Heavy Lifting Has Gotten Me Uncomfortable!!!

BarbaraCarr1981

OMG, ever since Wednesdays session and Friday's on top of it, my body is soooo sore! Stiffness in neck and upper back and getting head aches too. OMG Im just trying to stay on track wit SL and get some results!!! Any one else get these side effects from lifting heavy? If so, is there anything to do to get rid of them. I am using correct form and i warm up with light weights and cool down by stretching. Any thing else?

thanks

hannahthesoundgirl

I've been dong stronglifts for a couple of weeks now and I definitely noticed this my first week. My neck was so sore/tight and my head was killing me. I alternated heat/ice on my neck and shoulders for several hours and tried to stretch it out. Every workout after that day I focus on relaxing my shoulders as I lift. I noticed that I had a tendency to tense my shoulders and neck on everything! I haven't had a problem since I started focusing, but when I forget to relax, I can feel myself tense up again.

_errata_

That is the feeling of weakness leaving the body.

1) How many grams of protein do you consume per day?
2) What is your body mass?
3) How much water do you consume?
4) What lifts do you do each week? (Include set/rep count along with frequency per week)
5) How much sleep do you get each night?
6) What cadence do you use when you lift the weight? (how fast does it take you to do one rep)

34blast

If its your first weak or two you need to be doing really really light weights and add weight each workout. So when you start out it has to be ridiculously easy. You will keep adding weight and not be training to failure.

I prefer Starting Strength to SL. On that you do 3 sets of 5 not 5 sets of 5. Many people, especially older 5x5 3 times a week is too much volume.

There are alot of variables to consider as mentioned above me by _errata_. Its best to focus on 1 thing at a time. I'm assuming you are concentrating on strength. To do that you need enough protein, enough water, and excess calories over maintenance. Medhi mentions the rest between sets and alot of good stuff on his site.

3laine75

If its your first weak or two you need to be doing really really light weights and add weight each workout. So when you start out it has to be ridiculously easy. You will keep adding weight and not be training to failure.

I prefer Starting Strength to SL. On that you do 3 sets of 5 not 5 sets of 5. Many people, especially older 5x5 3 times a week is too much volume.

There are alot of variables to consider as mentioned above me by _errata_. Its best to focus on 1 thing at a time. I'm assuming you are concentrating on strength. To do that you need enough protein, enough water, and excess calories over maintenance. Medhi mentions the rest between sets and alot of good stuff on his site.

I prefer SS too and agree that you need to get plenty protein but you certainly don't need a calorie surplus to make strength gains. I have made consistent strength ( and muscle btw) gains at a calorie deficit. I will carry on at deficit until such times as I stall out.

OP - don't worry, you will only feel like this for a week or two - then you'll feel awesome
I just had a nosy at your diary, you are consistently not hitting your protein goals - you should try to hit them even on days you're not lifting as the protein is still needed for muscle recovery.

rburgess7

I'm 63 and have been doing stronglifts for 6 weeks. After the first workout my thighs really hurt, but I did the second workout and have not had any pain since. Make sure your form is correct, if not you will really feel the pain.

BarbaraCarr1981

That is the feeling of weakness leaving the body.

1) How many grams of protein do you consume per day? I aim for 113 as that's my estimated LBM. Most going under though like 90-100g a day.
2) What is your body mass? 150-155lbs total, estimate of 113LBM, 23% BF
3) How much water do you consume? Not enough! 2 coffees and one drink of water a day in the form of flavoured water.
4) What lifts do you do each week? (Include set/rep count along with frequency per week)
Strong Lifts 5x5 three times a wee
Work out A
Squats 5x5
OHP 5x5
Deads 1x5
Work out B
Squats 5x5
BPress 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5
5) How much sleep do you get each night? 8-9 hours
6) What cadence do you use when you lift the weight? (how fast does it take you to do one rep)

slow and steady. i dunno........

LoraF83

It's called DOMS and it's normal. It's ok to be uncomfortable or sore. Pain is not ok. Know the difference. Take a walk the day after lifting. It will help loosen you up.

