I've been exercising for a few weeks now. And this weekend, I did a lot more than usual. And now I'm a little sore.

I know with weight lifting, you should give your muscles time to heal and exercise every other day.

But with something like Pilates, should you do it every other day or every day? And should you continue to work out when you're sore, or wait a day or two, till you're not?

Is it a good thing to be sore when you exercise or does that mean you are doing way too much?

Thanks for your replies!

Being sore can result from a couple of different things. One might be that you didn't stretch out enough before and/or after cardio. But, if what you're doing is Pilates, then the likely cause is that you fatigued your muscles more than they're used to. That's actually a good thing, because that is what strengthens them. It's good to rest a day to let your muscles recover, but it's also a good thing to work through the soreness. I started a new workout last week and it made me so sore I could hardly moved. I skipped a day, then did it again. I was just as sore the next time. I skipped a day, then did it again. The next day, I wasn't sore at all, and when I did the workout this morning, it was not only a little easier, but I can tell that I'm not going to be sore this time, which means my muscles are becoming stronger and more conditioned.

Kind of a long-winded answer :blush:, but I hope it helps.

Lori

I think the most important thing is to listen to your body. And with pilates I've found that I have to build up very very slowly so that my stomach muscles can support my neck and not the other way around. I've heard a lot of people say that it is ideal to do pilates 3x a week.