If you spend time at the gym or in any fitness community, chances are you’ve heard people talking about pre-workout. But what is pre-workout, and what does pre-workout do? Pre-workout is the common term for a category of supplements that are marketed as improving workout performance. Let’s take a look at how pre-workout powder and supplements can impact your body and workout.

Key Ingredients in Pre-Workout Supplements

What do pre-workout supplements do? The ingredients in these supplements claim to improve energy, circulation, focus, and endurance to help boost your performance when you exercise. According to Harvard nutrition experts, some of the ingredients commonly found in pre-workout powder supplements do have evidence-based uses in sports nutrition and have been categorized as safe and effective by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). Those ingredients are:

• Beta-Alanine: This amino acid is produced naturally in the liver but is also found in meat, fish, and poultry. There is evidence that when taken for two to four weeks at four to six grams per day, beta-alanine can improve workout performance. This is particularly true for high-intensity exercises or sprints lasting one to four minutes. Additionally, it can minimize neuromuscular fatigue, especially in older adults.
  

• Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): These naturally occurring amino acids include isoleucine, leucine, and valine and are found in dietary protein. BCAAs help to regulate muscle protein metabolism and could help with muscle building and muscle soreness. 

• Caffeine: In high-performance and competitive athletes, this stimulant has been shown to improve performance for short-term high-intensity and endurance-based exercise. When taken at low doses of three to five milligrams per kilogram of body weight before exercise, it can increase endorphin release, improve neuromuscular function, reduce perception of exertion, and improve vigilance and alertness. However, larger doses of caffeine do not improve performance and instead cause side effects. Additionally, the FDA has advised against using caffeine pre-workout powder as even very small amounts can cause accidental overdose. Just one tablespoon, or 10 grams, is a lethal dose for an adult.
  

• Creatine: This naturally occurring compound is synthesized in the body from amino acids in red meat and seafood. It’s found in skeletal muscle, but as a supplement, it can increase muscle availability of creatine stores, which can enhance high-intensity exercise capacity and adaptations. The ISSN-recommended dose is either five grams four times daily for five to seven days to saturate creatine muscle stores, followed by three grams per day for maintenance or three grams per day for 28 days. It’s generally found to be safe at this dosage, though creatine is not recommended for people with kidney disease or bipolar disorder.
  
• Nitric oxide: Made of nitrogen and oxygen, this compound increases blood flow, which can help improve short bursts of high-intensity exercise. It can also reduce inflammation in the body and help aid recovery after a workout.

As supplements, these ingredients have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness, so consult your doctor before taking them. Frequently, supplement dosing is not monitored well enough to ensure safety.

The Benefits of Taking Pre-Workout

Now that you know what a pre-workout does, what does it actually do for your performance? There are several benefits of pre-workout supplements when it comes to your body and exercising. 

More Energy

Several of the ingredients frequently found in pre-workout supplements help boost your energy. Some ingredients offer energy for short-term intensity bursts, while others can help with endurance. Just make sure you stick to the recommended doses so that you don’t overdo it and experience negative side effects instead. 

Better Circulation

The amino acids and nitric oxide found in many pre-workouts can improve your circulation by dilating your blood vessels and improving heart function. Better blood flow equals more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles when they need it most. It also means that the acids that make your muscles sore are flushed out more effectively, helping you feel better after a workout.

Better Focus

Several of the ingredients found in pre-workout supplements, like caffeine, can improve your focus. This not only helps you stay motivated and honed in during difficult workouts, but it can help you use your muscles more effectively. You’ll get better results and are less likely to hurt yourself. 

Faster Recovery

One of the greatest benefits of pre-workout supplements is a quicker recovery from your workout. When you don’t get as sore, your muscles are experiencing less stress, which minimizes the likelihood of injury. It’s easier to maintain your workout schedule, but it also means your body repairs itself faster.

How to Choose the Right Pre-Workout Supplement

There are a lot of different supplements out there, so how do you know which one to choose? Unfortunately, since the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements, studies have found that dosages and ingredients aren’t always accurate. Some supplements can contain undisclosed ingredients masked behind “proprietary blends.”

To protect yourself, look for pre-workouts with the ISSN that have ingredients that have strong evidence of safety and effectiveness. It’s also smart to skip supplements that haven’t been tested by a third party, like U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International, or ConsumerLab. You should also avoid pre-workouts with ingredients that don’t actually help you, including:

• Additives
• Artificial sweeteners
• Emulsifiers
• Excess caffeine 
• Steroids 
• Sugar alcohols

Remember that the FDA has not reviewed pre-workout supplements for safety or effectiveness, so it’s best to talk to your doctor or dietitian before using them. If you decide to take them, stick to the smallest dosage to see how your body reacts.

When and How to Take Pre-Workout for Optimal Results

If your doctor or dietitian has approved pre-workouts for you, take them about 20-30 minutes before your workout. This gives your body time to process the supplements so they can provide the benefits you’re after. And what do pre-workout supplements do when you take them correctly? If you take them at the right intervals before you work out and take them consistently, the beneficial ingredients can build up in your body so that your body can use them effectively. It may take a couple of weeks, but you should notice improvement in your energy, endurance, and recovery.

Most importantly, pay attention to your body once you start taking pre-workouts, and never take more than the recommended dosage. If you start experiencing any strange side effects, stop taking the supplements immediately and talk to your doctor. So, what does pre-workout do if you use too much?

Potential Side Effects and How to Avoid Them

Unfortunately, because supplements aren’t well-regulated, side effects are not uncommon with pre-workout supplements. One study found that 54% of participants reported side effects after using pre-workouts, with females more likely to experience these side effects despite being less likely to use excess dosages, including:

• Blood sugar changes
• Diarrhea
• Digestive symptoms
• Heart abnormalities
• High blood pressure
• Leaky gut
• Nausea
• Skin reactions
• Tingling in your arms and legs

How can you avoid these side effects, which can range from unpleasant to downright dangerous? Here’s what to do. 

Use Third-Party Tested Products

Make sure your pre-workouts have been tested by one of the credible third parties listed above. This ensures transparency about ingredients or dosages, giving you peace of mind that it doesn’t have undisclosed or unsafe amounts that could be hazardous to your health. 

Stick to the Recommended Dose

Never use more pre-workout than is recommended on the label or by your doctor or dietician. It’s also a good idea to use it just once a day and not too close to bedtime, as the caffeine could keep you awake. 

Don’t Use Other Supplements Simultaneously

It’s best to skip other supplements while using pre-workouts since you might accidentally get too much of a certain ingredient. If you want to use a different supplement simultaneously, talk to your doctor or dietician first to make sure it’s safe. 

Don’t Ignore Your Diet

Your pre-workouts (and your body in general!) will work more effectively if you maintain a healthy diet rich in vitamins and nutrients. Eat before a workout so you have the energy you need. Many ingredients found in pre-workouts are naturally in healthy foods anyway, so a healthy diet may mean you don’t need the supplements at all. 

Maximizing Your Workout: Is Pre-Workout Right for You?

So, what is a pre-workout supplement going to do for you? Pre-workouts are never necessary. However, if you do your research, choose a third-party tested product, and take only the recommended dosage, you could find that pre-workouts give you a boost when you want it. Be careful that you choose a product with the beneficial ingredients above, which are deemed safe and effective by the ISSN. Skip anything with additives or unfamiliar ingredients. And most importantly, talk to your doctor before beginning any pre-workout supplement regimen. 

