I think I overdid something. I am in a lot of pain.

cherilyn666

I have been going to the gym every day doing weights and cardio and I can see good improvements.

Today, I increased my weights by a bit ending up in:

Leg Press - 50 reps of 220 lbs
Abs Machine - 120 reps of 110 lbs
Bicep Machine - 50 reps of 90 lbs
Back Machine (Row) - 50 reps of 90 lbs
Shoulder Machine - 50 reps of 50 lbs

20 mins of 7.5 mph running with a couple 6 mph breaks
1 mile on the row machine


My right arm (bicep part) hurts like absolute hell and, being a tough Russian guy myself, I know that if I am complaining about pain it is going really bad here.

I can tell I will not be able to do bicep machine tomorrow which disappoints me greatly, as that will ruin my schedule. I also see that, technically, all other stuff besides leg press and treadmill also involves arms to an extent.

Is there anything I can do to make it be good until tomorrow? I am really worried about this and if I do not go I will freak out.

xunleashed

I have been going to the gym every day doing weights and cardio and I can see good improvements.

Today, I increased my weights by a bit ending up in:

Leg Press - 50 reps of 220 lbs
Abs Machine - 120 reps of 110 lbs
Bicep Machine - 50 reps of 90 lbs
Back Machine (Row) - 50 reps of 90 lbs
Shoulder Machine - 50 reps of 50 lbs

20 mins of 7.5 mph running with a couple 6 mph breaks
1 mile on the row machine


My right arm (bicep part) hurts like absolute hell and, being a tough Russian guy myself, I know that if I am complaining about pain it is going really bad here.

I can tell I will not be able to do bicep machine tomorrow which disappoints me greatly, as that will ruin my schedule. I also see that, technically, all other stuff besides leg press and treadmill also involves arms to an extent.

Is there anything I can do to make it be good until tomorrow? I am really worried about this and if I do not go I will freak out.

Wait...you do this workout everyday? If so; you probably have a severe case of overtraining. Your muscles need time to heal. One day NOT at the gym won't kill you, believe me.

cherilyn666

Yes, I do it every day. And until I increased my weights by a bit today I was fine.

If I don't go I will never go again so I do have to go tomorrow.

xunleashed

I can't tell if this is a serious topic or not....so I am just going to stop replying.

Read some stuff on a workout plan, eat right and rest.

/end

cherilyn666

Oh I am sure my problems are not serious enough for your replies.

concordancia

Yes, I do it every day. And until I increased my weights by a bit today I was fine.

If I don't go I will never go again so I do have to go tomorrow.

Do something different. Lifting weights for 50 reps every day is pretty much the same as doing aerobics: you aren't building muscle because you aren't giving it time to repair before you wear it out again.

In the meantime, look up first aid for a strained muscle.

girlonabikedc

Your muscles need to rest-that's when the real work is done. If you don't allow them to rest & rebuild, your workout is pointless. You end up undoing your work.

If you feel you have to lift every day, divide the workout in two and work opposite muscle groups every other day to give muscles time to rest & rebuild.

Also, IMO your reps are way too high. If you can do 50, you're not lifting heavy enough.

__Di__

I have been going to the gym every day doing weights and cardio and I can see good improvements.

Today, I increased my weights by a bit ending up in:

Leg Press - 50 reps of 220 lbs
Abs Machine - 120 reps of 110 lbs
Bicep Machine - 50 reps of 90 lbs
Back Machine (Row) - 50 reps of 90 lbs
Shoulder Machine - 50 reps of 50 lbs

20 mins of 7.5 mph running with a couple 6 mph breaks
1 mile on the row machine


My right arm (bicep part) hurts like absolute hell and, being a tough Russian guy myself, I know that if I am complaining about pain it is going really bad here.

I can tell I will not be able to do bicep machine tomorrow which disappoints me greatly, as that will ruin my schedule. I also see that, technically, all other stuff besides leg press and treadmill also involves arms to an extent.

