The stiffness we experience after a workout can leave you feeling disheartened and ready to quit especially when you have just started your new exercise regime. Your dream of achieving the perfect body now seems a distant memory that is clouded by the haze of pain that you are feeling the next day. In fact, more than half the people who start an exercise program quit within six months as they tend to overdo it early on and either end up getting injured or feel defeated because they are not able to keep up with the painful demands that they are placing on their bodies.

Starting a new workout program can be daunting, add to that the muscle pain and stiffness and it may be difficult to stick to our original intensive regimes. Especially, when it hurts to just hold your arm up to brush your teeth or even breathe.

Even when we have been exercising for years we need to remember that any new activity we engage in that our bodies are not accustomed to should be approached as if you were exercising for the first time. We all know the fable of the hare and tortoise.

Warm-Up and Cool-Down

Always begin and end an exercise session with a warm-up and a cool down. This helps to prevent injury and soreness. A warm-up routine consists of about five minutes of low-level aerobic exercises, followed by some slow, controlled stretches during which your heart rate slowly increases and your muscles start to warm as the blood flow increases.

It's important to remember that we should never stretch a cold muscle. Any pliable object has far more elasticity when warm. Think about what happens when you freeze a piece of meat not quite as pliable as when it’s on your plate is it?

Always remember if exercising gives you a chest pain, irregular heartbeats, excessive fatigue, nausea, unexpected breathlessness or if it makes you lightheaded, stop immediately and consult a doctor. Don’t exercise when you have a cough, cold flu, or when you are recovering from some other illness or injury. Your body needs all the energy we can provide it to fight the illness, so take a break.

So What Exactly is This Pain Anyway?

Within the fitness industry there is a term that many of us learn very quickly when we start exercising Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) – is a very common phenomenon that occurs when we place stress a muscle tissue that it is not used to.

We actually create microscopic damage to the fibres of the muscles, it is this, coupled with the inflammation that also occurs that causes the pain and lets us know that the muscles are working beyond their comfort zone and that is a good thing because it also means the stresses we are placing on them are working to make them stronger and better able to perform the movements the next time.
Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone anyone can experience stiffness from exercise or DOMS, from beginners to exercise and weekend warriors to elite athletes and hardcore body builders.

The big problem is we all get over enthusiastic and excited to start a new class we simply need to be and to take it slowly at the beginning to avoid causing injuries, might get sore but it should be bearable and not be to such a degree that we stop altogether. A word of caution – excessive pain, inflammation or bruising is an indication of something more than normal stiffness.

So What Can You Do?

People don't stretch enough. As I explained earlier, stretching helps break the cycle, which goes from soreness to muscle spasm to contraction and tightness.

Take it easy for a few days while you’re the stiffness subsides but don’t close the blinds and hibernate, try some light exercise such as walking or swimming, keeping the muscle moving can provide some relief.

Nicci Van Der Walt is a qualified fitness expert who represents ZoneFitness