The hardest part of sticking to a workout routine may be starting, but the second-hardest part is showing up to the next workout when everything feels like fire. You’re not off the hook, though! Staying home actually isn’t your best plan of action.
Know what normal soreness feels like
Your first question might be: did I seriously injure myself? Normal next-day muscle soreness, called DOMS for "delayed onset muscle soreness," can feel pretty brutal. It's not a serious health condition, though.
Normal DOMS:
Hurts the most when you wake up in the morning or when you've been sitting still for a while
Feels better with movement
Hurts when you use the muscle and when you stretch the muscle
Usually starts the day after exercise, and may last multiple days
Is often at its worst two days after the exercise that caused it
There are medical conditions that can also cause muscle soreness, so check with a doctor if you think there may be more going on than the usual DOMS situation. One condition worth keeping in mind is rhabdomyolysis, which is muscle damage that gets severe enough to cause muscle breakdown and kidney issues. Dark-colored urine (often described as "tea colored" or "cola colored") is a huge red flag—get to the emergency room if you notice this. I've written more here about the differences between normal soreness and the kind that needs medical attention.
But most likely, you just have a normal case of DOMS. If that sounds right, let's talk about what to do about it.
Don’t skip your workout
When you're feeling sore, you’re probably tempted to just stay home with some Netflix instead of taking your achy body back to the gym. But resting doesn't help much in the long run. Beating the soreness for good comes from getting used to exercise, and you’ll never get used to it if you have to take a week off every time you get the idea to start again.
So go back to the gym, or head out for another run, or whatever is on your schedule for today. Make some effort to continue the schedule that you set up for yourself, whether that was a written program or a promise to yourself that you'd go to the gym a certain number of times per week.
First, do your warmup, but ease into it gradually. If you planned to go for a run, start with a brisk walk and then see how an easy jog feels. If it's a lifting day, start with lighter weights than usual, and only add as much weight as you feel like you can handle today.
Even if you can't manage your regular workout, you're still doing something, and that's buying you insurance against future soreness. You're also not going to get anywhere near as sore after today's workout as you did before. Scientists call this the repeated bout effect: each workout (each "bout" of training) protects against soreness from the next one.
Do some active rest
If a rest day comes when you're still sore, you'll probably think: okay, now is the time to sit around. But DOMS feels better with movement, so even if you don't have any training goals to work toward, you'll feel better if you keep moving.
So go for a walk. That's my go-to when I'm not feeling great. If you have access to a spin bike, moving your legs at low resistance tends to help relieve soreness. Cyclists will talk about "flushing" out their muscles; whether that's scientifically accurate or not, it does seem to help. If you're into yoga, a day you're sore is a good time to do some gentle yoga; you can even look up recovery yoga for some videos to follow.
How to deal with the pain
There are a lot of myths surrounding muscle soreness, and one harsh truth: Nothing but time really works to make the soreness go away. In the meantime, the best tools we have are light activity, massage, and heat. Activity is what I described above, so let's explore the rest.
Heat
Heat tends to make sore muscles feel better, so this is a great time to hit the sauna, if your gym has one. You can also use an electric heating pad like this one, or take a hot bath. Epsom salts don't do anything for your muscles, but adding them to a bath can make it smell nice (get the lavender scented kind) and can make it feel like you're doing something special for yourself.
Massage
Pressure can feel good on sore muscles, so consider treating yourself to a massage or asking someone to give you a back rub. A foam roller is a good way to give yourself some "self-myofascial release" (I'm convinced that's nothing but a fancy word for massage), or consider a massage gun.
Food and sleep
When you’re sore, it's good time to pay more attention to taking care of yourself. Anecdotally, I find sleep helps to deal with soreness: if I stay up late, I’m more likely to be sore the next day. Eating plenty of protein can’t hurt, either, since protein is important to building muscle.
One last note: Pain relievers like ibuprofen are popular among athletes, but they aren’t as good a strategy as the things mentioned above. If you get into the habit of taking ibuprofen regularly, it can hinder your recovery. So it's fine to view it as a short term fix to help you get through a bad day, but try not to make a habit of it. If you have enough soreness that you feel you need medication to get through every day, it's probably time to ask a doctor what else might be going on.