When you work your muscles hard, tiny tears occur in the tissue. You're most likely to notice it the first few times you work out or, if you are a veteran exerciser, when you move your routine up past your comfort point. Whether or not you give your muscles a break for a short time is up to you, but there are some risks and advantages to consider.
Duration
Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, is usually felt 24 to 48 hours after you work out and is caused the stress to your muscles. By the third day, it will generally ease up. If you feel it sooner than 8 hours after your workout session, it may not be DOMS but a muscle strain or sprain. If the pain persists, seek medical attention.
Benefits
In the days after your workout, as the soreness sets in, your muscles will begin the process of repairing themselves -- assuming you give them time and proper nutrition to recover. This repair process results in a bigger, stronger muscle than you had before.
Risks
If you persistently work through sore muscles every time they occur, and if you do it at the peak intensity that caused the pain in the first place, you will not give them time to heal from the previous workout. You'll keep breaking them down again, causing more tears before they have the opportunity to rebuild. The result could be the exact opposite of what you intend -- flabbier, weaker muscles. You're also not going to be able to perform at your best, and if you work out while your muscles are still hurting, you could make mistakes in form that might cause injury.
Recommendations
Professional athletes generally only work out hard enough to cause DOMS intermittently, using the in-between days to work out at a more moderate pace. This keeps them in condition but doesn't undo the benefits of having broken down the muscles in the first place. If you don't immediately stress your muscles past their limits again, they can still heal and rebuild. A mild workout while you're sore will also send blood to your muscles, warming them, alleviating some of the pain.
Prevention
To prevent DOMS, start out slowly with a workout routine, building up gradually. Your muscles adapt to the intensity of your exercise, so you won't feel pain again until you push yourself past your previous limit. If you do that in increments, the pain of muscle breakdown is less severe.
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