I had my first personal training session on Tuesday morning. We did lots of resistance stuff, all outdoors so mostly body weight, resistance bands etc. There was a lot of squatting and lunges.
I am a 32 year old woman currently weighing about 200lbs. Even though I was going to the gym before our most recent lockdown closed it, I am not fit. I was mostly doing cardio stuff. I did manage to lose 13lbs doing this but because the gym has closed I needed to find an alternative - hence the PT sessions!
After the session my legs felt very "wobbly" and weak and I struggled walking home and getting up the stairs to my flat. When I woke up the next day (yesterday) I could barely walk, it was so painful. Anything that meant I had to put weight on my legs was very very difficult. Today it is marginally better, but I'm still struggling quite a lot. I've done all the rememedies, stretching, massage, hot bath, etc. so I don't need suggestions for that.
My question is, is this normal for a first workout with a PT?
Did she push me too hard? Did I push myself too hard? It felt OK at the time of doing it.
And most importantly, should I go back next week? Will it happen again or will I be a bit stronger next time? I am very worried about this happening again next week because it has pretty much put me out of action for 2 days. I know it can be "no pain no gain" but this seems a bit ridiculous.
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A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I'm wondering if I should attempt the same workout again next week or ask her to lower the level a bit and do fewer squats/lunges. If I do the same again next week is it likely to hurt less?
It actually wasn't that intense (for a normal person) but I am very unfit so it was for me.
https://www.healthline.com/health/doms
I get that sore after the first mowing and sacking of grass clippings of the year or when I start up with too much exercise after not doing it for a while. I feel like I've been hit by a semi truck.
Doms is caused by tiny tears in your muscles from exercise and your body needs fuel to repair them. The tears are a good thing! They get repaired and you get stronger.
I've found getting some protein and carbs in after my workout helps a lot with that.
I tried the chocolate milk after workout/mowing and it almost totally eliminated the soreness for me. YMMV. Depending on your workout, you may not want to drink it every time.
https://www.popsci.com/post-workout-recovery-snack-chocolate-milk/
HTH.
DOMS is completely normal when you're doing something new and/or coming back from a long hiatus. I'm just getting back into the weight room after more or less of a hiatus of 9 months, give or take a random session here and there. I took it very easy relative to what I could actually do and I was very sore.
I'm just getting back to actually training both in the weight room and on my bike from a long COVID hiatus...I remained somewhat active, but I wasn't really training...I've had to ramp up over the last few weeks...more rest/recovery days early on, and now going into having one or two recovery days.
If it made you miss a workout, then back off a bit so you can get the extra workout in.
If you weren't going to anyway, it'll probably be a tad better this week anyway, and less next time, ect.
And it's good to walk through the recovery to aid blood flow to help.
Some soreness is totally normal, debilitating pain is too much, too soon.
I have contacted my trainer about it and hopefully we will be able to adjust for it next time. It's now 3 days since the workout and I'm still not walking normally so I don't think it should be this bad!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
There seems to be a belief with some people who strength train that intense soreness like that is some badge of pride, but really, it can slow down progress.
The worst was when I worked as an order picker at a conveyor belt for a full day. For some of the products I had to kneel down, under the conveyor belt. I felt fine at the end of the day, after kneeling down and standing up again all day long, but I could barely move/bend my legs the next days.
I'd definitely ask them to tone it down a little next time 🙂
2. Once you feel good enough - so maybe not the next day but on day 2, go for a short walk....that will help with the soreness as well.
3. This is just my opinion...but I think your trainer should have warned you about the soreness....especially if they knew you were fairly unfit. I know it's probably hard for them to keep that in mind but it can lead to ppl straight up giving up....so I think they should work hard to remember that they may need to warn/prepare ppl for what it's going to feel like. Especially because a trainer or a more fit person is better at knowing what is pain you need to worry about vs. pain you don't need to worry about. It can really scare people.
I would politely expect you to have quite a bit of water retention, based on what you describe.
Don’t let the temporary weight gain get you down.
Buck up, This is the worst. If your consistent, it will get better from here!
And after a particularly painful case of DOMS, maybe make sure you “go” before you leave the house the next few days, so you don’t get caught in public with your pants down, so to speak. Been there done that.