!