If you take a vetted product as recommended and pay close attention to how your body feels after taking it, you could enjoy some real benefits. Even while taking pre-workouts, make sure you continue to stay hydrated, eat a healthy diet, and get plenty of sleep so your body can access the resources it needs and recover well. 

Your hamstring muscles are vital to nearly every leg movement, but they’re also particularly prone to injury. Understanding how your hamstrings work, along with the best hamstring exercises for strength and flexibility, can help you build power and mobility. The right hamstring exercises can also help minimize your risk of injuring these essential muscles. Whether you’re looking to supplement home workouts or need HIIT exercises for the gym, we’ve got you covered. 

Anatomy of the Hamstring: Understanding the Muscles

Your hamstrings are required for walking, standing, sitting, jumping, climbing stairs, and more. They’re responsible for helping your leg bend at the knee, extend at the hip, and rotate in the hip joint. There are three hamstring muscles:

• Biceps femoris: Positioned on the outer side of your thigh, the biceps femoris plays a key role in knee flexion, hip extension, and lower leg rotation when the knee is bent.
  

• Semimembranosus: The closest to the middle of your body, this muscle is also used to flex your knee joint, extend your thigh at the hip, and allow medial rotation for your lower leg and hip.
  
• Semitendinosus: Located between the biceps femoris and the semimembranosus, this muscle is used for the same functions as the semimembranosus.

Because these muscles are key to most leg movements, integrating hamstring exercises that improve stability and mobility is vital to your ability to move well. Hamstring injuries are the most common injury among athletes, accounting for 37% of all muscle traumas in professional sports, and they’re also frequently reinjured. The best hamstring workouts will integrate strength-building as well as stretching to support flexibility.

Top Hamstring Exercises for Strength and Power

The hamstrings facilitate movement at two joints—your hip and your knee—so your hamstrings are critical for the movement of your entire lower body. If you want to be able to walk, run, jump, lunge, sit, or stand, you need strong hamstrings. The following are the best hamstring workouts to build stronger muscles. 

Standard Deadlift

Deadlifts are one of the best hamstring exercises for muscle growth and power.

1) Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms outside the legs. Push your hips back and bend your knees to reach the bar.

2) Keep your core tight and spine tall, then pull the bar from the ground to stand tall, pulling your hips back to your standing position. 

3) Slowly lower the bar back to the ground by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.

4) Repeat six to eight times for three sets.

Romanian Deadlift

This version offers the same hip extension but eliminates the focus on the knees.

1) Start standing and holding the bar overhand with knees slightly bent.

2) Push your hips back slowly, with the weight gliding down the front of your legs. Lower with a flat back until you feel slight hamstring tension or until your torso is parallel to the ground.

3) Pull your hips forward to stand.

4) Repeat six to eight times for three sets.

Glute Bridge

Simple but effective, this exercise is on nearly every list for improving hamstring strength. 

1) Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. Position feet shoulder-length apart and flat on the ground.

2) Drive your heels into the ground as though you’re pushing them in the direction of your toes, then extend your hips into the air, squeezing your glutes and lifting your upper legs and core with your hips. Your thighs and torso should be in line. 

3) Hold for two seconds, then slowly return your hips to the ground. 

4) Repeat 10 times for three sets.

Hamstring Exercises for Flexibility and Mobility

The best hamstring workouts help to stretch your hamstrings so they’re not as tight and prone to injury. This not only helps improve your hamstring functionality, but it can help prevent injury to other parts of your body, too (looking at you, lower back).

Single-Leg Deadlift

Similar to a Romanian deadlift, you’ll eliminate the knee action and integrate some posterior muscles, like the gluteus medius, to stabilize your femur. 

1) Stand feet together, holding the weight in front of your thighs with your arm extended and palms facing down.

2) Bend your left knee slightly, then bend forward at the hip, extending your right leg to hip height behind you while you lower the weight toward the floor.

3) Rise to the starting position and repeat on the other side. 

4) Repeat six to eight times for three sets.

Nordic Hamstring

This exercise is difficult, so take it easy at the beginning and work your way up to full reps and sets. You can also start with a slight bend in your hips to make it easier.

1) Begin by kneeling, with your feet anchored down by a coach, workout buddy, or heavy piece of gym equipment. 

2) Dig your toes into the ground and lower your body in a straight line (or maintain a slight bend in your hips) toward the ground for a five-second count. 

3) Once you’ve gone as far as you can while maintaining the straight line of your body, push yourself back up to the starting position with your hands (or bring your body back upright without your hands for an advanced version).

4) Repeat five to six times for three sets.

Hamstring Driver

This not only stretches your hamstrings but can help stretch your quads, too.

1) Kneel on your left knee with your right leg in a lunge position in front of you. 

2) Push your body and knee forward, keeping your back straight and knee in line with your toes. 

3) Then, push your hips back toward the heel of your kneeling leg, lowering your body in a straight line toward your front leg while stretching your front leg out as straight as you can. Flex your toes back toward your body.

4) Repeat this seesaw motion six times, with a focus on getting that front leg straighter each time.

5) Repeat on the other side.

The Role of Compound Movements in Hamstring Development

There are two types of exercises: compound and isolation. Compound exercises work more than one muscle group, making them more efficient and effective at building stability, mobility, and coordination. Exercising the surrounding muscles in your workouts for hamstrings ensures your hamstrings get the support they need to provide the power you want without injury. Even better, you’ll find that compound exercises work your hamstrings harder while you’re also activating other muscle groups.

Some examples of the best hamstring exercises that work out multiple muscle groups are:

• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Nordics
• Bridges

Isolation Exercises for Targeted Hamstring Growth

Isolation exercises isolate a single muscle group. The best hamstring workouts for isolating your hamstrings are leg curls. But your hamstrings actually work harder when you also activate your glutes. Isolation exercises are fine to include in your hamstring workout, but they’re not the top choice for improving your hamstring strength. Incorporate plenty of compound exercises, along with stretches, to get really good hamstring workouts that will enhance flexibility and mobility along with power. 

Avoiding Common Mistakes in Hamstring Workouts

If you go to the gym, you probably have a designated “leg day.” But have you ever done a targeted workout for your hamstrings? Most people don’t, and it’s not uncommon to forget to focus on these muscles. If you want to avoid a hamstring injury, incorporate hamstring workouts into your exercise schedule. But not just any hamstring workout—good hamstring workouts are varied and include plenty of compound exercises. Here are the most common mistakes people make when it comes to their hamstrings. 

Only Doing Isolation Exercises

Doing a bunch of leg curls just isn’t going to cut it. Not only is it likely that you’ll overwork your hamstrings, but you won’t be working any of the muscle groups that work in tandem with them. That means your hamstrings won’t be as supported as they need to be to work efficiently. Incorporate leg curls into a diverse workout that also includes plenty of compound exercises for better, safer results.

Only Exercising Both Hamstrings Simultaneously

Exercises that work both hamstrings at the same time are great, but you won’t notice if one side is doing more work than the other. Make sure you incorporate some exercises that work each hamstring individually. That way, you’ll notice if one side is weaker than the other, and you can adjust your workout accordingly. 