Drink more water too. That's not nearly enough (even if you were counting the coffee and you shouldn't).

Welcome to the world of consistency - when you are sticking to a training plan/program, it can often result in soreness or discomfort.

PikaKnight

Are you doing dynamic stretching or 5-10 minute cardio prior to warm up?

Are you doing warm up sets?

Are you stretching sufficiently afterwards?

Alluminati

Also don't forget to breathe while concentrating on relaxing your neck muscles, like someone else said. Might alleviate the headaches.

Willbenchforcupcakes

My own personal tricks to limit DOMS are foam rolling and stretching afterwards, a LOT of walking, especially for squat day and deadlift day, lots of water, and plenty of protein. As long as I stay consistent, I rarely get full on DOMS, more just a pleasant ache that lets me know I worked.

jenilla1

You can also try soaking in a bath with Epsom salts. The magnesium in them is absorbed through the skin. I love that stuff.

Lleldiranne

That is the feeling of weakness leaving the body.

1) How many grams of protein do you consume per day? I aim for 113 as that's my estimated LBM. Most going under though like 90-100g a day.
2) What is your body mass? 150-155lbs total, estimate of 113LBM, 23% BF
3) How much water do you consume? Not enough! 2 coffees and one drink of water a day in the form of flavoured water.
4) What lifts do you do each week? (Include set/rep count along with frequency per week)
Strong Lifts 5x5 three times a wee
Work out A
Squats 5x5
OHP 5x5
Deads 1x5
Work out B
Squats 5x5
BPress 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5
5) How much sleep do you get each night? 8-9 hours
6) What cadence do you use when you lift the weight? (how fast does it take you to do one rep)

slow and steady. i dunno........

I'm going to guess that the water is your biggest culprit. When I'm not drinking enough water, I get those same kinds of aches/headaches, even without lifting. It's important to drink plenty of water to avoid this! (If you're peeing light yellow, you're likely getting enough).

Also, as others mentioned, double check your form, especially in your shoulders and neck. Often those muscles get tensed even when we're not working them, which can lead to pain later. Focus on your lifting and make sure you aren't tightening those muscles. And make sure you stretch your back well even when you don't work it. I use yoga's forward fold and spinal twits to loosen my back muscles. (LMK if you want more details on the stretches, lol)

whitebalance

How's your form? Neck pain would concern me. As to headaches, I was getting them the day after every weight session... then I realized I was burning 3-500 calories and not eating them back, and my body was kind of pissed at me about that. But really -- I'd suggest starting with lighter weights and a strict focus on form. I'm rebooting after three weeks of adding weight too fast and bruising up my shoulders because I was holding the bar too high on my squats....

WildanS

Don't give up but embrace your discomfort. This is where you grow in both, inner and outter strength.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Is it pain or is soreness?

I got crazy DOMS for the first couple of weeks of Stronglifts, and then worse when I switched to 5/3/1. Muscle soreness isn't concerning, especially not in the first few weeks. Pain could indicate that you're doing something wrong.

Make sure you're getting enough sleep and protein. Make sure you're doing a few minutes of dynamic stretching before you start, as well as warm-up sets and a few minutes of stretching after you're done. And then be patient and keep working. Don't give yourself extra days off because you're sore-- that will just prolong it. I like to do pilates for DOMS.

kathleenjoyful

My neck is vulnerable due to an old injury so if it is sore or tight after lifting, I microwave a wheat pack and apply it to my neck.

_errata_

That is the feeling of weakness leaving the body.

1) How many grams of protein do you consume per day? I aim for 113 as that's my estimated LBM. Most going under though like 90-100g a day.
2) What is your body mass? 150-155lbs total, estimate of 113LBM, 23% BF
3) How much water do you consume? Not enough! 2 coffees and one drink of water a day in the form of flavoured water.
4) What lifts do you do each week? (Include set/rep count along with frequency per week)
Strong Lifts 5x5 three times a wee
Work out A
Squats 5x5
OHP 5x5
Deads 1x5
Work out B
Squats 5x5
BPress 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5
5) How much sleep do you get each night? 8-9 hours
6) What cadence do you use when you lift the weight? (how fast does it take you to do one rep)

slow and steady. i dunno........