Is there anything I can do to make it be good until tomorrow? I am really worried about this and if I do not go I will freak out.

The bicep muscle is a small muscle and it is easier than you think to burst the muscle.

Tomorrow? I think if it is a bust, it will take more than just one day to mend, you will need to find another form of exercise/working out to do until it heals properly.

cherilyn666

So if I did a double cardio tomorrow, would that make more sense for the muscles?

cwolfman13

Yes, I do it every day. And until I increased my weights by a bit today I was fine.

If I don't go I will never go again so I do have to go tomorrow.

You shouldn't be doing this every day. The benefit of lifting comes in recovery...you are over-training, even if you felt "fine" doing this before. Without recovery, you're wasting your time. Also, what's up with all those reps...again, pretty much a waste of time. If you're looking for muscle endurance (that would be the goal of that many reps) you should consider circuit training or something...much more benefit.

If you want to get strong and some decent body re-comp do 3x5 or 5x5 with heavier weight...you should be close to fail on the last reps. If you want a good combination of decent strength gains and some hypertrophy (no, you won't bulk up) do 3x 8-12 rep range...again, you should be close to fail on your last reps, but this will be lighter weight relative to a 3x5 or 5x5 routine.

cherilyn666

Oh I do want to gain muscles, so bulking up is fine. I have lost a lot of fat-weight so I can begin bulking up.

So more reps does NOT equal to more muscle? I am new to the typical western gym world and when I lived in Russia we did workouts every day as kids when we did wrestling.

cwolfman13

Oh I do want to gain muscles, so bulking up is fine. I have lost a lot of fat-weight so I can begin bulking up.

So more reps does NOT equal to more muscle? I am new to the typical western gym world and when I lived in Russia we did workouts every day as kids when we did wrestling.

You should lift in the 3x 8-12 rep range. You can lift every day, but it shouldn't be the same muscles...you have to have time to repair...recovery and repair is where muscles are built. They tear when you're lifting and then heal...when they heal is when they grow with new fibers. If you're constantly working the same muscle daily, it's never healing...thus never really growing.

If you want to maximize your lifts, you need to give yourself a break. Either do a split routine 4-5 days per week or do a full body routine that focuses on compound lifts 3x weekly. I personally opt for the 3x weekly because I can work my entire body in less time...plus, I'm not body building currently, I'm strength training.

richardheath

For the arm: ibuprofen; alternate an ice pack/heat; and rest. http://orthopedics.about.com/od/sprainstraintreatment/ht/muscle.htm

And no, doing lots of reps doesn't equal more muscle. In general (although there is overlap) light weights for high reps is best for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy - which is increased blood flow to the muscles. Doing lower reps (e.g. 5 sets of 5) at higher weight (with progressive loading) is better for myofibril hypertrophy, which is an actual increase in the amount of muscle fibers and also correlates to strength. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy

I'd also suggest looking at a split body plan if you plan on training everyday - something like back & biceps one day; chest & triceps the next; legs another. This way, you can hit each group hard, then rest them. Find some ideas here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/

Or look into a full body work out like starting strength, stronglifts etc. But these you only want to do 3 times a week or so, with rest days in between workouts (which can be cardio).

cherilyn666

Cheers guys, I guess it will have to be just cardio some days now, otherwise I will not be able to lift that much anyway or gain any muscle.

Brownsbacker4evr

You are overworking your muscles. They have no time to recover. You need to work on a certain body area for a certain day. On top of that you are doing too many reps. Split your workouts up. Mine for example goes Monday: Bi's, Tris. Tues: Legs. Weds: Chest. Thursday: Back. Friday: Shoulders. I do about about 2-3 sets of 15, 12, and 10 reps raising the weight while lowering the reps. You shouldn't work a muscle more than twice a week, and 2 is usually if you've been lifting for a good while.

DavPul

Why so many reps?