Going Too Hard Too Fast

Warm up before doing any exercise that works your hamstrings. From there, focus on quality of movement and multiple reps to build the strength you want. All the exercises mentioned above ask for multiple reps and sets because it’s important not to overtrain and stress your muscles to the point of injury. If you’re increasing the duration or intensity of an exercise, do it gradually.

Forgetting to Stretch

Remember how we said flexibility and mobility are essential to healthy hamstrings and injury reduction? That requires stretching well and stretching often. It’s generally best to stretch after you warm up so your muscles aren’t cold. Hold each stretch (static, no bouncing) for 15-30 seconds without forcing it.

Ignoring Your Body

If your hamstrings start to feel tight or cramp up, back off. Your body will tell you what’s too much, so listen. Don’t continue to exercise if you feel pain. Always incorporate recovery days between workouts for hamstrings so your muscles have time to rest and recover. 

Have you ever finished a workout and found yourself feeling queasy? It’s not as unusual as you think. Feeling nauseous after a workout is common, and there are a couple of reasons it can happen. If you’re wondering why you feel sick after a workout, we have the answers.

Common Causes of Feeling Sick After Exercise

Unfortunately, nausea after exercise happens. Unless you’re working out while pregnant, nausea after working out is typically caused by:

• Dehydration
• Delayed emptying of the stomach
• Lack of sodium in the blood (called hyponatremia)
• Reduction in blood flow to the digestive tract

All of these causes can mess with your body and lead to nausea after working out. You’re most likely to feel nauseous after a workout when:

• Starting or ending abruptly: Warm-ups and cool-downs help your muscles, but they also help your heart rate adjust to your activity level. This prevents your organs from experiencing sudden changes in blood flow, which can leave you feeling queasy.
  

• Eating too close to your workout: With the increased blood flow to your muscles during exercise, the blood flow to the digestive tract is reduced, so things take longer to digest. You should eat before a workout, but not right before. Ideally, eat 3 hours before exercising, although two hours will work if you eat easily digested foods.
  

• Hydrating too much or not enough before exercise: Dehydration causes nausea, but so does overhydration, which messes with your electrolyte balance and causes low sodium in your blood. Drinking too much during exercise can make you feel sick. Take tiny sips of water during a workout to avoid this.
  

• It’s an intense workout: When you push your body to go harder than it wants to, it might respond with an upset stomach. Increase intensity gradually to avoid nausea and injury.
  

• Working out in the heat: Dehydration is typically the culprit behind this one since you lose so much more water when it’s hot. Your blood pressure can drop in the heat, too, and that can make you feel light-headed and, you guessed it, queasy. 

The Impact of Overtraining on Your Body

If you work out too hard and experience workout sickness, you might be overtraining, which can have serious impacts on your body, including dehydration, fatigue, increased soreness, and a weakened immune system. If you don’t give your body a chance to recover, these symptoms can progress to more serious symptoms like insomnia, high blood pressure, or unusual changes in your heart rate. If you notice you’re nauseated or vomiting after physical activity, listen to your body and rest so it can recover properly.

When to Seek Medical Advice

If you periodically feel nauseous after a workout, that’s probably not a big deal. Adjust your eating and drinking habits, ease up on your workouts, and warm up and cool down properly. However, if you do those things and you still experience nausea after exercise, see your doctor for a check-up. Additionally, if you experience more serious symptoms, including black or bloody stool, severe stomach pain, or vomiting blood, see a doctor right away, as they could be signs of more serious issues. 

Tips for Preventing Post-Workout Nausea

Still asking, “Why do I feel sick after I work out?” It’s time to take prevention seriously. Here’s what you can do to stop feeling queasy after working out.

Eat Properly Before Exercise

Dairy, fat, fiber, and protein are harder for your body to digest, so eat these slow-digesting foods at least three hours before working out. Two hours before working out, focus on high-quality carbohydrate foods like sweet potatoes or bananas. Nut butters are a great choice, too. 

Don’t Overdo It

You’ll feel nauseous after a workout if you push yourself too hard. Try shorter or lower-intensity workouts to see if your nausea abates before building slowly back up. Avoid exercising in high heat, and incorporate warm-ups and cool-downs so your body isn’t shocked by changes in activity. If you’re not feeling well, consider skipping exercise. Working out while sick can further tax your immune system.

Stay Properly Hydrated

Too much water can make you queasy after working out, just like being dehydrated, so find the right balance of hydration. Drink water throughout the day before and after a workout, but don’t chug a bunch right before exercising. Take small sips of water during your workout as necessary. Consider drinks with electrolytes if it was a tough workout or you were sweating a lot, but don’t drink them beforehand as they take longer to digest. Avoid caffeine too close to a workout. 

Staying Healthy and Energized After Your Workout

You can usually prevent workout sickness before it starts, including taking care of yourself after a workout. Rehydrate after exercise and eat a snack with protein and carbohydrates within 45 minutes of your workout to help your muscles recover. And get your rest! Your body needs to recuperate after a workout. Incorporate recovery days with light exercise and get enough sleep so your body can heal. Your body will feel stronger, and you’ll have more energy when you take good care of yourself. 

You’ve heard about competitive athletes exercising multiple times a day, but can you work out twice a day just to improve your fitness? Two-a-day workouts have their place, but it’s all about being careful and intentional with how you incorporate them.

Understanding Two-a-Day Workouts

Some people wonder how often to go to the gym and if it’s safe to work out twice a day. The answer is—it can be! Working out twice a day can help you reach fitness goals faster, but only if you’re already working out regularly. Incorporating two workouts in one day is best for people who are already in very good shape and are looking to increase their fitness performance. 

Exercising twice a day doesn’t mean doing two intense, full-hour workouts back-to-back. If you typically spend an hour at the gym working your way through different circuits, that doesn’t mean you should then spend an hour in the morning and another hour at night. This could result in overexertion or injury. So, how can you work out twice a day safely? Split up your workout into two shorter sessions, allowing your body to rest in between. Planning and balance help you incorporate high-intensity exercise without burning out.

Benefits of Two-a-Day Workouts

The question is, can you work out twice a day for better results? Absolutely, as long as you’re careful about it. When your workouts are well-planned, you can enjoy several benefits. 

Higher Training Volume and Intensity

Two-a-day workouts allow for increased training volume and focus. By splitting your sessions, you can concentrate on specific areas or muscle groups in each workout, leading to faster gains. This approach lets you push harder and recover more effectively, avoiding the fatigue of cramming everything into one workout.

Increased Endurance and Strength

With this increase in exercise volume and intensity, you’ll see accelerated growth of your lean muscle mass. Your ability to focus on specific areas without excessive fatigue will benefit your strength, and spending more time per day working out will improve your endurance and stamina, improving your performance gains. 

More Endorphins

Daily exercise doesn’t just improve your physical health—it benefits your mental well-being, too. The endorphins released with exercise help combat stress and boost your mood, fighting the symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD. These endorphins also improve sleep quality, energy levels, resilience, cognitive function, and memory. Twice the workouts mean twice the endorphins, so you’ll feel the boost to your mental health.

Better Overall Fitness

Incorporating more movement throughout the day means less time sitting and staring at your phone—a very good change. Studies show the more time you spend sedentary, the higher your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and all-cause mortality. Yikes! Interrupting your sedentary behaviors with physical activity has immediate and measurable positive impacts on your health, body, and overall fitness.

