Incorporating Yoga to help with muscle soreness from workouts

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I've been working with a personal trainer at my gym for about 8 weeks now. I'm currently on a program of roughly an hour of cardio (HIIT, piylo, etc.) and strength training (currently bodyweight and dumbbells but moving up to barbell work next week). I do this 5 days a week with two rest days. I've also started the C25K program recently and use that as my cardio on alternating days.

I was lightly active before I started this (cardio 3x per week, mostly walking on an incline treadmill or the elliptical), and I'm at a healthy weight BMI-wise (5'2" and around 134lbs), but since ramping up my workouts I've had a lot of pain and muscle soreness. I expected it at the beginning, but even after two months I'm still sore almost all the time, around the clock. I do regular stretching after each workout, but I was wondering if yoga on a regular basis, maybe 3x per week, could help even more. I love that I'm getting stronger and seeing results (my butt hasn't been this perky in YEARS thanks to all the squats), but it does kind of suck being in some degree of pain every day.

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    yoga helps, as does swimming.
  • healthyemily93
    healthyemily93 Posts: 11 Member
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    I love yoga. I'd also suggest a foam roller before/after lifting to counteract soreness.
  • 52cardpickup
    52cardpickup Posts: 379 Member
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    Yoga has helped me a bit, at least temporarily. Foam rolling really is the best thing though, I've found. I do yoga and foam rolling almost daily, now.
  • lngrunert
    lngrunert Posts: 204 Member
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    I have a foam roller, but I guess I don't use it nearly enough. I'll start to incorporate that and the yoga as well. :)
  • scruff_farrier
    scruff_farrier Posts: 47 Member
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    You should talk to your doctor about it. I was having the same issue, took me so much longer to recover from said workout, it would mostly deter me. Turns out I have/had micro....something....I will get back to you on that. But he put me on antibiotics, and for the most part it has been a lot better.
  • scruff_farrier
    scruff_farrier Posts: 47 Member
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    Microplasia infection.
  • lngrunert
    lngrunert Posts: 204 Member
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    Microplasia infection.

    I had a full blood workup right before I started this regime, and everything came back clear. But I appreciate the suggestion, and if the soreness doesn't go away after trying yoga and regular foam rolling, I'll make an appointment with him. :)

  • scruff_farrier
    scruff_farrier Posts: 47 Member
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    Sad part is a standard blood work up will miss it. Its something simple and non-contatigous so it isn't normally found. Only reason it was caught was he does this crazy in depth work up. But, you never know. I do know that before I found out about all this yoga did help me with the recovery pain and I guess that was your oringal question, haha.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    You might want to consider a different trainer or a different routine. If you are still having pain after 8 weeks, you are following the wrong program and no amount of "yoga" can fix that.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    Listen to your body and stop.

    You're obviously doing something wrong if you're constantly in pain for 2 months, when before starting your routine you weren't. Unless you've f'ed yourself up, lifting should not be painful. So either your form is bad and you've injured yourself, you have an overuse injury from doing too much, or both.

    What exactly is your goal that you feel you need an hour of HIIT + weightlifting 5x a week to reach it? I guarantee you that you can reach whatever your goal is without the ridiculous amount of volume you're doing right now.

    I honestly don't know what type of *kitten* personal trainer you have that would recommend a beginner do that amount of volume that many times a week. Seriously.. an hour of HIIT, followed by lifting, 5x a week? Ridiculous. Ditch that trainer, rest and recover, then educate yourself and start a new routine.
  • mochapygmy
    mochapygmy Posts: 2,123 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Are you drinking enough water?

    Do you have different shoes for your 3 different activities? And did you get fitted for running shoes at a running store?
  • lngrunert
    lngrunert Posts: 204 Member
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    walterc7 wrote: »
    Listen to your body and stop.

    You're obviously doing something wrong if you're constantly in pain for 2 months, when before starting your routine you weren't. Unless you've f'ed yourself up, lifting should not be painful. So either your form is bad and you've injured yourself, you have an overuse injury from doing too much, or both.

    What exactly is your goal that you feel you need an hour of HIIT + weightlifting 5x a week to reach it? I guarantee you that you can reach whatever your goal is without the ridiculous amount of volume you're doing right now.

    I honestly don't know what type of *kitten* personal trainer you have that would recommend a beginner do that amount of volume that many times a week. Seriously.. an hour of HIIT, followed by lifting, 5x a week? Ridiculous. Ditch that trainer, rest and recover, then educate yourself and start a new routine.

    My weights so far that I've been "lifting" have been between five and sixteen pounds. Not heavy lifting by any stretch. Like I said, I'm not even doing a barbell lift at this point, just light dumbells and my own limited bodyweight.

