no pain no gain?

emmabrackpool

I joined the local gym and was taken through my paces by one of the instructors on Wednesday who created a personal fat burning plan for me - cardio machines for 30 mins then weights.

My problem is that its taken me until today 3 DAYS LATER to be able to walk without hurting or move my arms without wincing in pain - is this normal? I feel ok today so need to go back to the gym but am frightened I'll end up feeling like this again for most of next week - my question is what's the point of doing the gym if you can only go twice a week because of the pain it puts you in

Can any regular exercisers give me some advice?

Cheers x

ishallnotwant

I think you should start off a bit easier. It's not going to do you any good if you go all out and injure yourself right off the bat. Did you do any regular exercise or activity before you were starting off?

muwchck

It's been a while since I've been to the gym, and all my working out is done at home right now. But from what I remember, yes you will be sore at first. You are using muscles that you don't normally use. It's a good pain, and you will get used to it where you will only be sore for a little while if any at all. Don't give up, just work your way into it. I can't wait to be able to afford to go to the gym again so I can feel that soreness that comes with a wonderful workout.

moran1917

oh yeah, the i began a new routine and now i can't lift my arms up or walk up and down stairs for the pain....we've all been there. the first time i tried the 30 day shred i was in pain for 4 days and unable to do it again...as soon as i was able i kept trying it. the pain lessened as i got used to using those muscles again. sometimes i would need to take a day or two off for pain, but always got right back to it...now i can do it every day

zafferFL

That will go away after a few workouts. Can you share your plan, you might get some specific help on that. I'm already skeptical with 30 mins before weights.

chevy88grl

I think you should start off a bit easier. It's not going to do you any good if you go all out and injure yourself right off the bat. Did you do any regular exercise or activity before you were starting off?

I agree with this.

Yes, some soreness is expected. You are using muscles you don't usually use. But, not being able to function normally for 3 days? That sounds like you pushed yourself too hard. Start off slowly and gradually work your way up. Trying to do too much too soon is a recipe for injury.

dcgonz

Yes, this is normal but only for the first couple of times you workout, it doesn't last forever. You used muscles that you have not been using. Since you did some weights, this process tears your muscle and builds it back up. That's why you are sore.
I recommend you go to your local health food store and buy two things in tablet form, a glutamine tablet and a BCAA tablet. These two things will help your muscles recover more quickly so you won't be as sore. Also find a good protein powder and have a protein shake after your workouts.

Hope that helps. Don't give up because once your in shape you won't go through the pain again.

Diana

lhillegass

You will eventually get to the point where it does not hurt after lifting the same weights. When you stress your muscles with weights they repair themselves and become stronger.

You will have to up your weights to where you are getting sore again after a workout to increase your strength. You will also be able to run faster and longer as your cardiovascular system improves from the cardio. It is all for the greater good because if you never push yourself to the limit you will never improve.

If you keep it up I promise you that you will get to the point where you become invigorated by the workouts and addicted to the way it makes you feel both mentally and physically.

emmabrackpool

he started me off on the treadmill. 5 mins walking on the flat with the next 5 mins increasing the incline by 0.5 every 30 seconds
Next the bike for 10 mins keeping the RPM above 70. I finished the cardio with 10 mins on the cross trainer (5mins forward, 5 mins backwards) and wasnt allowed to drop below 65 RPM

I was then taken to the weight machines where I had to do 3 lots of 20 reps on 3-4 different machines (legs and arms). He then sat me on a giant ball to lift weights (again 3x20 reps). To finish I did 3x20 reps of sit ups then 3x20 reps of body squats (i think thats what he called them anyway!) all I know is it hurt but he is a professional working at the gym so of course I trusted i was in safe hands - what do you think? if the pain will ease as i get used to it then im happy to stick it out especially if i do end up burning lots of this fat off :-)

dcgonz

Wow, he did have you doing a lot for your first time out. In all reality you should have been doing 12-15 reps for each exercise.
I agree with some of the other posters here. You need to take it slow and not go all out at first. Make sure you are using light weights and don't do as many reps. You should build up in weight but still stay at 12-15 to tone.