Risks and Considerations for Twice-a-Day Workouts

If there are so many benefits to exercising twice a day, how can it be bad to train twice a day? It all depends on how you train. Working out puts your body under stress, and increasing your exercise volume puts your body at greater risk of overtraining or injury. Pushing too hard or skipping rest days to recover adequately isn’t good for your neuromuscular system, increasing risks such as:

• Disrupted sleep
• Extreme fatigue
• Injury
• Mood changes
• Muscle and joint pain
• Reduced performance or endurance
• Suppressed immune system

Then, is it safe to exercise twice a day?

As long as you adjust the way you work out once you make the switch to two sessions per day, it should be safe. Balance is the key. Focus on recovery, listen to your body, and scale back if you experience any of these symptoms.

Structuring Your Two-a-Day Workout Plan

How can you work out twice a day with more energy? The key is to wait to introduce two daily workouts until you’ve been consistently exercising for at least six months. At that point, slowly introduce twice-daily sessions, one day at a time. Do higher intensity or longer workouts earlier in the day so you have the time to recover properly. A good rule is cardio in the morning and strength training later in the day. 

Try the following methods to incorporate two-a-days safely:

• Allow at least six hours between sessions with moderate or high intensity. This gives your body a chance to recover adequately.
  

• Incorporate lighter-intensity workouts, too. Alternate between high, moderate, and light-intensity workouts so that you’re able to recover fully.
  

• Don’t do twice-a-days for more than two days in a row at first. Give your body a chance to adjust to this higher demand.
  

• Take better care of yourself. Focus on excellent nutrition with increased calories after workout sessions. Stay hydrated at all times and improve your sleep time at night or with naps.

Is Working Out Twice a Day Right for You?

Exercising twice a day can be beneficial for people who have the time and motivation to do so. That said, you should consider your current fitness level and your fitness goals before deciding to pursue two-a-days. If you’re not sure whether this is the right choice for you or you don’t know how to begin, talk to a coach who can help you make a plan and achieve your goals. 

People get Botox to reduce the signs of aging or to treat certain medical conditions, including excessive sweating and migraines. In order for the treatment to work, the injection needs to be placed correctly and remain where it’s injected. While getting Botox may be a quick and easy procedure, you might be surprised about recommendations for exercise after Botox.

So, can you work out after Botox?

What Happens to Your Body After Botox Treatment?

Botox treatments are typically made from botulinum toxin type A (though type B can also be used), a neurotoxin used to temporarily block the nerve signals to your muscles so they can’t contract. For the medication to work as intended, it is injected in certain areas to treat specific concerns. 

Because it blocks nerve signals and paralyzes the muscle temporarily, Botox can be used to address skin concerns related to aging by smoothing and reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Botox is FDA-approved for a variety of medical issues like crossed eyes, excessive sweating, chronic migraines, overactive bladder, and more. 

This is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, and you’ll be able to go home the same day. However, depending on the type of treatment you’ve had, you may need to take it easy and adjust your routine for a certain amount of time to minimize potential side effects. You may experience mild discomfort at the injection site after receiving Botox treatment. In addition, much like planning a workout while pregnant or working out after getting a tattoo, it’s important to keep your heart rate at a certain level. This typically means avoiding exercise after Botox for a short time. 

How Long Should You Wait Before Exercising After Botox?

Can you work out after Botox, and if so, how long should you wait? The American Academy of Dermatology advises avoiding any strenuous exercise or activity that could increase your heart rate or pressure on your face for at least two hours. Most doctors recommend waiting at least four hours to exercise at all, and many doctors recommend waiting at least 24 hours before working out after Botox. Some providers recommend waiting up to a week to exercise after Botox just to play it extra safe. Most healthcare providers also typically advise staying upright for at least three hours, which means no lying down. 

With this much variation among doctor recommendations, how do you know how long after Botox you can work out? You and your doctor should decide based on your current fitness level, your typical exercise routine, and your own unique needs. Regardless, for at least the first 24 hours, it’s best to postpone activities that:

• Put pressure on the injection site, which could include wearing any tight clothing or gear on your head, face, or anywhere you received the Botox
• Involve any bouncing, intense stretching, or inversions that may require hanging your head upside down
• Any quick and powerful movements that involve significant bending or flexion 

But can you work out after Botox if you exercise regularly and your body is accustomed to it? The reason you need to wait several hours and should wait 24 hours to do even light aerobic exercise is primarily to prevent the injected Botox from spreading to areas it wasn’t intended to impact. It takes a little while for it to bind to your muscle receptors, so you want to take it easy so the Botox can bind only where it’s meant to. Waiting to work out after Botox can also help reduce the potential side effects of these injections.

Risks of Exercising Too Soon After Botox

If you really love or rely on your workouts, you could be wondering, “Can I exercise after Botox anyway?” Unfortunately, if you’ve just gotten Botox, working out after the procedure isn’t a great idea. Because the injection is targeted to specific areas, you want Botox to stay exactly where it’s placed. If you exercise or do anything strenuous before you should, the Botox can migrate. You definitely want to avoid risking Botox migrating to different muscles, as that can cause temporarily paralyzed muscles in unintended areas. That could mean that for two to three months, you’d have to live with unsuccessful results at best and paralyzed muscles in problematic areas at worst. 

If you’ve received Botox on your face and it migrates, you could end up with a crooked smile, drooping eyelids, or asymmetrical features. If your Botox treatment was meant to treat a medical condition, you may not receive the therapeutic results you were hoping for. Depending on where the medication migrates, there’s even a risk of more serious complications, like difficulty breathing, swallowing, or seeing properly. 

In addition, it’s a good idea to wait before working out after Botox to minimize the likelihood of exacerbating or prolonging any side effects, including bruising, redness, and swelling at the injection site. Exercising too soon could also make unpleasant side effects like nausea, pain, headache, and flu-like symptoms more likely. It could also worsen side effects that are usually mild. A good rule of thumb is that if you have sore muscles where you received Botox injections, wait to return to exercise until they’re no longer sore.

Which Types of Exercises Are Safe After Botox?

If it’s not strenuous exercise, how soon can you work out after Botox? That depends on your doctor’s recommendations, along with the type of activity. Generally, in the first four hours after treatment, you should avoid strenuous exercise and make sure you don’t touch your face. After that, there may be a few light exercises you can do within the first 24 hours. Check with your doctor first and make sure you don’t raise your heart rate. In that case, how can you safely exercise after Botox?

Light Facial Exercises

These are fine regardless, but if your Botox treatment was in your face, facial exercise after Botox is a particularly great choice. It’s not only your safest workout option after your procedure, but it’s also the one that could help the Botox settle into the muscles faster. Facial exercises can include smiling, frowning, and raising your eyebrows up and down. Anything that involves gently moving your face around—as long as you don’t touch it!—can help you.

Gentle Walking

Think of this as more of a stroll than a walk. You’ll want to go slowly and take your time so you don’t elevate your heart rate or jostle your body around too much. A slow and gentle walk should be just fine and might help distract you from any mild discomfort.

General Daily Activities

In most cases, your doctor will give you the okay to go about your normal daily activities the same day as long as they don’t require any strenuous activity. More than likely, you’ll be okay to go back to work and do light chores around the house as long as it doesn’t involve much bending or heavy lifting. This is not the day for a bunch of laundry or cleaning your shower. Remember to keep things low-key. 

