So sore ... how to avoid next time

sara1077

I am trying to get more strength training into my routine. I have 30 Day Shred and a couple other videos I like at home to do, but there is a really nice, 45 minute class at my work gym on Tuesdays (free!!). I have not done it very often, and here is why. I am in serious pain for 3-5 days. Not just a bit sore for a days or two, but in moan / yelp out loud pain where I struggled with getting up and down stairs, getting my kids out of the car, getting dressed, etc. . lots of advil.

I know .. I know ... just keep going and it will get eaiser. But how can I ease into it so that I am not a complete mess for 3-5 days after. When I do the class, I try to take it really easy ; selecting 5lbs weights when the other women are doing 8-15lbs. I even put the weights down after a bit t and just use my body weight o try to avoid over doing it. Should I do only 3lbs next time? Maybe only body weight (not weights) for the legs and just 3lbs for upper body.

This a class with lots of lunges. He is a lunge addict or something.

camo2560

Do stretches, drink lots of water (it will almost literally flush out the pain), have a meal high in protein for muscle recovery and at least 8 hours of sleep

djeffreys10

Feel the pain. Embrace the pain. Love the pain. "The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow."

TedStout

Feel the pain. Embrace the pain. Love the pain. "The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow."

This. Accept it. And work through it.

Mouse_Potato

Have a protein shake immediately after class. This has made a world of difference in my muscle soreness!

11hammicks

Soreness is good. Soreness means what you're doing is working. Try your best to to the exercises through the soreness. I was very sore on Tuesday and Wednesday but still did my strength training and on Thursday I had almost no soreness. You can do it, being sore is a good thing!

knightreader

skip the weights. drink a ton of water before and after. drink a protein shake within 30 mins of class ending, the sooner the better. take an epsom salt bath that night. go for a walk the next morning to loosen your muscles and joints, no matter how sore you are. maybe leave halfway thru the class?

i used to be the same way. one day of exercise would prevent me from exercising for 3 or 4 days. it gets better. but "pushing thru it" is easier said than done, when you have a life that gets in the way too. go slow, do what you can, not what everyone else can, stretch before and after. perhaps try a foam roller.

good luck!

bacitracin

Soreness doesn't mean you're doing it right at all. Soreness doesn't mean it's working. Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong.

Stretch, drink a lot of water, take calcium and magnesium and potassium supplements. Eat high protein afterwards.

Then take a long slow soak in a cold pool to reduce inflammation of the muscles. Hot epsom salt bath when you get home really relaxes the muscles too.

MsEmmy

Have a protein shake immediately after class. This has made a world of difference in my muscle soreness!

QFT! I couldn't believe the difference this made to me when I started 30DS again

Pixi_Rex

Feel the pain. Embrace the pain. Love the pain. "The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow."

This.

Just learn to love the DOMS... eventually you wont get them and you will miss them.

thesupremeforce

Soreness doesn't mean you're doing it right at all. Soreness doesn't mean it's working. Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong.

Stretch, drink a lot of water, take calcium and magnesium and potassium supplements. Eat high protein afterwards.

Then take a long slow soak in a cold pool to reduce inflammation of the muscles. Hot epsom salt bath when you get home really relaxes the muscles too.

I agree with this person. Pain isn't gain. Pain is pain. It's entirely possible to get in a good workout without being incapacitated for days afterward. It's possible that you're trying to jump in at too high of a level for your current fitness level, or that your form is wrong somewhere, or that you're overdoing it.

elle2bee

I struggle with this big time. My legs get so sore, I can barely walk. I went forever not doing anything about it, but now I have it down.

Stretch as much as possible before and after the workout. Don't skip a workout the next day or you will just get more sore. Maybe even do the same workout again to work those muscles that are sore. That's what I do and believe me it's not easy. I have to force myself through the work out. Drink tons of water, take a bath every night in epsoms salt. Take IB Prophen before you go to bed.

And lastly.....FOAM ROLLER!!!!!!!!!!! Life saver. While you will still have some pain, you will notice doing all this will help reduce the sorness. And next time you go in to a work out that you know makes you sore, then your prepared.

Also, the ICE Roller is amazing. You can get it on Amazon.com.

CramerWife

Soreness does not mean you're doing it wrong, at all!! It simply means you tuckered out those muscles and now they're recovering. But you can over do it though too and can strain a muscle. I love the soreness, makes me feel accomplised! Embrace the soreness but drink loads of water and stretching before and after every workout helps tremendously. Good luck!!

