Extreme weakness due to years of neglect

EccentricDad

I exercised yesterday on a 12 hour fast and today all the areas I exercised are sore. I haven't exercised in 13 years and my life is extremely sedentary, so every little bit of exercising I do is going to hurt; but how long does it take for it to stop hurting and what can I do to make sure that it's actually working and not just tearing me up? I can't even do a side plank without shaking that's how bad it is!

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Tyrone_S

First time exercising after a long time off will always hurt, by the third time doing the same thing I doubt you will feel it at all. Let yourself recover for a day or two and try it again, then one more time. Once you have done that you can reassess your routine, but doing it before your body gets used to exercise in general might be a bit pointless. You will gain a lot of strength over the first couple of sessions as your muscles kind of "wake up". So don't write off those side planks quite yet.

_granola

Keep doing it, get stronger, then do more.

EccentricDad

So do the workout routine again after a day or two of rest and keep doing that cycle until the workout I'm doing doesn't give me soreness any more?

otrlynn

You didn't post much about yourself such as your age, and whether you have any medical problems. If you are older and have been very sedentary, it would be good to check in with your doctor before you go gung ho at the gym. Perhaps you need to take it a bit slower and begin with walking, stretching and mildly resistive exercise for a week or two. In the meantime, take tylenol or advil at the recommended dosage if you are really sore, and keep moving the muscles that are sore.

jetscreaminagain

You do a new thing, it hurts. Keep doing it it hurts less. Keep doing it as long as the hurt is muscle soreness and not joint pain or a sharp tear like ouch. Personally I love DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Makes me feel alive. Working out again can help clear that out. Also a nice bath with Epsom salts.

And eat. Good lord.

arc918

listen and repeat:

exercise good

fasting bad

WestCoastPhoenix

spud_chick

I recently started exercising again at 45, after quite a few sedentary years and many more years with joint problems and CFS/fibromyalgia symptoms (but no diagnosis). I have found that taking branched chain amino acids before and after exercising has been helping me get stronger faster and recover more quickly as well. The whey shake we use has them, and I also have them in capsule form. Not saying it's a cure-all but I can really tell a difference. I also take many other supplements, but the BCAAs helped me get out of a bad cycle of never feeling like I was getting stronger or recovering any faster after repeated exercise days, which can be extremely discouraging.

lachesissss

I feel like exercising on a fast day is just asking for the weak feeling. I'd also recommend stretching and lots of water consumption. Also, start small. Don't just try to beast things out because you feel like you should be able to do them. If you've been sedentary for 13 years I imagine your cardio base and muscle strength is virtually non-existent.

flechero

When I first started working out again (after 20 years off) I hurt for a solid week... after a few workouts, I only hurt a few days, after a few more I only hurt a day.

Keep it up and it will get better!

Also not a fan of the fast.

ladybug1620

Try splitting up your training by body part or group so you can give your sore muscles time to recover. For example, work arms one day, the next day legs, the next back, the next chest, etc. Those few days in between will give you plenty of time to recover and be ready to do it all over again. If you're that sore, you shouldn't do the same workout on back to back days. And since you haven't worked out in so long, you will be really sore at first but the more you do it the less sore you'll be. And in that case, it'll be time to up the intensity

yo_andi

Soreness is normal.

Rest, hydrate, protein and doing it again a few days later will all help with it.

chris10_hi

Oh i was right there with you, i still shake sometimes doing planks! But we all gotta start some where, for me in general it took about 2 to 3 weeks for me to NOT b huffing and puffing as if Im going to die, and with your body being sore itll b sore when you push yourself like you have been with starting to exercise again, but it's a good sore!

EccentricDad

You didn't post much about yourself such as your age, and whether you have any medical problems. If you are older and have been very sedentary, it would be good to check in with your doctor before you go gung ho at the gym. Perhaps you need to take it a bit slower and begin with walking, stretching and mildly resistive exercise for a week or two. In the meantime, take tylenol or advil at the recommended dosage if you are really sore, and keep moving the muscles that are sore.

30 years old and I have bone spurs on a disc in my thoracic region of my spine with no cartilage between my discs in that region as well. I don't have lupus or anything though they did think I had Rheumatoid Arthritis but that ended undecided before I lost health insurance. I think I just have typical muscle soreness as everyone else is describing, but after 13 years of not feeling like this, better safe than sorry.

EccentricDad

I feel like exercising on a fast day is just asking for the weak feeling. I'd also recommend stretching and lots of water consumption. Also, start small. Don't just try to beast things out because you feel like you should be able to do them. If you've been sedentary for 13 years I imagine your cardio base and muscle strength is virtually non-existent.

Yup, completely non-existent. I'm literally a bean pole.

And I read that working out while on a 12 hour fast is good because it forces fat oxidation/metabolization. But I guess I should build up the strength to exercise first then worry about fat huh? But can I build up strength while on a cut still?

Lift_hard_eat_big

Heavy strength training will always tear you up. Heavy dead lifting feels like you're getting raped if you go intense!

kmuree

As someone who has never worked out in her life prior to this year, soreness is absolutely normal until you gain and build some strength and stamina. You just need to push past it and work through it, but make sure you listen to your body. If it's too much, listen and take a rest day. But if it's the kind of soreness that makes you count to three (twice, to prolong the inevitable) before you stand up to get off of the toilet seat, push past it!

You'll be stronger in no time, and the pain ebbs a little. :flowerforyou:

Marc713

Ease into lifting. Don't try to go heavy. Make sure you are stretching. Do NOT workout when fasting!!

Here's a free workout plan, with videos, tips, diet, supplement info, etc.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lee-labrada-12-week-lean-body-trainer-week-1-main.html

VelociMama

All of this sounds normal for someone who is totally out of shape. The fasting is a really bad idea if you're a new exerciser also. All it will do is make you weaker during your workout and make it harder for you to recover afterwards. The first time I did a barbell squat, I couldn't walk for a week. It got much easier as I got stronger and my body got used to the activity.

Eat regular healthy meals, do workouts that you enjoy and get you the results you want.

Weight management and body recomposition is hard enough. Don't make it harder than it is.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

I knew who posted this before I read it.

:drinker:

Just keep going --- you'll be fine. It will take a few weeks.