How to Safely Incorporate Exercise Into Your Botox Aftercare

If you are going to do some easy, lightweight exercise after your treatment, there are a few simple tips that can guide you.

• Listen to your doctor. Your doctor will give you clear post-treatment instructions. Read them carefully before leaving the office, and ask any questions that might come up for you. Stick to those instructions and don’t do anything before it’s recommended for you to reduce side effects and ensure your Botox doesn’t migrate.
• Pay attention to your body. Even if you’re feeling fine after treatment, doing too much too soon can make those side effects kick in. Always follow your doctor’s instructions, but also listen closely to what your body is telling you. If your body tells you you’re doing too much, slow down and rest. If you experience any unusual or adverse reactions, talk to your doctor.
• Start low and slow. How long can you exercise after Botox? After your treatment, you can slowly begin to reintroduce your workouts according to your doctor’s directions. Ideally, build back up to regular length and intensity over several days. How soon you return to working out after treatment depends on your body, your fitness, and your doctor’s recommendations.

Be cautious, and don’t push it too early in order to get the best results from your Botox treatment.

Everybody sweats. But there can be a surprising amount of variation when it comes to how much people sweat—especially during a workout. There are several factors about why the body produces sweat and when, and it’s a positive and healthy response to exercise. So, if you’re wondering, “Why do I sweat so much when I work out?” there could be any number of reasons. 

The Science of Sweating During Exercise

The primary reason your body sweats is to cool down. This type of sweat is released by eccrine sweat glands, which help regulate your body temperature. When these glands release sweat onto the surface of your skin, the sweat evaporates, reducing your body’s internal temperature and helping to regulate it when you work out (or become overheated for other reasons). 

This thermoregulation is important for maintaining a healthy core body temperature, but sweating also has other benefits:

• Protecting against infection: Your sweat contains antimicrobial peptides that help to fight off and kill pathogens (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that try to enter through your skin. Sweating also helps your immune cells work better.
• Hydrating and clarifying your skin: Sweat contains amino acids, electrolytes, lactate, and urea that help your skin attract moisture, pull it in, and retain it, thus preventing dry skin. At the same time, sweating opens your pores, releasing bacteria, oils, or dead skin cells that have accumulated in them. Get out of sweaty clothes and wash your skin following a sweating workout, or bacteria can multiply.
• Eliminating some toxins: While sweating isn’t the main way your body removes toxins—say thank you to your kidneys and liver for that!—studies have found that some heavy metals and phthalates are released in your sweat.
• Improving your workout performance: When your body does a good job sweating, you become more efficient at cooling your core temperature. That means you can work out harder and longer, improving your overall fitness. 

How Intensity and Duration Impact Workout Sweating

Everyone is going to work up a sweat when running or working out, but not everyone sweats the same amount. If you feel like you’re over-sweating during exercise, first consider what might be impacting how much you sweat and what your sweat level tells you about your workout. The way in which you work out can have a significant impact on workout sweat. 

Aerobic exercise, or cardio, typically makes you sweat more than other types of exercise because your heart rate remains elevated for a longer period. In addition, the intensity and duration of your workout will also impact how much you sweat. The more intense the exercise and the longer it lasts, the more sweat your body will produce. 

How Other Factors Impact Sweating During a Workout

So, why do you sweat so much when you exercise even without cardio? While aerobic exercise makes you sweat the most, it’s not the only type of exercise that makes you sweat. Any activity that raises your heart rate and your body temperature is going to make you sweat. On top of that, there might be other factors that contribute to how much you sweat.

Environmental factors

Where you exercise can have an enormous impact on how much you sweat. Think about the following:

• Indoors vs outdoors: You’re going to sweat more exercising outside on a sunny day than you would outside when it’s overcast or in an air-conditioned gym.
• Temperature and humidity: Obviously, you’re going to sweat more while exercising in heat than you would in cooler temperatures. You should also take humidity into account, as higher humidity will always make you sweat more since the sweat can’t evaporate and cool your body as quickly.
• Ventilation/airflow: If the airflow in your exercise environment is insufficient, sweat doesn’t evaporate as efficiently. That means your body will produce more sweat to compensate. 

Personal factors

In addition to environmental factors, other factors can make you question your level of sweat during workouts. You might be drenched in sweat, then look at someone next to you with the barest hint of perspiration and think, “Why do I sweat so much when I exercise?” Consider:

• Your physiology: Some people are just genetically predisposed to sweat more than others, but your unique physiology has an impact, too. The size of your body is one factor since bigger bodies generate more heat, therefore requiring more sweat to cool.
• Your fitness level: Studies show that people who exercise regularly tend to sweat more than people who don’t because their bodies are better at cooling themselves efficiently.
• Your clothing: Tight workout clothing makes it harder for sweat to evaporate, so your body can’t cool itself as effectively. It produces more sweat to try to cool the body more.
• Your hydration levels: Someone who is well-hydrated is going to sweat more than someone who is dehydrated, and that’s a good thing.
• Your previous meal: If you’ve eaten a big meal before exercising, you’ll sweat more if you’re still digesting since digesting food raises your core body temperature. Additionally, what you eat matters. Processed foods are harder for your body to digest, and spicy foods make it harder to cool your body down, so eating either of these before a workout will cause you to sweat more.

Medical Conditions That Contribute to Excessive Sweating

If you ever questioned why you sweat so much during exercise even when it’s an easy workout, you’re not alone. You could be experiencing a sweating disorder. If you feel your sweating is excessive, and it begins well before you feel your heart rate increase or you feel overheated, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. The following conditions can cause excessive sweating.

Hyperhidrosis

This chronic skin condition is characterized by excessive sweating, and usually in specific areas like the armpits, feet, hands, or face. This sweating can occur even when you’re at rest or in cold temperatures. Caused by a genetic variation, this condition usually presents before age 25. 

Diaphoresis

Also called secondary hyperhidrosis, this is excessive sweating due to a medication or medical condition. Anxiety, cancer, diabetes, head injuries, gout, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, thyroid problems, and certain infections can all cause this condition. So can certain medications, like albuterol or naproxen. This sweating usually impacts your entire body. 

Perimenopause and menopause

The hormone fluctuations during perimenopause and menopause can cause hot flashes, night sweats, and more. While other symptoms also accompany these, hot flashes are one of the hallmarks of menopause symptoms. 

Heart attack

A current or impending heart attack can cause sudden, excessive sweating. Look for other symptoms, too, including chest pain, nausea, and shortness of breath. For women and people assigned female at birth, sweating and nausea are often the only symptoms of a heart attack. If these are present, call 911. 

Tips for Managing Excessive Sweating During Workouts

Still wondering why you sweat so much when you work out? The truth is that it’s completely normal to work up a sweat when running, doing a HIIT workout, or participating in any sort of exercise that gets your heart rate up. That said, if you’re feeling self-conscious about your sweating, the following tips can help you manage it. 

• Wear antiperspirant. Try applying it anywhere you want to reduce sweating, including on your armpits, hands, feet, or even hairline. Do not use antiperspirant in any area that your swimsuit would cover. Powder is a better choice for these areas.
• Wear lightweight, breathable workout gear. Try to wear fabrics that breathe well and dry quickly to reduce excess sweating.
• Try exercising in temperature-controlled environments. Avoid exercising in high heat and humidity when possible. Night or morning workouts may help.
• Eat two hours before exercising. Meal timing makes a big difference. This way, you’re no longer digesting, so your core temperature isn’t elevated.
• Stay hydrated. This isn’t going to reduce your sweating, but it will help your body regulate temperature better. 

