Is it good to go to the gym with stiffness?

One of the greatest fears and, at the same time, one of the greatest concerns of those who start an active life, doing sports, is stiffness. We have all had them at some point in our lives (either due to injury, the performance of some unusual exercise ...) and we are fully aware of how uncomfortable they can be, but what are they due to?

WHY DO YOU GET STIFFNESS?

Stiffness is the result of overexertion to which our muscles are not accustomed, due to a period of inactivity. Far from being something "bad" in itself, it is a warning from our body to warn us that we have performed a physical activity beyond our capabilities.

This is a common trend in people who take the step to start leading a healthy life: we take the first day with great desire and perform a sports practice far beyond our physical capacity. This is one of the keys to join the gym and not quit.

Consequently, one of the great enemies of the 'newbies' appears next: the second day. Motivation is no longer at the same level as on the first day of training and, in more cases than not, stiffness ends up tipping the balance, so that many end up abandoning sports practice prematurely. But what should we do in these cases? What is the best thing to do?

GOING TO THE GYM WITH STIFFNESS IS GOOD

Whether or not we should exercise with stiffness is one of the big questions asked by those who are just starting to practice sports. And the answer is clear: yes.

Although our body and sensations ask for rest and a sofa, what our muscles really need is physical activity, but moderate activity. The reason is none other than that, with physical exercise, our musculature activates blood circulation, a key element for recovery.

Thus, the best recipe to forget about the annoying stiffness, far from sitting on the couch, is to continue with an active life. More than likely, during the warm-up we will suffer more than we should, but once we have warmed up, the final result will be much better.

However, there are tricks to ensure that the post-workout on the first day does not turn out to be devastating.

HOW LONG DO THE STIFFNESS LAST?

It will be relevant to check each particular case, but it is normal for them to last between 2 and 4 days. That is to say, if you are new to physical activity, it is most likely that during your first week of training your biggest enemy will be stiffness. However, there are certain remedies to avoid 'dying' in the attempt.

The first of these is the one mentioned above: moderate physical activity. The practice of sports will boost the blood around our muscles, which is key to recovery. It will also help you to improve your physical condition.

Although there is no magic formula, applying ice or cold water to the areas with the most discomfort will also help in recovery.

HOW TO AVOID STIFFNESS?

And, as in many cases, prevention is better than cure. The best way to avoid stiffness is not to provoke it.

We don't want to lie to you either, if you have been standing still for a long time and you start doing sports, the most normal thing is that the next day you have discomfort, but there are formulas to make the second day not to be a killer.

For us, the most important is precisely our training method. One of the biggest mistakes inexperienced people make is to push themselves beyond their capabilities on the first day, something we don't believe in.

Following the popular saying, we opted for the formula 'things in the palace go slowly', and we believe that the most appropriate thing to do is to start little by little, leaving us wanting more. Why?

• We will avoid having big stiffness the next day.
• Our motivation to continue to move forward will remain practically intact

In this way, with our group classes, you can enjoy the advantages of training in a group, following your own physical condition. You will be able to improve in a linear, but constant way, to end up reaching, consequently, a much better state in the long term.

Check out our gyms in Madrid, gyms in Barcelona and gyms in Murcia and try for FREE one of our classes. Send us a contact request and we will contact you to invite you for free.