There are a few things that stand out to me.

1) You could be over-training. A muscle that has been damaged requires at least a week to repair, and that is if you have good genetics. Based on the workout you have above, it looks like you are hitting squats 3 times a week. That is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Your goal should be to lift just enough to trigger muscular hypertrophy. You grow outside of the gym with rest and proper nutrition. My recommendation is to hit each muscle once a week and no more.

2) Drink more water. When you workout, you will have a lot of waste products in your muscles that can get in the way of recovery. Proper hydration allows you to escort waste products out of the body. Depending on your muscle fiber type, your muscle could consist mostly of water and glycogen. Staying hydrated will actually improve your strength and help you recover faster if you are dehydrated.

3) Cadence is important. Cadence is basically how long it takes you to do a rep, in a nutshell. People who have bad form, have a faster cadence. They jerk the weight around and put themselves at a greater risk of injury. Recommendation: Take 3-5 seconds on the positive part of the lift and 5 seconds on the negative part of the lift. Most people bang out their sets in less than 10 seconds. I have one effective set that takes 70 seconds and always results in failure. Proper cadence leads to a longer time under tension, which has been shown to result in greater protein synthesis markers after a workout.


If those things don't work for you, you should consider a different routine that works for you. I recommend minimalist HIT (High Intensity Training). These videos describe a basic hit routine:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian-yates-blood-guts-6-week-trainer.htm

_errata_

I really think you're just over-training. Give each muscle a week of rest and you should be fine.

BarbaraCarr1981

Are you doing dynamic stretching or 5-10 minute cardio prior to warm up? Nothing

Are you doing warm up sets? Yes i do warm up sets

Are you stretching sufficiently afterwards? Yes I do floor stretches afterwards.

BarbaraCarr1981

FYI - definately NOT overtraining. Just following stronglifts as is. But water and protein i need to work on for sure!

jstarz002

If you are new then that's normal and you will get used to it. Make sure you are eating in caloric surplus in order to recover faster and make gainzzzz (grow muscle)... Personally I prefer at LEAST 1.5x my bw in protein grams. FOOD and SLEEP will aid recovery... srs. It helps so much. Also do some stretching after you workout.

I am used to it now; my body is always sore but I love it.

I have a high pain tolerance though. I am sore pretty much all the time (I also squat 3x a week, not on SS but in general)... I train hard and I am always sore after every workout cause I give it my all. You learn to love it. The beginning is probably the hardest but you learn to adapt.

erickirb

That is the feeling of weakness leaving the body.

1) How many grams of protein do you consume per day? I aim for 113 as that's my estimated LBM. Most going under though like 90-100g a day.
2) What is your body mass? 150-155lbs total, estimate of 113LBM, 23% BF
3) How much water do you consume? Not enough! 2 coffees and one drink of water a day in the form of flavoured water.
4) What lifts do you do each week? (Include set/rep count along with frequency per week)
Strong Lifts 5x5 three times a wee
Work out A
Squats 5x5
OHP 5x5
Deads 1x5
Work out B
Squats 5x5
BPress 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5
5) How much sleep do you get each night? 8-9 hours
6) What cadence do you use when you lift the weight? (how fast does it take you to do one rep)

slow and steady. i dunno........

There are a few things that stand out to me.

1) You could be over-training. A muscle that has been damaged requires at least a week to repair, and that is if you have good genetics. Based on the workout you have above, it looks like you are hitting squats 3 times a week. That is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Your goal should be to lift just enough to trigger muscular hypertrophy. You grow outside of the gym with rest and proper nutrition. My recommendation is to hit each muscle once a week and no more.