If, after trying these tips, you still feel like your sweating is excessive, talk to your doctor about options. They may want to run a few tests to rule out underlying medical conditions. If they determine you have hyperhidrosis, they might offer some prescription solutions, which could include Botox injections in the armpits, prescription strength wipes, medications to prevent sweating or prescription-strength antiperspirants. 

Fasting is a common practice in many cultures and religions, but it’s also become a popular practice for weight management and other health reasons. Fasting means you voluntarily reduce or abstain from food (and sometimes drink) for certain periods, which can vary from short intermittent fasting windows to prolonged durations. So many people wonder: Can you work out while fasting? More importantly, should you work out while fasting? Let’s explore what you should know about fasting and working out.

Types of Fasting and How They Affect You During Exercise

There are a variety of different types of fasting, and each has a different impact on you when you exercise. Here are the most common types of fasting and the effects of each kind of fasting and working out.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting involves alternating periods of eating and fasting. This can include time-restricted eating, alternate-day fasting, or periodic fasting. In some cases, people restrict their eating to a specific period each day, fasting for the other hours of the day. In other cases, people go back and forth between eating normally on some days and fasting on others. 

How it impacts exercise: Because you choose when you eat and when you fast, intermittent fasting and working out can function well together. You can choose to exercise after you’ve eaten and have energy rather than after periods of fasting. 

Spiritual or Religious Fasting

Many faiths participate in fasting at specific points during the year. In some cases, people don’t eat or drink at all during certain parts of the day, while in other cases, people simply restrict certain types of food for a set period. 

How it impacts exercise: People restricting only certain foods should be able to exercise normally. People who can’t eat or drink anything during certain hours of the day will experience depleted energy and should exercise with lower intensity before fasting hours begin so they can replace lost calories and hydration. 

Prolonged Fasting

Prolonged fasting means significantly reducing your caloric intake for two consecutive days or more. Prolonged fasting longer than 20 days comes with serious risks to your heart. Even prolonged fasts under 20 days can result in significant loss of electrolytes and muscle mass, along with other potential health complications. 

How it impacts exercise: Because prolonged fasting already impacts your body significantly, take it easy and refrain from any high-intensity exercise. Studies show that after prolonged fasting, the ability to sustain intense aerobic exercise is reduced considerably.

Which Type of Fasting Works Best for Exercise?

Can you work out while fasting, regardless of the type? Possibly, but an intermittent fasting workout is your best bet, which offers the most flexibility with your eating schedule, so it works best for fasting while working out. That means well-timed intermittent fasting exercise won’t feel quite as brutal. 

When should you work out while fasting? Should you work out after fasting or before? Exercise before your fasting begins, when you’re hydrated and still have caloric energy, or after your fasting ends when you’ve had a chance to replenish your calories and hydration. If possible, integrate post-workout foods that help your body recover, too. 

No matter what, adjust your expectations while fasting. You can work out while fasting, but your energy and endurance will be reduced, so give yourself grace and don’t overdo it.

Is It Safe to Work Out on an Empty Stomach?

For most people, it’s fine to work out on an empty stomach, but you may experience lethargy, wooziness, or light-headedness due to low blood sugar. You’ll get tired faster, too. While some older studies indicate that exercising in a fasted state can burn more calories, other studies have failed to show these advantages, so it may not be worth it. 

Is it best to eat before or after a workout? Generally, it’s best to eat something before exercising. For people over the age of 55, it’s essential. Otherwise, there’s a risk of muscle loss, which is already an issue for many people over 55. 

Signs That You Shouldn’t Work Out While Fasting

Listen to your body while fasting. It will communicate whether fasting and working out are safe for you. If you experience any of the following signs, it may indicate dehydration or heat exhaustion, which suggests fasting while working out doesn’t agree with you:

• Dizziness
• Extreme sweating
• Fainting
• Headache
• Inability to maintain coordinated movements
• Low blood pressure
• Mild and temporary confusion
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting
• Pale skin
• Rapid breathing
• Rapid heartbeat

A Balanced Approach to Fasting and Exercising Effectively

Can you work out while fasting? Most likely, as long as you do the following:

• Take it slowly and carefully. While fasting, you should lower the intensity and frequency of your workouts.
• Adjust your timing. Integrate workouts before your fast begins or after it ends, and you’ve had time to eat and drink. Exercising on an empty stomach won’t hurt most people, but it also won’t feel particularly good. Your energy will be much better if you can wait to exercise until after you’ve been able to replenish your stores.
• Listen to your body. If your body tells you that exercising while fasting is too much—stop. You may need time for your body to adjust, or you may need to wait to exercise until you’re finished fasting. 

Have you ever shown up at the gym ready to exercise, only to find yourself yawning during your workout? If you have, you’re not alone. No matter your age, gender, or fitness level, yawning while working out is fairly common. If you’re asking, “Why do I yawn when I work out and what can I do about it?” we got you. 

Understanding the Science of Yawning

Scientists don’t know exactly why we yawn. We yawn when we’re tired, but we also yawn when we’re bored, stressed, anxious, see other people yawn, experience changes in elevation, and yes, sometimes when we work out. This reflex happens involuntarily in your hypothalamus, although you can also make yourself yawn voluntarily if you think about it. 

Nearly every vertebrate species yawns (except for giraffes). Researchers found when it comes to yawning in vertebrates, the larger the brain, the longer the yawn. They believe this supports one theory: yawning helps cool down the brain.

Your body heats up when you exercise, and yawning could be your body’s way of cooling your brain. Yawning also distributes a biochemical surfactant that coats the alveoli, or air sacs, in your lungs and helps keep them open, preventing tiny airways from collapsing. This may help you breathe easier during exercise, too. 

Common Reasons You Yawn During Workouts

Based on studies and well-accepted theories among experts, here are some common reasons you might find yourself yawning while exercising. 

You need to improve your focus and attention.

Brain scan studies show that yawning increases activity in an area of the brain called the precuneus. This area of your brain plays an essential role in consciousness, memory, and spatial orientation. Yawning while working out might be your brain’s way of snapping you to attention!

You’re tired or anxious.

Yawning is frequently the body’s way of arousing you. You yawn in the morning, when you’re bored, when you’re sleepy, and when working on a repetitive or tedious task. In these cases, you need to be more alert, and yawning is your body’s solution. When it comes to exercise, try to improve your sleep habits. You may also be stressed out, and those yawns might be intended to calm your nerves.

You’re overheated.

Think about the brain fog that comes with a fever. Your brain functions better at the right temperature and yawning cools it. The temperature of your brain is based on your arterial blood, the rate of your blood flow, and the heat generated by your bodily function. Exercise increases each of these. Yawning during exercise allows warmer blood to leave your skull, while the inhalation of cool air, contraction of facial muscles, and even the eye-watering that comes with a yawn all lower your brain’s temperature. Cool, right?

Is Yawning While Exercising a Cause for Concern?

Why do you yawn when you work out if you don’t feel tired, anxious, or overheated? Is this a cause for concern? As long as you’re feeling okay and you aren’t yawning excessively, yawning while working out is nothing to worry about. Your body is just trying to regulate your temperature or improve your focus.