Danny_Boy13

I am trying to get more strength training into my routine. I have 30 Day Shred and a couple other videos I like at home to do, but there is a really nice, 45 minute class at my work gym on Tuesdays (free!!). I have not done it very often, and here is why. I am in serious pain for 3-5 days. Not just a bit sore for a days or two, but in moan / yelp out loud pain where I struggled with getting up and down stairs, getting my kids out of the car, getting dressed, etc. . lots of advil.

I know .. I know ... just keep going and it will get eaiser. But how can I ease into it so that I am not a complete mess for 3-5 days after. When I do the class, I try to take it really easy ; selecting 5lbs weights when the other women are doing 8-15lbs. I even put the weights down after a bit t and just use my body weight o try to avoid over doing it. Should I do only 3lbs next time? Maybe only body weight (not weights) for the legs and just 3lbs for upper body.

This a class with lots of lunges. He is a lunge addict or something.

Lunges can be difficult, especially for someone who has never really done them before. My suggestion would be to lower the intensity by just using your body weight. To help to minimize soreness ice baths are a great recovery method (done them for years and never had issues with me or my team in experiencing soreness for lengthy periods of time). Be sure to stretch, drink plenty of water, before, during and after. Increase your protein intake to help repair tissue damage. If you are sore like you are describing get into the pool with the water at chest deep and walk around and stretch. The human body is naturally buoyant in water so this will take some of the pressure off of the muscles / joints while getting a larger range of motion to stretch out. Key is to try and get some movement to work out the tight muscles. Even a leisure walk is better then no movement at all. Keep plugging away and it will get better. Those days of 3-4 days of sore will turn into 1-2 days and then it will turn into no soreness, but just tired after a good workout. At least that is how it is for me.

poohpoohpeapod

100 percent tartt cherry juice reduces inflammation 8 ounces after workout and then 8 ounces every day you do the work out. This reduces inflamation more than 800 mg ibruprofen. Its natural. Ginger reduces inflamation as well. Soak in epsom salts after workout, it restores magnesium to muscles make sure enough protein the next day.. Also do a bit lighter and less until you are more accustomed, sore is ok yelping no!

whitecapwendy

since I have never lifted and am just starting out, I am starting light with 3# weights and working my way up

kms1320

There's a difference between pain and injury. If you aren't injured, work through it. Hydration, stretching, and light movements are the best for recovery. You're going to get sore. I'm sore today after leg day yesterday. You're going to get sore. It DOES mean you did work. The soreness you feel is an inflammatory response to repair muscle tissue. Which means you broke it down. Which is the goal of exercise!

msurads06

One thing that worked for me (atleast my legs) when I first started doing spin classes was to do a looooooong cool down. Once class was over hop on the tread mill I start at 3.5mph and drop .5mp each 5 minutes until I get to 2mph. starting at 3.0 might work too but I am a fast walker so I like to start at 3.5. You might be able to accomplish the same just by keeping moving for 15-20 min afterwards (don't just go home and veg on the couch), but I really need the discipline of the treadmill because I find 2.0 incredibly frustrating. My normal average walking speed is about 3.3 so 2.0 feels like a snails pace.

I recently started doing elliptical after along time of no working out and this seems to be helping me again along with stretching, I am having some soreness/stiffness, but I think it would be worse if I wasn't doing this. Also with the weights you might start out not using them for several classes then slowly incorporating them. Or maybe just attend 1/2 of the class ( stay near the back so you can exit easily).

jmadams111

"Work out pain," as I understand it is due to the rapid accumulation of Lactic Acid in the muscles. This is the natural reaction product of your body converting (burning) sugar for energy. What I have found works for me is physically expanding/shrinking the tissues innediately after a workout by hot soaks/showers followed by colder soaks/showers, repeated a couple of times. Seems to help the blood carry the lactic acid out of my system.

globetrotter42

Don't take a class that leaves you feeling like a mess for 5 days afterwards. How important is your body to you? How important is being pain free for you? I can deal with one day of pain but no more after a class. I LOVE to exercise. I want to be able to do it many days in a row for an hour, but I want to do it pain free so I am very careful. I stretch before my class and after and I just refuse to continue taking a class that for whatever reason hurts my body.

msurads06

"Work out pain," as I understand it is due to the rapid accumulation of Lactic Acid in the muscles. This is the natural reaction product of your body converting (burning) sugar for energy. What I have found works for me is physically expanding/shrinking the tissues innediately after a workout by hot soaks/showers followed by colder soaks/showers, repeated a couple of times. Seems to help the blood carry the lactic acid out of my system.