2) Drink more water. When you workout, you will have a lot of waste products in your muscles that can get in the way of recovery. Proper hydration allows you to escort waste products out of the body. Depending on your muscle fiber type, your muscle could consist mostly of water and glycogen. Staying hydrated will actually improve your strength and help you recover faster if you are dehydrated.

3) Cadence is important. Cadence is basically how long it takes you to do a rep, in a nutshell. People who have bad form, have a faster cadence. They jerk the weight around and put themselves at a greater risk of injury. Recommendation: Take 3-5 seconds on the positive part of the lift and 5 seconds on the negative part of the lift. Most people bang out their sets in less than 10 seconds. I have one effective set that takes 70 seconds and always results in failure. Proper cadence leads to a longer time under tension, which has been shown to result in greater protein synthesis markers after a workout.


If those things don't work for you, you should consider a different routine that works for you. I recommend minimalist HIT (High Intensity Training). These videos describe a basic hit routine:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian-yates-blood-guts-6-week-trainer.htm

That is a designed beginners program. as a beginner you cannot push your muscles too hard to need more recovery, and on top of that women tend to recover much faster than men.

BarbaraCarr1981

If you are new then that's normal and you will get used to it. Make sure you are eating in caloric surplus in order to recover faster and make gainzzzz (grow muscle)... Personally I prefer at LEAST 1.5x my bw in protein grams. FOOD and SLEEP will aid recovery... srs. It helps so much. Also do some stretching after you workout.

I am used to it now; my body is always sore but I love it.

I have a high pain tolerance though. I am sore pretty much all the time (I also squat 3x a week, not on SS but in general)... I train hard and I am always sore after every workout cause I give it my all. You learn to love it. The beginning is probably the hardest but you learn to adapt.

NOT going to eat surplus - dont wanna gain weight! Looking to reduce body fat %. Scale should stay the same or go down but DEF not up!

LarryDUk

Why are you focussed on the scale? I started SL three weeks ago and was very sore, but after the third workout I was fine. Foam rollers and massages are my answer, but I also drink a lot of water. The headache makes me think you are dehydrated. Drink you fluids and ignore the scale!

BarbaraCarr1981

Why are you focussed on the scale? I started SL three weeks ago and was very sore, but after the third workout I was fine. Foam rollers and massages are my answer, but I also drink a lot of water. The headache makes me think you are dehydrated. Drink you fluids and ignore the scale!

Not focused on the scale. I want prepreg clothes to fit - that's really my focus! I just know though if weight is gained (as in muscle not fat) then there's no chance to get into those clothes. So, I am heavy lifting at a deficit. And truthfuly i don't go on the scale too often, i hate scales and what they say. They talk too much! lol

mantium999

Just to throw this out there, in looking at your profile you have a TDEE of 2034. Based on your diary, your calorie deficit may be too big (you are running in excess of 25% deficit). Your issue could likely be the result of not eating enough. Heavy lifting needs fuel. I suggest you take a look at your caloric goals.

jstarz002

OMG, ever since Wednesdays session and Friday's on top of it, my body is soooo sore! Stiffness in neck and upper back and getting head aches too. OMG Im just trying to stay on track wit SL and get some results!!! Any one else get these side effects from lifting heavy? If so, is there anything to do to get rid of them. I am using correct form and i warm up with light weights and cool down by stretching. Any thing else?

thanks

Your lifts will never go up and you will stall unless you eat in caloric surplus as a beginner. Even Rippetoe's the writer of the program/book stresses the need for a surplus. Most women who eat in slight surplus on that program only get SMALLER; muscle weighs more than muscle. You can weigh more but look smaller if you have more muscle. As a noob you should be eating in slight surplus... You can always "cut" later... meaning eat in deficit AFTER you have gained some muscle... that's how fitness models get that defined look.

You will make no progress as a beginner doing that program on a deficit. You won't even build any muscle at all and you will not get stronger unless you give your body the fuel it needs to make those lifts plus your muscles will not recovery as fast... Food is a must for recovery.

