04/01/2026
When to push through soreness vs slow down - adapted from
Muscle and tissue soreness are normal and expected parts of training and recovery. To build strength and resilience, your body needs the right dose of stress: enough to stimulate adaptation, not so much that it overwhelms your capacity to recover.
That said, progress isn’t always linear. There are moments where easing off, adjusting load, or shifting focus is smarter than simply pushing harder. Importantly, slowing down isn’t stopping. Movement, loading and rehab can, and often should, continue, just in a modified way.
Pain and soreness are part of the human experience. They don’t always mean harm, but they do mean it’s time to check in, reassess and tweak the plan with your healthcare team when needed. The goal is sustainable progress, not perfection or pace.
A good rule of thumb:
Push when soreness feels local, temporary, and improves with warm-up or within 24–48 hours.
Slow down when soreness lingers, spreads, worsens over time, impacts sleep, or changes the way you move.
Listen to the trend, not just the moment. Your body is giving you data; work with it, not against it.
Credit: Post concept adapted from
