By accident I found Russian sport medicine training tips in “Mein Krampf” by S.I. Fishgal (
MEIN KRAMPF by S.I. Fishgal (Book) in Literature & Fiction). Please comment on the following quotation.
“…tell me if I should train when my muscles are still sore.”
“Of course no, Rommy. That’s the safest decision.”
Then she delivered her lecture.
Exercise betters the body and soul unless you overdo it. The lactic acid buildup and lack of sufficient oxygen (ischemia) cause immediate muscle soreness and spasm during a jerky activity beyond what the body is accustomed to. A day later, so-called delayed onset muscle soreness comes. It is a painful damage to the muscle fibers and the connective tissues, caused mostly by muscle contractions at forcibly lengthening.
The severity of the delayed onset muscle soreness varies from placid pain when in motion to almost crippling. Painkillers help for a short term, but only suppress the symptoms and might inhibit muscle growth.
Exercising the muscle hard gets a good growth stimulus. The body instantly sends nutrients to and rebuilds the damaged spot. For example, if you load calves, the body sends blood and nutrients for recovery to them, not to biceps that did not work. After the muscle’s recovery and feeling no sore more, you load it again and restart the process.
Athletes better themselves by doing the different training regimen each day. They take hard workouts on one day, feel sore on the next, and take it easy until that stops. Exercising hard the damaged muscles will weaken or even tear them. After the soreness disappears, one will be stronger faster and have greater endurance than before the workout.
The standard of training for young is loading the same muscle in progression about two-three days between sessions. A little sore is actually good. The body lets know one has really worked that muscle. Yet, extreme soreness will get one off for days.
Adequate calories, carbohydrate and protein intake protects muscles against soreness and promotes their recovery and growth. Vitamin C an hour before a workout decreases post workout soreness. Omega-3 fats minimize the pain, inflammation, and damage caused by intensive training.
Without enough calories and carbohydrates, bodies break down proteins. They need 40-50 calories, up to 1.5 g protein and 8 g carbohydrates per kilogram of bodyweight a day depending on the load. Not more than two hours of the nutrition intake after the exercise is most effective.
“Such an answer will get the excellent mark, Rommy,” Nadya concluded. “Do you admit your defeat?”
“Your simpleminded textbook answer stresses our differences. Please open your mind to my arguments. Contrary to what you said,
if you train any time you're sore, you accelerate your recovery, not slow down.”
“You’re a smart boy… sorry, man, Rommy. Training the sore, not fully recovered muscle again will tear it down even more.”
…In Roma’s scenario, one trains the muscle on the next day too. The recovery is only partial yet, the muscle is sore still. The body sees the greater threat to its survival and responds by accelerating the recovery processes. It thinks it should be ready sooner for the next terrible event of the hard work and allocate more its resources as needed. Thus, two-day training of the same muscle develops greater recovery and training that is more efficient. Even if one loads that muscle not hard, the body will still send more blood with nutrients there and accelerate the recovery. In short, the more work the faster recovery.
Naturally, when the soreness makes the exercises too painful, or one has no proper food, he does not do that. Perhaps, exercising at low intensity during recovery will make the muscles more fibrous and resistant to injuries. Motion during recovery limits muscle atrophy, accelerates tendon healing, and prevents joint stiffness. Not exercising muscles become smaller, weaker and at increased risk for injury upon exercising them again. Gentle stress on a muscle or tendon is a stimulus for cell growth and can prevent this loss of strength.
Should my son train when his muscles are sore?
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