Training Without Overtraining: Soreness/Relief

So it’s been about 5 days and my legs are so stinking sore, STILL!!! I am frustrated…they are bordering painful which raises a flag because I don’t want to over train but feel like down time might hurt my competition prep. I am still needing to lean out but gain muscle for my next competition, July 8^th.

I am looking into options for what would help, hopefully they can be of some help for you as well.

So if muscles grow during rest and not during training: what is an adequate amount of time for recovery? And how do I continue training while ensuring I am recovering?

The basics: REFRESHING MYSELF ON HOW MY MUSCLES DEVELOP

When muscle is stimulated during the actual training, I am actually causing trauma to them. Muscle damage (from the trauma) is seen in the skeletal muscle tissue. When the tissue is broken down satellite cells go into the areas where damage has occurred, helping repair and causing the muscle to grow and reform, becoming bigger and stronger.

Hypertrophy is caused when there is an increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells. In the muscle this happens once the satellite cells are combine together and bind to muscle fibers. New muscle protein strands are formed when satellite cells combine with muscle tissue these proteins are called, myofibrils.

The extra nuclei from satellite cells allow muscle to synthesis more proteins and to create more contractile myofilaments, known as Actin and Myosin. The more contractile myofilaments we have, the stronger we are. It is for this reason that bigger muscles are usually stronger than smaller muscles, as they contain more contractile myofilaments.

This process is only successful when our bodies are well nourished and rested.

So why am I so sore? Possible causes:

1. Just did an unfamiliar exercise
2. Increased intensity/frequency
3. Dehydration (muscle cramping)
4. Am I sore or am I hurt

Suggestions for relief:

1. Give yourself a rest day
2. Drink the appropriate amounts of fluid
3. Massage
4. Stretching (I think yoga helps)
5. Rolling out (with foam roller or stick)
6. Consult a physician