Most women who start bodybuilding are like you; afraid to eat more.... As a beginner you are lucky that you will make gains FASTER than someone who has lifted for a while... you should eat at SLIGHT maintenance; that way you won't bulk but can recomp your body. Read up on "body recomp" for beginners (google).

mantium999

OMG, ever since Wednesdays session and Friday's on top of it, my body is soooo sore! Stiffness in neck and upper back and getting head aches too. OMG Im just trying to stay on track wit SL and get some results!!! Any one else get these side effects from lifting heavy? If so, is there anything to do to get rid of them. I am using correct form and i warm up with light weights and cool down by stretching. Any thing else?

thanks

Your lifts will never go up and you will stall unless you eat in caloric surplus as a beginner. Even Rippetoe's the writer of the program/book stresses the need for a surplus. Most women who eat in slight surplus on that program only get SMALLER; muscle weighs more than muscle. You can weigh more but look smaller if you have more muscle. As a noob you should be eating in slight surplus... You can always "cut" later... meaning eat in deficit AFTER you have gained some muscle... that's how fitness models get that defined look.

You will make no progress as a beginner doing that program on a deficit. You won't even build any muscle at all and you will not get stronger unless you give your body the fuel it needs to make those lifts plus your muscles will not recovery as fast... Food is a must for recovery.

Most women who start bodybuilding are like you; afraid to eat more.... As a beginner you are lucky that you will make gains FASTER than someone who has lifted for a while... you should eat at SLIGHT maintenance; that way you won't bulk but can recomp your body. Read up on "body recomp" for beginners (google).

A beginner will absolutely make strength gains while in a deficit. Building muscle mass is unlikely, but strength training while in a deficit will preserve much of the existing mass while reducing body fat and she will experience significant strength gains in the process.

jollyjoe321

OMG, ever since Wednesdays session and Friday's on top of it, my body is soooo sore! Stiffness in neck and upper back and getting head aches too. OMG Im just trying to stay on track wit SL and get some results!!! Any one else get these side effects from lifting heavy? If so, is there anything to do to get rid of them. I am using correct form and i warm up with light weights and cool down by stretching. Any thing else?

thanks

Your lifts will never go up and you will stall unless you eat in caloric surplus as a beginner. Even Rippetoe's the writer of the program/book stresses the need for a surplus. Most women who eat in slight surplus on that program only get SMALLER; muscle weighs more than muscle. You can weigh more but look smaller if you have more muscle. As a noob you should be eating in slight surplus... You can always "cut" later... meaning eat in deficit AFTER you have gained some muscle... that's how fitness models get that defined look.

You will make no progress as a beginner doing that program on a deficit. You won't even build any muscle at all and you will not get stronger unless you give your body the fuel it needs to make those lifts plus your muscles will not recovery as fast... Food is a must for recovery.

Most women who start bodybuilding are like you; afraid to eat more.... As a beginner you are lucky that you will make gains FASTER than someone who has lifted for a while... you should eat at SLIGHT maintenance; that way you won't bulk but can recomp your body. Read up on "body recomp" for beginners (google).

A beginner will absolutely make strength gains while in a deficit. Building muscle mass is unlikely, but strength training while in a deficit will preserve much of the existing mass while reducing body fat and she will experience significant strength gains in the process.

I agree, strength gains will still be made.

brandiuntz

I started SL in June. You can definitely make good strength gains and lose fat while in a small deficit.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Check your breathing. Could be the cause of the headaches. Many people have a tendency to hold their breath.
2. Definitely up your water intake.
3. You might want to consider a TDEE-20% or even 10%. The deficit will seem really small, but you do need enough calories for recovery. I found heavy lifting leaves me hungrier for calories than running does.
4. I was very sore the first couple of weeks. It gets better.
5. Perhaps progress the weight increase slower. I had to do this because I also run and am training for a half-marathon. You'll still progress, just maybe at a pace that's easier on your body.
6. Keep checking your form, especially if the neck issues continue. I didn't realize for awhile I was holding the bar too high for my squats.