If you yawn constantly and experience shortness of breath, talk to your doctor, as it could be a result of medications that raise your serotonin levels or anxiety. This is less common, but it could also indicate underlying heart, lung, or breathing problems. If you’re yawning frequently and feeling shortness of breath, it’s worth getting checked out. 

Does Yawning Impact Workout Performance?

Interestingly, the evidence currently indicates that yawning when working out could be beneficial. Because yawning boosts arousal—even providing some of the same stimulant effects as caffeine—it could improve performance. Yawning increases your heart rate and your skin’s electrodermal response, and it helps stretch muscles and joints. All of this improves your focus and attention. Yawning also helps reduce anxiety and stress, further benefiting your performance. If you’re still asking why you yawn during workouts, breathe easy. Unless you’re yawning enough to get in the way of your workout, yawning might just improve your workout motivation. 

Tips to Minimize Yawning During Workouts

The following tips can help minimize yawning during exercise: 

• Notice when you yawn. Do you only yawn during early morning or late-night workout sessions? Are you yawning most during aerobic activity? Are you yawning because other people near you are yawning, too? Notice when you yawn and change your habits if necessary.
• Get better sleep. It’s possible your body just needs more rest. Make sleep a priority and get good quality sleep so your body gets the time it needs to repair.
• Don’t overdo it. Exercise burnout is real. Your body might be telling you to slow down or take a break. If yawning starts during the most intense parts of your workout, step it down to see if the yawning stops. It might also indicate that you need longer breaks between exercises.

Remember: it’s probably not a big deal if you yawn while working out. It might even boost performance! However, pay attention when you’re yawning to help you learn more about what you need to keep your body as healthy as possible.                                 

Do you know which muscle groups to work out together? The most effective exercise plan incorporates some aerobic, balance, flexibility, and strength training during the course of a week. When it comes to muscular strength training, in particular, learning which muscle groups should be trained together can help improve your fitness results.

Understanding Muscle Group Pairings

Different exercises target different muscles, of course, but there are groups of muscles that work together, helping areas of the body work most efficiently. Knowing which muscle groups to work out together helps you avoid overtraining each week and ensures your muscles are getting the rest they need to recover properly. It can also help you maintain motivation for working hard when you know that after one tough leg day, you can let those muscles rest for a couple of days.

So, what muscle groups should be trained together, and how many muscle groups should you train per workout? First, let’s take a look at what most experts consider the six major muscle groups:

• Abdominals
• Arms
• Back
• Chest
• Legs
• Shoulders

Typically, muscle groups are paired based on proximity and purpose. For example, a frequent muscle group pairing is the groups of muscles involved in pushing: the chest, shoulders, and arms. Exercises that use these muscle groups could include compound exercises like bench presses, dips, or push-ups.  

However, sometimes muscle group pairings are based on which burns the most energy and provides the most effective workout. As you decide what muscle groups to work out together, consider your fitness level, what your goals are, and how much time you have to dedicate to your workouts.

Popular Muscle Group Combos

As you decide what muscle groups to work out together, think about your goals. If you’re aiming for general fitness, make sure your workouts balance all the muscle groups equally. If your training supports a specific end goal, like being able to lift a certain number of pounds, that will impact your exercises. 

Generally speaking, the best muscle group combinations allow muscle groups that support one another to be strengthened simultaneously: 

• Chest, shoulders, arms: Could include exercises like push-ups, shoulder presses, bench dips, and dumbbell bench press
• Arms, abs, back: Could include exercises like bicycle crunches, dumbbell flys, bent over rows, and bicep curls
• Legs, back, arms: Could include exercises like barbell squats, dumbbell lunges, deadlifts, and plank
• Chest, arms, abs: Could include exercises like crunches, dumbbell rows, dumbbell floor presses, and pull-downs

Make sure you think about rest days, too. The American Heart Association recommends two days of rest for each muscle group between workouts to ensure your muscles have time to recover so you don’t injure yourself. That way, you can build muscle mass without overdoing it. That also leaves time for active recovery and other types of exercise throughout the week.

Full-Body vs. Split Training

When it comes to deciding which muscle groups to workout, you should also decide whether you’ll opt for a full-body workout or split training. While a full-body workout targets all of your muscle groups during a single workout, split training targets separate muscle groups. There are pros and cons to each type of training, but for the most part, which training method you choose is dependent on the time you have to work out, your fitness goals, and your current fitness level.

Full-Body Training

A full-body workout uses all of your muscle groups during one workout, so things like HIIT classes or working your way through all the machines at the gym would fall under this category. The benefit of a full-body workout is that you don’t have to decide which muscle groups to work out each time. Instead, you’ll be targeting all the muscle groups, which means you don’t have to work out as many times per week to see the benefits. However, you may need to work out longer per session. 

Split Training

A split workout chooses between muscle groups per workout. You’ll need to plan your week’s workouts accordingly to ensure you hit all the muscle groups during the week. Split training usually requires more workout sessions per week in order to hit all six muscle groups while allowing for proper rest between sessions. Those sessions might not need to be as long as full-body sessions.

Research has shown that one method isn’t markedly better than the other, so it’s really all about choosing what works best for you and your goals. 

The other option to consider is to combine these types of workouts over the course of the week to create the ideal fitness regimen. Keep in mind that you’ll need to make time to work out about five days a week. In that case, your workout schedule might look something like this to balance cardio, strength, flexibility, and balance training:

• Monday: Full body workout (like Barre, boxing, dance class, HIIT, Pilates, running, etc.)

• Tuesday: 30 minutes of yoga, followed by 30 minutes of back and ab exercises

• Wednesday: Rest day

• Thursday: Leg day

• Friday: Full body workout

• Saturday: 30 minutes of yoga, followed by 30 minutes of arm, shoulder, and chest exercises
• Sunday: Rest

Remember that you’re never trapped in one routine–you can always change things up if your current routine isn’t working for you. Pay attention to whether you’re satisfied with your workout regimen and your results. 

Factors to Consider for Your Workout

If you’re still not sure what muscle groups should be trained together, there are some additional factors that may impact the workouts right for you. Here’s what to consider when deciding which muscle groups to work out together. 

Make Your Decision Based On:

• The amount of time you can dedicate to working out each session and each week
• Your current fitness level
• The type of exercise that keeps you motivated and coming back

The best workout for you is the one you will actually do. From there, take into account how much time you can make for your workouts and what you’re capable of at this point. 

Consider Full-Body Training If:

• You can’t make it to the gym more than two or three days a week
• You haven’t exercised regularly in a while (or ever!), or you’re focused on general fitness
• You like a class that keeps you moving more than more focused routines
• Your muscle groups get fatigued easily

Consider Split Training If:

• You’re looking to build specific muscles or want to gain overall muscle mass
• You prefer a more focused workout session that really works for specific muscle groups
• You’re injured and can’t work out a certain muscle group
• You have time most of the week to dedicate to working out

Regardless of which you choose, it’s helpful to know what muscle groups should be trained together for maximum impact. Customize your workouts as needed, even when you do a full-body workout.

