I didn’t want Tuesday’s blog to make anyone wonder if they were doing the exercises improperly if they are getting sore. You could go home from a Pilates class and be sore. That doesn’t make you abnormal. Everyone’s body is different.
If Pilates is new to you, you may be sore more often. Learning a new exercise could make you sore. Increasing reps could make you sore. Menstruating could make you get sore easier. The general disposition of your body on any given day will effect a workout and how you feel afterward. There are a lot of reasons to be sore after exercise, but most of the time people don’t question a typical soreness after physical exertion. People rarely come to me and say, “Maggie, my muscles feel sore for up to 48 hours after class.” I think people anticipate that. More people question, “I’m not feeling sore after Pilates. Is that normal? Am I getting a good workout?”
You know in class whether you are getting a good workout. You will feel a challenge at that very moment. Pilates should not be a cake walk. Exercise, like life, is all what you make of it. You put in the energy you want and the results follow suit. How sore you are a few days after class is not a good judge of a challenging workout.
It is also good to know the difference between a typical muscle soreness versus a bad pain that could be an injury. Generally, if muscle pain after exercise lingers more than 48 hours, you might want to look into it or call your doctor. So you are normal whether or not you feel sore after a workout. Everyone’s body reacts in a different way.
