I Feel No Pain...

I'm going to start by telling you something you already know. You're a Crossfitter or a lifter and you get sore from time to time.

If you are relatively new to CrossFit or increasing/modifying the intensity or volume of your current training program, chances are you will appreciate the art of walking down stairs, straightening your arms, sitting on a toilet seat or generally anything that involves moving following a tough workout.

Is this normal? You bet your sore ass it is. The technical name for this soreness is delayed-onset muscle soreness or DOMS. DOMS usually appears anywhere from 12 to 48 hours after activity and is (most agree) the result of the break down of muscle fibers resulting in inflammation during eccentric loading movements such as deadlifting or squatting. This soreness usually lasts a few days then gradually subsides returning you to as good as new (or better...!).

DOMS is my Homeboy...

Should I workout even though I am experiencing some soreness as a result of a workout or lift a few days earlier? As long as you can perform your warm-up through normal ranges of motion, you should be fine. If you are new to lifting and CrossFit and are experiencing some soreness after an intro session, it is probably the result of engaging muscle groups and practicing movement patterns that have not been used for quite some time. For these folks, I would expect to see some soreness in the spinal erectors, glutes and hamstrings (posterior chain). This is a normal part of the adaptation process.

Am I Injured?
While we can joke about you walking around like there is a load in your pants as a result of split squats, it is important to distinguish between being injured and general soreness. How do you know if what your experiencing is an injury or general soreness? Well, if you experience persistent (sharp or dull) pain immediately during and/or after the movement, it's likely an injury. On the other hand, if the pain is felt a day or two after, is dull, and goes away in a couple of days, then it is more than likely general soreness. The bottom line here is that YOU have to listen to your body and distinguish between general soreness and an injury. If it's just some soreness, you should be fine! If it's an injury, get it taken care of!

Now what?
In either case, injury or soreness, there is some inflammation present. My first recommendation would be to make sure your taking some good quality fish oil. It has been shown in numerous studies to help decrease inflammation. If it's an injury I would suggest icing the area for 15 minutes on/off for a few cycles. I know some guys/gals take ice baths. Monitor your progress and go see your doctor if the pain persists. If it's just some soreness, making sure your eating right, getting enough sleep, foam rolling, etc. will aid in your recovery.