Diana

emmabrackpool

thanks for your advice Diana - I think I will go back tomorrow and adjust his plan like you suggest x

dcgonz

thanks for your advice Diana - I think I will go back tomorrow and adjust his plan like you suggest x

No problem! If you have any more questions feel free to send me a message or a friend invite.

Diana

monharri

I agree. Start off slower. Soak in warm Epsom salt water baths. Try yoga to stretch out those limbs. Give yourself little massages here and there. Sit in a sauna to relax limbs (if your gym offers one). Soak in a hot tub. The pain will go away. As you can see, I'm all about getting rid of the soreness. :0) Good luck.

clickmaster

You're suffering from DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). The problem probably has to do with working your muscles to near failure before you're body has adapted to the new regimen. You need to train light for about 6 weeks before you can do the anaerobics heavy and to complete muscle failure such as high intensity training.

Your 30 minute aerobic grind isn't going to burn many calories if you subtract your BMR component from the total burned. Aerobics are over-rated. The strength training will serve you much better because muscle is the best metabolic investment you can make. It's the gift that keeps on giving because it raises your BMR (50 cal/day/pound) whereas aerobics does not. And, twice per week is plenty once you get past the DOMS and can train your whole body with high intensity.

I hope you have a good trainer. I recommend people study and lean about fitness training because it's their body and most trainers are min wage wanabees who are just biding their time until they can get a real job. Had you done your homework and/or had a good trainer you would have known about DOMS and could have prevented all that pain and discomfort.

Just remember, diet is the key to fat loss, not exercise. You can run all day and never burn an ounce of fat or you can burn fat in your sleep depending on your diet. An average person must run 5 miles every day seven days per week to burn one pound of fat in calories. It's the purpose of calorie control to help maintain a healthy weight. It's the purpose of exercise to create the physiological adaptations required to give you the body that will perform as you desire.

Good luck and good health!!

♠

Recommended reading --> http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/?page_id=18

gp79

As a newbie to any type of weight lifting you're going to want to ease yourself into it. Your muscles, your ligaments / joints all need time to adapt. Every person experiences different levels of muscle soreness.

Be sure your calorie intake is appropriate for your height / weight. There's going to be nothing magical about eating 1200 calories if you are 5'9 180 lbs (not to say you are). If you plan on keeping with the weight training I would suggest a protein intake of 1g per lb of lean body mass and a fat intake of .35 - .45g per lb of body weight. MFP's standard settings are going to be a bit lower than this.

In short, your body will adapt and the muscle soreness will not be so severe.

jsnearly

You got a bad trainer. A good trainer will taper you into your regimen. Expect a little soreness, but not to the point that you can't move. Your trainer is going to get you injured.

gp79

Yes, this is normal but only for the first couple of times you workout, it doesn't last forever. You used muscles that you have not been using. Since you did some weights, this process tears your muscle and builds it back up. That's why you are sore.
I recommend you go to your local health food store and buy two things in tablet form, a glutamine tablet and a BCAA tablet. These two things will help your muscles recover more quickly so you won't be as sore. Also find a good protein powder and have a protein shake after your workouts.

Hope that helps. Don't give up because once your in shape you won't go through the pain again.

Diana

The BCAA isn't necessary if your protein intake is appropriate.

gp79

You got a bad trainer. A good trainer will taper you into your regimen. Expect a little soreness, but not to the point that you can't move. Your trainer is going to get you injured.

I agree with this too. I was thinking that they didn't really observe you doing the exercises at weights appropriate for a beginner, instead they just gave you an orientation?

PunkyRachel

I'm a lazy couch potato, or I was anyways. So for me just walking would leave me sore at 1st. I'm sore today from a combination of walking steps and then doing Zumba the next morning. My only advice is stretch, stretch, stretch!

squishycow7

when you first start out, or start doing NEW routines, you will be very sore.

this will go away once your body gets used to moving around more

saragato

You're not meant to be THAT sore. It sounds like you either lifted beyond your comfort zone or overdid your exercises. I did the same thing when I got a gym membership for my 16th birthday and would go after school, but then again I had no trainer and I had the stupid notion that the more I did and the heavier I lifted right off, the quicker I'd lose. Wrooooong.

