If you have ever taken a few weeks off from exercise and then completed an exhausting workout, you may know what I’m about to say.

That first workout back from such a long break can be tough, but it is usually the soreness that follows a few days later that is brutal. For example, do push-ups during a workout after a few weeks off, and it can hurt to even sit on a chair or climb the stairs that week.

One of the quickest ways to resolve this problem is very simple:

Do 20 push-ups.

If I am feeling sore a few days after a push-up workout, then doing light reps is the quickest way to recover from the soreness.

You must be wondering how could this be? If pushups caused the pain, then why do more of them? It's sort of like saying, “I spent too much money, so my solution is to spend a little more money.”

This makes a little sense right? But, as you may expect, there is something deeper going on here. It’s called the Repeated Bout Effect. The Repeated Bout Effect is one of the main principles of “If nothing changes, then nothing is going to change." Basically, this effect is that the more you repeat a behavior, the less it impacts you because you become accustomed to it. The whole concept is that in order to have a better result, you must change something and try something new. So the example of exercising will maybe change your laziness with anything and could help your overall result. If nothing changes, nothing is going change, so make that change starting today!