Building Your Ideal Workout Plan

Now that you know which muscle groups to work out together, you might want a little guidance getting started. At Jack City Fitness, our fitness coaches have the expertise to help you develop a custom workout plan so you can meet your goals. Our coaches partner with you to get to know you and your abilities, guiding you through your workout regimen. They work within your fitness levels, abilities, and means to ensure that you get the type of personalized workout that helps improve your accountability, safety, and enjoyment. They’ll also help you determine the best ways to target those muscle groups with every gym session, class, or personal training appointment. 

Ready to answer, “How many muscle groups should you train per workout?” Contact us today or call (208) 999-1111 to learn more about partnering with one of our coaches. You’ll get started with a FREE fitness consultation, where you can get personalized data from our InBody machine, tour our top-notch facilities (which partners can access 24/7), and receive a personalized fitness routine to get you started. We can’t wait to partner with you to help you reach your fitness goals! 

Sore muscles are a part of working out, but sometimes you can get so sore that you worry about the consequences of exercising more. You might even wonder, “Should I work out with sore muscles at all?” Learn more about what causes sore muscles and get tips for exercising while sore so you can make the most of your time at the gym and recover properly without actually hurting yourself. 

Understanding Muscle Soreness: What’s Happening in Your Body?

We’ve all been sore before. Whether it’s because you had to move apartments or you’ve just started a new workout routine, sore muscles are a part of life. But understanding why you get sore muscles can help you be better informed when it comes to exercising while sore. There are two different types of sore muscles:

• Acute muscle soreness: This happens during or immediately after a workout when your muscles are fatigued. Think about that burning feeling when you’re pushing to get to the end of a set of reps. That’s acute muscle soreness.
• Delayed Onset Muscle soreness (DOMS): DOMS happens one to three days after a workout and causes aching, stiff, tight muscles that hurt when you move them. While it’s not entirely clear what causes DOMS (theories include nerve compression, lactic acid or metabolite buildup, connective tissue damage, inflammation, and more), we do know that microscopic damage to the muscle tissue is a contributing factor. 

One of the distinguishing factors of soreness is that it’s not a sharp pain. DOMS can be plenty intense, and you might find yourself groaning every time you move your sore muscles, but it shouldn’t completely stop you in your tracks. If it does, it could be a sign of injury. 

Is It Safe to Work Out With Sore Muscles?

Many people wonder: Is it good to work out when sore or is it bad to work out when sore? Generally speaking, working out while sore is actually an effective way to relieve your sore muscles! You just have to be thoughtful about the type of exercise you do. If, for example, you have incredibly sore biceps from lifting weights, don’t go back to that same exercise the next day. Instead, try to focus on a different muscle group, like your legs or your core, and do something relatively gentle that warms your whole body and gets your blood moving to help your muscles repair. 

Another important part of exercising while sore is doing a proper warm-up and cool-down. Warming up your muscles helps them get adequate blood flow before you ask a lot of them, and it also helps you assess which parts of your body are stiff or sore. Cooling down helps you to bring your heart rate down and allows you to stretch your muscles while they’re still warm. Studies also show that cooling down properly can help to reduce DOMS and fatigue overall. 

Listening to Your Body: When to Rest and When to Push Through

While sore muscles are a perfectly normal result of exercising, it’s important to know the difference between sore muscles and an injury. When you ask yourself, “Should I work out with sore muscles?” make sure you listen to your body. Know the signs of injury so that you can stop your workouts before causing real injury or see a doctor. 

Sore muscles vs. injury

• Sore muscles: An achy, burning, stiff, or warm sensation in the muscle. Sore muscles hurt when you move them in the specific way you worked them out.
  
• Injury: Sharp pain, acute pain, bruising, swelling, or physical impairment of the injured area. The pain from an injury won’t go away with light exercise or stretching, and it will be downright painful, as opposed to uncomfortable. 

Exercising while sore is one thing, but if you do think you have an injury, don’t try to push through it. You could lengthen your recovery time or even injure yourself further. Try a day of rest and see if things improve. If you suspect an injury, see your doctor to discuss treatment. You may just need to rest further, but it’s worth getting checked out.

Active Recovery Options for Sore Muscles

Active recovery is exactly what it sounds like: staying active while your body recovers. While passive recovery, like rest and icing, can be extremely helpful, research indicates that active recovery helps return your muscles to their normal state by increasing blood flow and flushing out the byproducts that cause sore muscles. 

There are a variety of different methods included in active recovery, and any of them can be incorporated into your workout routine to aid in muscle recovery between more intense workout sessions. A general rule of thumb is to incorporate one to three days of active recovery into your training schedule. If working out while sore feels like you’re overdoing it, you probably are. Otherwise, try these options. 

Warm Up

Warming your body up properly ensures that you loosen tight muscles and get the blood flow required to allow your muscles to heal. Starting any kind of exercise cold is a recipe for injury. 

Move

Keeping your body moving is the goal here. Lightweight movement—like yoga, swimming, or walking—helps with increasing blood flow to your muscles so they can heal. You also use many different muscle groups in each of these light movements, so you won’t put excessive burden on any area with sore muscles. 

Stretch

Stretching your muscles is an excellent way to flush out the lactic acid and metabolites that contribute to sore muscles. Stick with dynamic stretches before a workout, which takes a joint through the full range of motion. After exercise or on an active recovery day, static stretches are great. Remember not to go too far in static stretches, though. Just stretch your muscles comfortably, breathe to oxygenate your muscles, and hold for 30 seconds in each stretch.

Go at Your Own Pace

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: listen to your body and go at your own pace. Especially during recovery, overexerting yourself or stretching beyond your comfort can lead to injury. Enjoy easier movement so your body can fully recover. 

Cool Down

Cooling down has huge benefits when it comes to reducing muscle soreness. A cool-down is an activity that typically stretches your tired muscles and uses only 50-60% of your maximum effort. Recent research shows that six to 10 minutes of cool-down after a workout helps reduce both inflammation and breakdown of the muscles.  

Preventing Excessive Muscle Soreness

Working out while sore is one thing, but preventing that soreness in the first place is ideal. You won’t be able to avoid sore muscles altogether if you’re training regularly and increasing your difficulty, but you can prevent the excessive soreness that can slow you down. Here’s how.  

• Always warm up and cool down
• Incorporate active recovery activities, like walking or yoga, in between heavy workouts
• Try passive recovery techniques, like foam rolling, cold immersion baths, or massage
• Stay hydrated, eat a healthy diet high in antioxidants, and get adequate sleep
• Breathe during your workouts
• Don’t overdo it
• Rest when you need to

So, now that you can answer, “Should I work out with sore muscles,” and “What happens if I work out with sore muscles?” you’re on your way to less soreness and better recovery. You may not be able to avoid sore muscles entirely, but you can stave off the worst of DOMS so you’re not sidelined. Having the right information in your back pocket is key, but getting support for working out muscles while sore is the ideal way to keep your body safe. 

Jack City Fitness can provide all the support you need to help you learn how to work out safely, work through sore muscles, and maintain an active recovery routine to help build strong, healthy muscles. Our coaches are driven by your success, and we take your results seriously. We can help you develop a balanced workout routine, keeping you from overtraining and injuring yourself.  

Ready to learn more about how we can support you and your fitness? Contact us today or call (208) 999-1111 to learn more about partnering with a private coach, taking advantage of our fitness class offerings, and joining our incredible community at our 24/7 top-notch facility. We’re focused on supporting you every step of the way so we can help you achieve the results you want while ensuring you’re safe and healthy. We can’t wait to help you get started!