You have to start off slow and light and get your body used to it, then you can bump it up bit by bit. You'll be a little sore, but not to the point where you need several days to recover and not feel like you've been run over by a car.

tataliciousd89

You should be sore, but functionally so. Ease up a little, not a lot and your body will adjust in no time. It took me only a week to stop being sore and I've had to bump up the intensity over the last two, but now I feel great and the soreness only lasts about a day.

meshashesha2012

getting enough rest and enough food (especially protein) is very helpful for me in terms of getting rid of DOMS. it's also important to get blood flowing to those areas as soon as possible so even if i'm ridiculously sore, i'll at least try to get in the pool to move around a bit, do some yoga, or easy cardio like the elliptical on no resistance and then spending the most unbearable 15 minutes of my life with a foam roller :laugh:

oh and another trick is to take an ice bath/cold shower then a warm one i generally do this in the gym anyway after a particularly tough lifting session and will take a cold shower for a minute or so and then hop in the whirlpool

rileysowner

The routine itself doesn't look bad, although I would tend to put the weights first and the cardio second. When starting with weights it is important to do it with a very light weight so you can 1) Get the form down properly and 2) So that your muscles can adapt. It sounds like this may have pushed you too hard, although ones ability to deal with pain and how much pain there is, is a very individual thing. Generally, just lying around and not doing anything is less effective for getting rid of muscle soreness than moving and getting them warmed up again. This does not mean doing an actual workout, but doing something that is active enough to get your heart rate up a little and get you sweating a little. Then when you are warmed up, stretch the muscles.

tabulator32

If normal movement causes you to wince in pain after a workout...fire your trainer.

"No pain...no gain" is a cliche line for athletes trying to push themselves or their friends, but it has no place in a beginner's mind where they should be concentrating on learning how to do the exercises properly and not trying to see how far they can push themselves.

The most common reason people do NOT maintain a new exercise regimen is trying to do too much in the beginning and becoming frustrated or injured.

Relax and build up from a small start. Even doing a few minutes a day, three times a week, is a great start. After a week, your body will let you know how much more it wants to do. Don't "push" yourself into anything until you have been exercising for several weeks and have a much better idea of your (now increasing) capabilities.

Just my two cents.

CindyBretta

I think that your trainer is pushing you too hard. If you are in pain for days after a workout, or even on the same day, tell your trainer that he needs to help you create an exercise program that works for your level of fitness. If he pushes you to continue the program you're doing now, fire him.

clickmaster

getting enough rest and enough food (especially protein) is very helpful for me in terms of getting rid of DOMS.

We all get enough protein (with very few exceptions) so more protein is not going to help anything. We should be consuming protein as a function of our total caloric intake. For example a typical macronutrient balance is 55/20/25 (%calories from carbs/fats/protein respectively). More protein will only be excreted or help defeat a diet by being metabolized. Protein is not going to help DOMS in an average person. However, a nominal dose of an analgesic (Tylenol, paracetamol, acetaminophen) and an NSAID (Aleve, ibuprofen, naproxyn) can help relieve the pain. They may be taken together because they are not synergists.

rileysowner

getting enough rest and enough food (especially protein) is very helpful for me in terms of getting rid of DOMS.

We all get enough protein (with very few exceptions) so more protein is not going to help anything. We should be consuming protein as a function of our total caloric intake. For example a typical macronutrient balance is 55/20/25 (%calories from carbs/fats/protein respectively). More protein will only be excreted or help defeat a diet by being metabolized. Protein is not going to help DOMS in an average person. However, a nominal dose of an analgesic (Tylenol, paracetamol, acetaminophen) and an NSAID (Aleve, ibuprofen, naproxyn) can help relieve the pain. They may be taken together because they are not synergists.

Actually a higher amount of protein has helped me with dealing with DOMS. I was sceptical, but decided to increase on the advice of a friend. Since then even when I have DOMS, and I workout very intensely with weights, it goes away quicker. I find MFP's default for protein is rather low, and while I think the suggestion most give of 1 gram/pound of bodyweight is probably on the high side, I would figure 25-30% of calories from protein is a good amount. It also has the side benefits of helping most people feel full longer.

