I worked out the other day and my arms are Sore I want bulk and Strength Should I Stretch?

Question

Should I stretch out the soreness or Will that Lean my muscle and not give it bulk. or should I just let them rest? Also does that mean I need more potassium or Protein for muscle growth?

Answer 1

It's called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.  It happens when you're body goes through exertion that it's not used to.  It's an adaptive process for your muscles and means they'll become stronger as they recover.

Stretching will make it feel better, but only for a few minutes, beacause it warms up the muscle and gets the circulation going.  As soon as you stop moving though it will just come back.  The soreness will last for 3-4 days afterwards no matter what you do because your muscles need that time to recover and rebuild.  Make sure you don't use that muscle for strength training until the soreness subsides because you could overtrain which could lead to a detraining effect (where your muscles will get smaller and you'll lose your strength).

Try masaging, aspirin, deep heat, a heat pack or a bath with epsom salts to ease the pain?

DOMS occurs regardless of how much protein or potassium you have, but of course having lots of nutrients is going to help your body heal & work better and all.  Your body will adapt to it though and after more workouts you'll notice less pain.

:o)

Answer 2

It's a good idea to stretch after your workout. It will help a bit with the soreness. The reason your muscles get sore ,is from  lactic acid from working your muscles hard. After a month or so ,your body will get used to working out and you won't really get sore anymore, just a little stiff. Start out easy and slowly work your muscles harder every workout. It doesn't mean you need more potassium or protein, but you do have to eat good healthy foods (with enough protein) if you want to build muscle. Don't workout 2 days in a row (give your body 1 day rest) and only work each body-part 1 time each week.  The most important thing to remember is, your muscles DON'T grow in the gym, they grow when you are resting (mainly sleeping). Lifting weights is only the stimulus and the reason your muscles grow,is because the heavy weights make tiny microscopic tears in the muscles and your body over compensates by building them back bigger and stronger. You don't want to tear them down again until they are repaired. Just listen to your body, it will tell you if you are over training. If you are feeling really run down and you are getting weaker, rather than stronger, you are over training. Hope this helps.  

Answer 3

You should rest. Your muscles usually need a day of rest in between strength training sessions. Let them rest now and it will avoid injury.