    I don't do an hour of HIIT training 5x per week. I do that once, maybe twice a week. I alternate with piylo, Zumba, aerobics and C25K on the treadmill on alternating days. 30 minutes of some cardio followed by some 30 minutes of strength training, 5x per week. Since I came from one hour of 3x per week cardio exclusive workout previously (for more than a year), I don't find my current schedule overwhelming. I'm adding two days on. I'm not a beginner in the sense that I've gone from 100% sedentary to HOLY *kitten* overnight. 60 minutes of cardio 3x per week showed no results, other thank a slight drop in pounds that gave me no difference in measurements or visible results.

    I'll take the advice over my trainer that has actually worked with me over two months physically than some stranger on the internet, But thanks for your interest.

  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    Let me get this straight.

    Your current routine has been working, yet you've been in constant pain since you started it?

    Despite being in pain for the past 8 weeks, you're planning on adding two additional days and now you'll be working out every day of the week?

    And you do your strength training AFTER your cardio?

    hIfnD7N.gif
  • lngrunert
    lngrunert Posts: 204 Member
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    walterc7 wrote: »
    Let me get this straight.

    Your current routine has been working, yet you've been in constant pain since you started it?

    Despite being in pain for the past 8 weeks, you're planning on adding two additional days and now you'll be working out every day of the week?

    And you do your strength training AFTER your cardio?

    hIfnD7N.gif

    Okay, either I'm not explaining this well, or your reading comprehension is off.

    The pain is DOMS type of pain - soreness, not sharp shooting pain. I just seem to be stiff and sore most days to some degree, so I was wondering if maybe it was an issue with my not stretching adequately and so I thought yoga could help with that. I used the foam roller last night after I worked out, and I did notice this morning that my soreness was not as severe in my glutes and hips, which is where I normally feel it the most.

    My activity level before I started this new level of exercise was 3x per week of cardio only. I upped it to 5x per week, splitting the hour between cardio and strength training. At no point did I say that I was going from 5x per week to 7x per week, nor do I have any intention to. I would never not include rest days; my trainer has definitely pointed out their importance.

    I used to be a full time dance performer and instructor about 5 years ago; I taught up to 13 classes a week, regularly took 4 hour workshops and performed almost every weekend. So it may be my personal bias, but doing 5 hours of combined cardio and strength training weekly just doesn't seem that crazy to me after all of that.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    lngrunert wrote: »
    walterc7 wrote: »
    Listen to your body and stop.

    You're obviously doing something wrong if you're constantly in pain for 2 months, when before starting your routine you weren't. Unless you've f'ed yourself up, lifting should not be painful. So either your form is bad and you've injured yourself, you have an overuse injury from doing too much, or both.

    What exactly is your goal that you feel you need an hour of HIIT + weightlifting 5x a week to reach it? I guarantee you that you can reach whatever your goal is without the ridiculous amount of volume you're doing right now.

    I honestly don't know what type of *kitten* personal trainer you have that would recommend a beginner do that amount of volume that many times a week. Seriously.. an hour of HIIT, followed by lifting, 5x a week? Ridiculous. Ditch that trainer, rest and recover, then educate yourself and start a new routine.

    My weights so far that I've been "lifting" have been between five and sixteen pounds. Not heavy lifting by any stretch. Like I said, I'm not even doing a barbell lift at this point, just light dumbells and my own limited bodyweight.

    I don't do an hour of HIIT training 5x per week. I do that once, maybe twice a week. I alternate with piylo, Zumba, aerobics and C25K on the treadmill on alternating days. 30 minutes of some cardio followed by some 30 minutes of strength training, 5x per week. Since I came from one hour of 3x per week cardio exclusive workout previously (for more than a year), I don't find my current schedule overwhelming. I'm adding two days on. I'm not a beginner in the sense that I've gone from 100% sedentary to HOLY *kitten* overnight. 60 minutes of cardio 3x per week showed no results, other thank a slight drop in pounds that gave me no difference in measurements or visible results.

    I'll take the advice over my trainer that has actually worked with me over two months physically than some stranger on the internet, But thanks for your interest.

    Then why did you post in the first place? Just ask your "trainer".
  • scruff_farrier
    scruff_farrier Posts: 47 Member
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    walterc7 wrote: »
    Let me get this straight.

    Your current routine has been working, yet you've been in constant pain since you started it?

    Despite being in pain for the past 8 weeks, you're planning on adding two additional days and now you'll be working out every day of the week?

    And you do your strength training AFTER your cardio?

    hIfnD7N.gif

    Ummm...there is something wrong with doing cardio then strength training? I did not know this?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Options
    walterc7 wrote: »
    Let me get this straight.

    Your current routine has been working, yet you've been in constant pain since you started it?

    Despite being in pain for the past 8 weeks, you're planning on adding two additional days and now you'll be working out every day of the week?

    And you do your strength training AFTER your cardio?

    hIfnD7N.gif

    Ummm...there is something wrong with doing cardio then strength training? I did not know this?

    No there is nothing wrong with it. It's an oft-parroted cliche.