I think this is the reason my extended cool down works, it gives the muscles a chance to work out a lot of the Lactic acid they have built up from the unaccustomed activity.

jennifershoo

Have a protein shake immediately after class. This has made a world of difference in my muscle soreness!

Exactly this!!! I'm (almost) never sore after my workouts, but if I forget my pretein shake, I can't walk the next day. It makes a HUGE difference.

thecakelocker

It's because you're not used to the exercise, not because 5lbs is too heavy. Keep doing it bodyweight until the soreness stops and then resume with weights.

freebirdjones

I was sore from a workout and worried about the next. I posted about it and got water and protein etc and that's good but the best of the comments was go to your workout once you warm up you'll be fine.. TOTALLY! I went on the treadmill and warmed up went to do weights with no pain AWESOME! it worked next day I was sore again, but muscles really once you warm them up they work! and all the baths and Epsom's and protein and water that's good too! but really best advice I got was push through it, so glad I didn't walk out half way or decrease weights

craigmandu

I always do a 5-10 minute warm up before I do a circuit or any sort of lifting activity. That warm up is usually cardio, like a elliptical (can't really do many impact exercises right now) on a mid-high resistance level...really gets my entire body warmed up and ready for my circuits.

After the workout, I will do a small cooldown...again a cardio cooldown for about again 5-10 minutes.

If the exercise was particularly strenuous, I may also throw some light stretching right after the exercise.

I always have a protein shake after workouts...been a habit for a long time. Sometimes at night and prior to soreness setting in, I'll take a nice hot bath and soak for 30 or so minutes.

If I do find I'm really sore the next morning, I have a tennis ball that I roll over the effected areas in a circular motion with a little force (This is similar to using a roller)....

Other than those....I never skip another workout because of being sore...or at least I never have.

sara1077

Thanks do much for all the suggestions!!! I will try a couple of these because I do like the class a lot and lots of strength training classes is what has worked for me in the past to lose / maintain.

ninerbuff

I am trying to get more strength training into my routine. I have 30 Day Shred and a couple other videos I like at home to do, but there is a really nice, 45 minute class at my work gym on Tuesdays (free!!). I have not done it very often, and here is why. I am in serious pain for 3-5 days. Not just a bit sore for a days or two, but in moan / yelp out loud pain where I struggled with getting up and down stairs, getting my kids out of the car, getting dressed, etc. . lots of advil.

I know .. I know ... just keep going and it will get eaiser. But how can I ease into it so that I am not a complete mess for 3-5 days after. When I do the class, I try to take it really easy ; selecting 5lbs weights when the other women are doing 8-15lbs. I even put the weights down after a bit t and just use my body weight o try to avoid over doing it. Should I do only 3lbs next time? Maybe only body weight (not weights) for the legs and just 3lbs for upper body.

This a class with lots of lunges. He is a lunge addict or something.

You aren't fit. That's why the major soreness. For the body to start adapting to workload, it has to be exposed to it quite frequently.
So do some of the exercises you learned there, at home to help compensate.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

grau62000ameze

skip the weights. drink a ton of water before and after. drink a protein shake within 30 mins of class ending, the sooner the better. take an epsom salt bath that night. go for a walk the next morning to loosen your muscles and joints, no matter how sore you are. maybe leave halfway thru the class?

i used to be the same way. one day of exercise would prevent me from exercising for 3 or 4 days. it gets better. but "pushing thru it" is easier said than done, when you have a life that gets in the way too. go slow, do what you can, not what everyone else can, stretch before and after. perhaps try a foam roller.

good luck!

This is sooo meeee

helpfit101

Against the soreness.. go jogging lightly for 15 minutes maybe on the same day or the next day. Your body will warm up. Then do some stretching. You may feel better.

hayzeus1216

Excessive soreness can be an issue and overtraining could be a possibility. If you're consistently taking 3-5 days to recover, you might need to dial down the intensity. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it will keep you motivated in the long run. If I stayed sore 5 days at a time, limiting my functional movements throughout my day as a habit, I'd have a tough time reconciling exercise at all. Not saying to take a break, just dial it down.