Natihilator

:happy:

DirtyTrickster

Cheers guys, I guess it will have to be just cardio some days now, otherwise I will not be able to lift that much anyway or gain any muscle.

you won't gain much muscle by doing 50 reps.

If you want to gain muscle, low reps high weight.

Don't work the same muscle every day.

Min 2 days rest between muscle workout.

cristinamari

Yikes! I can't stress enough how careful everyone needs to be when working out. The reason why I say this is because last year I got Rhabdomyolysis.

Ugh I was admitted to the hospital for a week and it was horrible. Please educate yourself. Below is a brief description of what it is. But basically I got it from working out too hard, and not getting enough water and nutrients or rest. Your body can only take so much.

Be Safe

Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle fibers that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents (myoglobin) into the bloodstream. Myoglobin is harmful to the kidney and often causes kidney damage. Rhabdomyolysis can be extremely painful and can lead to necessary surgery to cut the muscle to relieve swelling and further damage.

corrinnebrown

switch up your routine.

I do Jillian Michaels...
Day 1 she does the front of your body. So Quads, chest presses, push ups, ect.
Day 2 is back of the body - lunges, shoulder presses, ect
Day 3 is straight cardio

This helps to "rest" the muscles like everyone is telling you to do. Take some advil, ice and let the biceps rest.

Good luck!

cherilyn666

That sounds scary.

And my arm still hurts, moreso even.

cherilyn666

Not only was I able to work out, I was able to increase the weights and do them with less reps as suggested here.

Thanks all for the advice.

TavistockToad

If I don't go I will never go again so I do have to go tomorrow.

what?

lauren3101

Any good lifting plan will tell you that high weights, low reps and rest days are key to building muscle.

You cant lift that much every day and not expect to get an injury. Your body needs to rest to heal itself.

Don't do any lifting until your arm feels better. An ache is fine, but actual real pain means you are doing something wrong, and if you carry on you will do yourself a serious injury.

glovepuppet

ice & compression.

i think you should alternate legs & arms. you won't stay on schedule if you screw up your body.

it's like running a car. if your car starts making weird noises and you just ignore it & keep on driving, you'll have nobody but yourself to blame when it grinds to a hault. you need to allow your body proper time for it to run it's maintenance and repairs.

xunleashed

Not only was I able to work out, I was able to increase the weights and do them with less reps as suggested here.

Thanks all for the advice.

With your arms huring more than the day before.....that might not be a good thing.

YOU NEED REST.

centarix

As others suggested, you really need to rest and recover. Forget about the extra weight and the reps for now. Take a day to rest your muscles, THEN start the new routine with high weights and less reps.

palmerar

You need REST like EVERYONE ELSE SAID and if you do the same workout every single day or every time you go to the gym your muscles won't have to work as hard to do the exercises despite added weight or reps. DO some reading, do some research on RELIABLE sites, get a trainer, get to know your body and what it needs.

crazybookworm

Yes, I do it every day. And until I increased my weights by a bit today I was fine.

If I don't go I will never go again so I do have to go tomorrow.

You will never go again? You really have to understand how important a rest day is. Your muscles need to recover and repair. You are do more damage than good by doing that kind of workout every single day. If you continue with a workout like that everyday, you are going to be in a world of pain as you age!

yourenotmine

You need some rest. I understand your all or nothing thinking, but you're going to have to train yourself out of that or you're going to seriously injure yourself and have no choice. If going to the gym everyday is really a requirement for you, I suggest a couple of days be a 20 minute slllooooow walk on the treadmill with a good book, or a magazine, followed by a really good stretch. Or, if your gym has yoga classes, take a non-strenuous one (ask at the desk, they'll tell you which are designed for relaxation). Then you have kept your routine up by going to the building, but you haven't exerted yourself and added to your muscle pain.

glovepuppet

honestly, i think you should talk to your doctor.
i don't think your mindset is healthy.
to me you sound obsessive and OCD about this whole thing.