So tuesday night i did my normal work out. 15min on bike 45min weights and 30min on the elliptical. Then 1 hour of yoga. I hadent worked out for a little over a week because my uncle passed away and there was a lot of family in town. Then my sister had twins and she lives 2 hours away so i was visiting her. Anyway Wednesday is my normal "rest day" this is because i work from 4am until 8pm on wednesday. Anyway i woke up kinda sore and today i am even more sore. Should i skip the gym or just go and suck it up? Is it a good idea to work out when you are sore? maybe i should just do some cardio and no weights. Any idea?

I usually stick to cardio when I get sore from a previous workout and that helps to loosen me up. I do avoid strength training the sore muscle groups though.

Yeah. I'd say just try and switch it up and stay away from what's sore. Do what you can.
The other day I *way* overdid it on squats and lunges and my legs felt like they were going to fall off, it was a challenge not to cry in public when I had to walk up stairs so I stuck to a bellydance DVD that day nice and easy on the legs, but I worked up a decent sweat.

Do you normally do 2 1/2 hour work outs? Wow that sounds like a lot. No wonder you're sore!

Not sure of your intensity... However if it's do-able for you...

Workout. Unless you've actually strained a muscle then in my experience working out is actually a good way to relieve the pain. It hurts a lot for the first little while but as the blood gets flowing you'll feel better. Take it easy for the first five or ten minutes and make sure you get a good warmup in and you should be fine. This morning I woke up stiff as anything and my hamstrings were so tight I felt like I could barely walk. I did my regular weight routine and a spinning class and I don't feel anything now.

Work out - my stomach was in so much pain after a week of not making the abs class and then when I DID on monday night it was the toughest instructor (he just ADORES deep core work...ouch!)

Going back the next day just helps me loosen up and I have noticed my recovery time is quicker than if I didn't do anything until it felt better.

My trainer doesn't care if I'm sore, he just says "It's a good sore!" And I work through it and get even more sore usually!

I find that drinking a lot of water when you're sore also helps. It flushes out the toxins (in this case, a build-up of lactic acid) in your muscles. Increasing blood flow to the area through gentle exercise also helps.

Sore is OK, pain is not. Do remember that muscle is built by making tiny tares from stressing the muscle but it has to have a day or two to heel to be most effective. Also STRETCH! I spend 10 to 15 min stretching after every workout and I'm almost never more then pleasantly sore even after a very intents 90 minutes.