muffintop-less:

Is it a bad thing if my muscles hurt for more than a day, and should I still workout after a days rest if it still hurts?

No, it’s not bad. Muscles can hurt for a few days. It’s called D.O.M.S. (delayed onset muscle soreness). It usually takes two days to feel the most sore because of microscopic tears in your muscles that then need rebuilding through proper food and rest to come back bigger and stronger through repeated training. It should only last a few days, getting milder and milder after about 3. If you lift hard, you should spread out the training of a single muscle group at least 3 days until you are ready to train again. The soreness will subside as you train more regularly unless you exercise it with increased intensity and in a different way down the road, then you might experience soreness again. Hope that makes sense? :) - from Jamie Eason