How much time do muscles need to rest?
 

How long do you give your muscles to rest before you start exercising again? I don’t know if I am not stretching enough (although I try to stretch before as well as after my treadmill exercise) but lately, my thighs are really very sore. I do my treadmill exercise every other day, so the last time I was on treadmill was Saturday around lunch time. My thighs were tight beforehand and it got a lot worse afterwards. I applied some muscle-pain-relieving lotion (Myoflex?) on Saturday and last night, and it is much better today, but I am not sure if it is enough to get back on the treadmill again (and I really want to).
As if that was not enough, my shoulders are killing me from my core exercise class (with a stability ball) on Saturday so going to the gym for some weight training is not a good idea either.

:mad:Ah, the challenges of old age!!!!

Stretching after exercise will help. Every person recovers at a different rate. If you are really sore take an extra day off but if it is just stiffness, warming up your muscles will probably help. Just don't forget to stretch afterwards.

And when I give myself an extra day off in between seems liek double the recovery time!