So yesterday I did(and completed) my first boot camp class at my gym..the trainer said it was a 1000 calorie burner(woot!). I was fine yesterday but of course today I'm pretty sore especially my thighs and arms. There is another boot camp class on Thursday that I'd like to try and attend. 

So my question is..Do I go to the gym today and work through the pain I'm in..I would do the ellipitcal machine if I did..hopefully for 30 minutes. Or do I just take it easy today..I'm a newbie when it comes to doing anything other than cardio so I just don't know what is best for my body today. 

Thanks everyone!

I'd post in the exercise forum but I think the elliptical would be fine. The big thing is to not strength train the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. The cardio would probably actually help loosen you up some.

 Thank you..I don't venture off of the RNY board often..but I'll try posting it there as well!

Can someone tell me what strength training the same muscle group two days in a row does? Why is it bad? (not being a smart ass, just genuinely wondering).

Kinda depends on what you are going for..building muscle or just toning.  If you are using a heavier weight to build some muscle then they body needs a rest day to repair the muscle and make it stronger.

If you are just doing very light weights for toning I have read that it doesn't make much of a difference. 

 first realize there is a difference betwen being sore and being in pain.  Sore is a good thing it means you did something, pain is a bad thing usually.  Work through soreness recover for pain.  

You should be fine doing some cardio or crosstrain on your non bootcamp days.  Try a spin class!

I would be careful of going by what coachs say a workout is worth in terms of distance and calories.  My Spin Coach says an hour spin class is like doing 25 miles in 1 hour.  I have yet to ever hit 25mph and hold it for a period of time without going down hill.

If you want to track you calorie burn you might want to look at getting a HRM that does calories burned.  I think these are better than say the Bodyfit or those things that some use.  My main reason is that as you train your body improves your AT and Max HR will actually increase and knowing where you are will help you push to the next level.  In 6 months your x minutes of cardio won't result in the same calories burned unless you change the intenisty.

 I was hoping you would reply Paul..so thank you! I may send you a PM later on with a few more fitness questions..I'm pretty lost at the gym. I'm sure this is just general muscle soreness..its more of a pulling or tightness when I move the muscles in question. 

I have been looking at getting...

Polar FT4 Fitness Heart Rate Monitor

from bodytronics.com. I have no idea if this is what I should be going after or not. According to the sensors on the elliptical machine my heart rate stays between 174-185 while I'm using it..I don't know if this is safe or even accurate. 

Depending on your age or fitness level it could be but not for an extended period of time.  My AT is around 165-170 and working in the mid to high 170s beyond a couple minutes is difficult to sustain.

That is a decent entry level HRM but you may want to think about what your goals are going to be.  If you have goals that may require more details in your training such as the ability to train in zones then you might want to look at moving up to the RS100 if it is affordable for you.

 I will tell you spin is my go to soreness reliever. That class burns a good bit of calories and I come out feeling so stretched. I doody pump and when I haven't gone in awhile spin class always makes my sore muscles feel better. Find a spin class if your gym has one to do today. Good luck.....don't you love the feeling though like you know you did something!

 Thank you for your reply! I checked the class schedule when I got to the gym and I had already missed the 2 spin classes for today so I did 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. I am very "proud" of my soreness today..lol it feels great knowing I got these muscles working again.