Muscle Soreness or DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)

Probably the main reason people hate working out is because of muscle soreness or DOMS.  If it wasn't for sore and stiff feeling the day after a workout, people would be more willing to go the gym and workout.  The reason our muscles are sore the day after is due to the muscle breaking down when we lift heavy weights.  A little soreness after a good workout is actually great.  It means you trained hard and your body is repairing itself.  Now when you are really sore to the point it hurts just to breathe, it means you work too hard, too soon and your body is not used to the stress you put on it.  If you are a beginner, you should slowly ease into the workload.  For example, if you are overweight, begin by walking or slowly jog.  Do NOT start your first workout with 100 meter sprints.  Your body is used to sitting on the couch all day to all of a sudden sprinting.  By gradually increasing the workload you also decrease the risk of unwanted injuries.

What should I do if I have muscle soreness?

There are many things you could do to speed up recovery process.  The first thing is to make sure you are getting enough nutrients and water into your body and getting 7-8 hours of sleep.  Gentle stretching will also help loosening up the stiff muscle.  (Side note: Stretching does NOT prevent muscle soreness).  Additionally, a light cardio session such as walking will help increase blood flow in the body.  And finally, the best method to recover from muscle soreness, in my opinion, is a massage.  Not only does it feel awesome, but it is scientifically proven to help speed up recovery.  What massage does is it increase the blood flow to the sore muscle(s) and it pushes away the toxins resulting in reduced recovery time.  I know massages can cost a lot, but the way to massage yourself is a foam roller which cost about $10-$15.  When I bought a foam roller myself, it was probably the best investment I made my entire life.  You don't  know what I mean until you try it out yourself.  It feels amazing and the recovery time is shorten.  With a shorter recovery time, I can go back into the gym and continue training.

Read this article to find out more about foam rolling: http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/science-says-foam-rolling-increases-rom-and-does-not-decrease-strength

What are things you shouldn't do for muscle soreness?

When you are sore, the worst thing to do is lay around and do nothing at all.  Your muscles stay tight and stiff and your blood is not circulating enough.  Inactivity will only make you more sore and the recovery duration longer.  Also never train the same muscle on consecutive days.  Give at least 48 hours until training the same muscle again.  If you are still slightly sore after the 48 hours, you can still train.  But if you are still really sore after 48 hours, rest a little longer.