AntWrig

I joined the local gym and was taken through my paces by one of the instructors on Wednesday who created a personal fat burning plan for me - cardio machines for 30 mins then weights.

My problem is that its taken me until today 3 DAYS LATER to be able to walk without hurting or move my arms without wincing in pain - is this normal? I feel ok today so need to go back to the gym but am frightened I'll end up feeling like this again for most of next week - my question is what's the point of doing the gym if you can only go twice a week because of the pain it puts you in

Can any regular exercisers give me some advice?

Cheers x

i hate trainers like this.

I prefer the minimalist approach. If you're new to lifting, i would suggest the "big 3. That consist of the squat, bench, and deadlift. Do this three times a week (M,W,F). This is a good rep scheme.

Warm-up sets
Top Set 6-8reps
3mins rest
Set 2 (-10-15%) 8-10
2mins rest
Set 3 (-10-15%)10-12
3mins res

Drop -10-15% after each set. Do this for 3 months and assess after.

clickmaster

"No pain...no gain" is a cliche

"No pain, no gain" is a fact. The slogan, however, does not refer to DOMS which is the subject of this topic. It refers to the "burn" which comes from lactic acidosis when training anarobically. The more burn, the greater the in-roads toward muscular development.


Good luck and good health!!

♠

clickmaster

Actually a higher amount of protein has helped me with dealing with DOMS. I was sceptical, but decided to increase on the advice of a friend. Since then even when I have DOMS, and I workout very intensely with weights, it goes away quicker. I find MFP's default for protein is rather low, and while I think the suggestion most give of 1 gram/pound of bodyweight is probably on the high side, I would figure 25-30% of calories from protein is a good amount. It also has the side benefits of helping most people feel full longer.

What you're probably finding is that more training makes you increasingly immune to DOMS, not more protein. More protein does nothing for DOMS in a normal person with a normal diet. And, because protein has the same caloric value as pure sugar (4cal/gm), too much can kill a diet.

Here's what the experts at the US CDC have to say about how much protein you need to provide to support your metabolic processes. --> http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html#How much protein You can easily get that amount of protein with a glass of milk and a chicken breast or piece of meat per day.

You may hear a lot of people tell you that you should have 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. That's a typical bodybuilder's formula and it's a gross over estimate. Most experts in exercise physiology use the following formula.

0.8 grams protein per Kg of body weight
-or-
0.36 grams protein per pound of body weight

Bodybuilders believe they need a lot more protein that nonbodybuilders because they are building muscle. That, of course, is just wrong because most of the protein we all consume goes to the maintenance of our entire body including cell anabolization for all organs, skin, hair, marrow, smooth muscle, blood and much more which has nothing to do with skeletal muscles. And, people who are not building muscle are still replacing catabolized muscle cells which means most of the protein anyone uses will go to other than skeletal muscle repair. So, if you're a 160 pound male and you need 58 grams of protein without strength training then another 10% would easily cover you for strength training. That would amount to 5.8 grams per day which would be 174 grams per month or about 6 ounces per month. And, six ounces of new lean muscle mass is a good number for the average growth of a 160 pound male who trains hard. Therefore, you can forget 1 g/pound and go with the 0.8g/Kg or 0.36g/pound and just add 10% if you're a bodybuilder.

If you're a total protein freak who really wants to make sure you have more than enough protein and you can handle the extra calories, then just double the amount from the formula. So, if the formula tells you to get 58 grams per day, make sure you get 116 grams per day. There's no way you could possibly need more than that and that's still well below the 1 gram per pound which bodybuilders use. Just remember that protein has the same caloric value as pure sugar (4cal/gm) so don't get too much if you are watching your weight. And, protein in food usually comes with other nutrients including carbs and fats so weight watchers should be careful.

Always get protein from food. It's the only way you can be sure you're getting dietary balance and the amount of protein you need as supplements may or may not contain the amount stated on the product label. Supplements should always be avoided unless recommended by a health care professional according to the US NIH.


Good luck and good health!!

♠