Lifting and soreness. Newbie!

ShannonKirton

So last week (long story short) I was sick and did not attend the gym for the week, as I was also home from work. This week I started back and Monday's class left me feeling a little sore, but nothing major. Somewhere between Monday and Tuesday I decided I was going to start lifting to tone up, so off I went to the gym on Tuesday.

What I did was pretty simple (or so I thought) and now, I'm still very sore (should also mention I did two classes yesterday in a fair amount of discomfort) and not sure if I should even try lifting today or if I should just put if off until next week. I was aiming to lift on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. This weekend I'll be helping my parents move house, and then helping my husband's brother and his wife move into another house, so I'll get my "lifting" in on Sunday, but I'm still on the fence about skipping out today.

Did/does this happen to anyone else? Is waiting until next week the right thing to do?

jennaworksout

I am always sore the day after lifting, I did arms yesterday and they are sore...but my guess it would be the degree of soreness? I'm still gonna lift today even though I am sore, and get lots of protein in. I'd say you are a little sore for more lifting and I would take some time off and get lots of protein .

oh and do back one day, then legs next, then arms next, and so on, then you can work on muscles that shouldn't be too sore

ShannonKirton

I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 my soreness is about an 8. It's pretty bad. I'm definitely getting in the protein so that my muscles can build and recover but I'm just not sure if I want to push it and possibly injure myself due to bad form because of the pain.

justaspoonfulofsugar

Soreness is completely normal after lifting.
I started lifting about 3 months ago and for the first 2 months I was sore ALL the time after each workout and sometimes this would last for up to 5 days at a time.
I would still lift twice a week but my trainer would have me do other muscle groups each time.
As long as it's soreness and not pain,I wouldn't be too worried.
Recovery and what you do after the fact is very important.
Mark Sisson just did a great article about this yesterday and there is a series of articles around this topic
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-mark-sisson-recovers-from-workouts/#axzz2dNZUj4Yy

EricCowperthwaite

That Mark Sisson article is good. Also, I would note that Lou Schuler (New Rules of Lifting) says to only lift twice a week during your break-in phase. For beginners he recommends lifting twice a week with a A and B workout for four weeks, then a recovery week and then move in to your main programs. This gives your muscles and nervous system, joints, ligaments and tendons an opportunity to learn to lift heavy things and to recover in a way that will help you to avoid injury.

ShannonKirton

I did read that article yesterday and I agree, it was very good. Tried some of the hot/cold water in the shower but couldn't take the cold for too long! lol

Thanks for the info Eric. As mentioned before, this weekend for me will be involved in lifting plenty of boxes and other goodies while helping the family move house. Having said that, I think I'll skip today and then go again next Tuesday. I had 3 days planned out but a lot of it was repetition so I'll see what I can edit out for now and make it into 2 workouts.

AllanMisner

Pain and motion travel down the same neural pathways. So, while you are working, you likely won't feel as sore. If you do a good warm up, you should find that you can do a workout without the pain affecting your form (provided the pain is DOMS and not a muscle sprain, which is what this sounds like).

At the very least, consider doing active rest. If you rest by plopping on the couch, you'll find the muscles will become stiff and each workout will leave you feeling just as sore. Active rest teaches your muscles that you'll have expectations and they'll adapt to them.

ShannonKirton

Thanks amisnercpa. I totally agree with what you're saying. I did my pilates yesterday evening and even though I did not lift, I feel much better today for having stayed active. I'm not one (anymore) to plop down on the couch and wish my pain away. I like to keep moving. Amongst my lifting and other workouts I'm also preparing to do a nice hike next weekend which I'm looking forward to. I figure the more diverse my exercise/play is, the better my body will adapt and recover over time.

Can't wait to get through this weekend of moving so I can concentrate fully on my routine next week

ukgirly01

I often get DOMS usually when my lifting program changes, always get enough rest but don't let the soreness put you off, sometimes working through doms a few days later can make them ease.