Injuries and working out...

ambivalence11

I seem to keep hurting myself. I know I am not going to build new muscle unless I push myself, but my body keeps fighting me. I warm up, stretch and all the general stuff they tell you to do. I am feeling really frustrated because every time I feel like I am making a bit of progress, something happens. Over the last few months I have had

knee pain and stiffness (did some PT for this)
pulled my piriformis muscle in my hip
sprained my ankle (this was not from a workout but hindered my workouts)
shoulder/neck pain and sore spots that limit motion
and a variety of ouchies and some really nasty DOMS (I usually tough my way thru these)

If I injure myself it really throws off my routine and I find it very difficult to get back into it. The general rule is you should rest with an injury. But if I am injuring myself 2-3 times a month, and it takes 3-5 days for me to feel better... well you get the idea. I feel like I am constantly nursing some ouchie or another.

I do a variety or exercises when I am feeling well, a lot of yoga, 3-4x a week, and Zumba 2-3 times a week, and/or I will use an elliptical since it is less jarring than running. I take a few other classes here and there. Sometimes I do a workout video on days I don't really want to go to the gym. Nothing too crazy.

Does anyone else have issues like this? Should I just keep working out when I an nursing an injury? Sometimes this isn't possible. Should I change what I am doing? Any advice would be appreciated.

anemoneprose

Yes, totally. The plans other people seem to be ok on do me in.

Maybe you`re putting your body through more than it can handle (even using the elliptical, etc). It could still be overtraining for YOU.

I think the answer *might* be to do less overall, but do it smarter, and with good instruction on form if you need it. And letting a calorie deficit by diet do most of the work. This is what Lyle McDonald says about weight training for fat loss:

- Weight lifting for strength, bone density, and decent body composition
- Light cardio for calorie burn & heart health
- Calorie deficit (set at 10-12 calories per pound of your current weight - includes calculations for activity)

The split that I think might be best for my recovery needs is:

M/W/F - JUST do upper body OR lower body weight lifting, alternating days. So: M- UB, W- LB, F- UB, M- LB, etc. Weekends off. This hits each muscle group once every five days. Weights apparently need to be on the heavy side - the guy above says 2 sets of 6-8 on this schedule will be enough to keep muscle mass on a calorie deficit.

But you have to build up to this. (I've been doing a full-body, higher rep thing for just over a month.)

Other days - not more than 1/2 hour EASY cardio, as and when you feel you can. Otherwise, in vulnerable types especially, it can impair recovery, meaning you`re not really putting your all into anything. (I tried doing metabolic stuff, or even slightly longer - 45 to 60 mins - MILD stuff like 3.5 mph walking. No go.) Easy cardio, like, 120 bpm max.

People here have told me to make sure electrolytes are in balance afterwards. And to stretch. I forget those and will try to be better.

I`m starting this next week, so will see how it goes

LInks:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/training-frequency-for-mass-gains.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-2.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/steady-state-and-interval-training-part-2.html

anemoneprose

Sorry, that didn`t answer the question you actually asked.

No, I wouldn`t work the area that hurts until it doesn`t.

Plentiful_Tentacles

To answer your question, I wouldn't work out if it would cause your body further harm. However, if you sprain your wrist or something like that, it shouldn't prohibit you from working out your lower body. If you keep injuring yourself you're not doing something right. Perhaps you're working too heavy, bad form or going over your current fitness level?

For your knees, I'd say check your footwear, and how you land on your feet. Bad footwear can cause pain from lack of good support. Even if you have "sports shoes," I'd double check to make sure they're right for your foot. (depending on your gait, arch, etc.)

Shoulder pain can possibly be rotator cuff pain. A lot of people complain about shoulder injuries when it's not exactly the delts, but your rotator cuff.

tennillewade

for knee pain I would see a doctor, when there is constant pain there may be something more serious going on, don't try to work out with pain, I'm sure it only hurts more but for the knee stiffness, did the PT help?

Try a recovery drink to help with the DOMS, you will see better results if you recover your muscles better between workouts.

Your constatly injury yourself could be that you are not using proper form when working out or you may just need to slow down and work up to where you want to be. Its a process that takes patience so my suggestion would be to take a look at your workouts and assess ur current fitness level so that you don't work outside of it. Good luck be safe.

TavistockToad

from what you have said, i think part of it might be that you need complete rest for a while to allow your body to heal... generally if it hurts, thats a warning sign... and it isnt always a goo didea to push through the pain...

it probably isnt what you want to hear, but rest until you dont have any pain, like a good 4-6 weeks, and then start again, building up slowly.