Does your workout make you sore?

Image take from: http://el-aephau.blogspot.com/2012/03/massage-myths-and-logics.html

Some people say that if you aren't sore after your workout, you didn't do it right...

Well that is true and false. It depends on how ambitious you are with your goals. If you are aspiring to be a top athlete, then usually you will be sore after most workouts. If you are just trying to stay active and be healthy, you shouldn't feel sore after most workouts.

But what do you do if you are... Below is a great article about several things you can do to prevent soreness and speed recovery.

A quick look at the 4 points:
1. Active recovery workouts
2. Massage, either a foam roller daily and/or a professional massage twice a month
3. Sleep enough... I talked about that one the other day too.
4. A cold soak in the tub to help reduce inflammation.

Each of these are inexpensive ways to help recovery and prevent soreness. Read the article to get more information and details of how each one helps.

How Recovery Helps You Build Muscle | Men's Health - http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/muscle-recovery-tips

Do you sleep?

So, here's a great question that I bet I know the answer to for most people. Do you get enough sleep?
Some people may not know this, but the most important part of any workout or fitness program is recovery. And the most important part of recovery is sleep. And consistent sleep at that. Same bed time, same rooster call every day (even on days you don't work). Got a pretty strange schedule? You may want to consider how your schedule impacts your health. Check out the article listed below.

Does Extra Weekend Sleep Really Help? - http://pulse.me/s/pq2ZL

Also, to answer the question I posed last week. This morning on my leg workout I kept all the same weights, but I added 2 additional exercises. At the beginning of my workout I did 4 sets of 20 reps on a leg press and I used the Leg Extension machine part way through my workout. All in all, I had a more intense workout with only adding those two exercises. Now next week, I get to start working to up the weight now that I have enough exercises to hit each muscle group 4 times.