How do you push through the muscle pain/soreness?
Blitz_40
Posts: 110 Member
Many years ago I was into competitive weight training and was in tip-top shape. Those years of strength training carried me over for a long, long time, meaning that even without any form of structured exercise my body was pretty strong. Despite the lack of exercise I am a very active person, but about 5 years ago I could really begin to feel the toll. I've whined my way along, saying I need to exercise more, etc….and finally bit the bullet & started working out again. It’s really hard mentally to make myself start off with baby exercises, but I’m doing it.
Here’s my dilemma, pretty much every weekend I end up doing something that makes my body hurt like hell all over because I am NOT strong & fit anymore. This is not something new, I’m a hands-on person and like I said “active”, but my activities are more like brutalities on this old body. This weekend I spent 6 hours on a ladder re-screening a 20x16 grilling porch for a school concession stand, last weekend I helped a friend pick, clean and load 1,200 watermelons for market, the weekend before that I laid sod, etc….. So all these thing I do make me hurt all over. And they shouldn't.
I know that to be able to do the things I enjoy doing I have to strengthen my body, but now that I’m working out how do I push through the muscle soreness and joint pain to do it? Today I hurt everywhere, hands, shoulders, hips, back & feet (wearing steel-toe boots on a ladder are a b*itch!). The idea of lifting anything heavier than a laundry basket makes me cringe. Because of this I manage to get in one, maybe two small sessions later in the week before the cycle starts all over again.
I tend to make the excuse that it’s because I’m older, but in reality it’s because I’m not fit. It’s unlikely that I would stop doing the activities that I do, I just can’t sit, I have to do things. Have I just turned into a big ole puss? Is this just how it’s going to be from now on?
Good grief, my fingers are hoarse from typing this!! Sorry it’s so long…..
Here’s my dilemma, pretty much every weekend I end up doing something that makes my body hurt like hell all over because I am NOT strong & fit anymore. This is not something new, I’m a hands-on person and like I said “active”, but my activities are more like brutalities on this old body. This weekend I spent 6 hours on a ladder re-screening a 20x16 grilling porch for a school concession stand, last weekend I helped a friend pick, clean and load 1,200 watermelons for market, the weekend before that I laid sod, etc….. So all these thing I do make me hurt all over. And they shouldn't.
I know that to be able to do the things I enjoy doing I have to strengthen my body, but now that I’m working out how do I push through the muscle soreness and joint pain to do it? Today I hurt everywhere, hands, shoulders, hips, back & feet (wearing steel-toe boots on a ladder are a b*itch!). The idea of lifting anything heavier than a laundry basket makes me cringe. Because of this I manage to get in one, maybe two small sessions later in the week before the cycle starts all over again.
I tend to make the excuse that it’s because I’m older, but in reality it’s because I’m not fit. It’s unlikely that I would stop doing the activities that I do, I just can’t sit, I have to do things. Have I just turned into a big ole puss? Is this just how it’s going to be from now on?
Good grief, my fingers are hoarse from typing this!! Sorry it’s so long…..
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Replies
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Dont be in such a rush to get back into things full force. I started back lifting 5 months ago after almost 5 years layoff. My first workout was only 22mins long. I started 3 days a week trying for 45min workouts. I was in so much pain from not using the muscles. Our body lets us know when it is time to rest and recover. There is a difference between sore muscles and muscles that have had enough lol. A good indication i found was when your sore. Do a few sets of the exercise involving the sore muscles. If it gets better and you feel less pain, you are ok. If it starts to cause you to ache, i would continue resting. Getting back into shape is a balance between too much and too little. Its going to take your body a bit to adjust but it will.0
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Thanks, James. Logically I know this, but I think I've turned in a weenie about pain in my old age. Going to make myself work through it slowly.0
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Just try pushing yourself through a fair amount of cardio first and the muscle pain really does ease off. I just started P90x a little while ago and my body literally aches all over and I just think every time it hurts at least its paying off, it's better than not feeling anything at all. Just take it slow, push through as much as you can and i'm sure it'll get better, doing a little is better than doing a lot and then injuring yourself so you are unable to do anymore. Good luck(:0
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I totally get this! I was on crew in college, and a brick house. And yes, all that awesome training carried over a long time, years. Through my thirties, I stayed active, but after the last few pregnancies, family was a priority....I was no longer fit like that.
I'm back, and have been through several (rather discouraging) stages. But I will tell you to Persist!!
Here's what helped me:
1.Persistence.
2.Enjoy what you do to get fit.
3.Take it slow and easy, but push yourself when you can.
4.Identify what's holding you back...these can be seemingly remote things, here's my example: emotional strain from outside (of my immediate family) made me feel very low emotionally and, subsequently, physically. One emotional impact was to give me gut problems, which in turn, caused a number of health problems. When I resolved the emotional strain, shazam, the physical cleared up. So now I could make progress in my fitness, instead of running into a "health wall" of sorts.
5.Don't feel defeated if you can only do a little of something....that "little bit" establishes a habit, and makes way for greater efforts when you get the chance. Don't be defeated by an "all-or-nothing" mentality, if you can't DO "all-or-nothing."
6.The power of a good massage....find someone you like, and a type of massage you like. Often the deep-tissue type massage will really relieve tension, clear out clogged tissues, and relieve pain. You gotta try it, and it's WORTH the money!!!
I'm feeling quite unstoppable and awesome these days....0 -
Big difference between pain and soreness. Never work through pain. That needs attention whether home care or professional care. Soreness depends on the intensity. Some soreness recedes after the muscles warmup. You can actually apply an analgesic and numb it out as well. Normally you would not do the same muscle group on succeeding days so soreness in one body part would not be affected by workouts in other areas.
From what you wrote you need some time off to rest. Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.0 -
Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
Where on earth did you get this idea from??!
smh0 -
Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
Where on earth did you get this idea from??!
smh
People who know better. bodybuilding.com0 -
Well i am 42 years old and can tell you this is not true, i am living proof. I train mon, tues, wed, and fri. with no issues to recovery time.
Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
Where on earth did you get this idea from??!
smh
People who know better. bodybuilding.com0 -
My bicep is similar to yours without the prison tat and I train Mon, Tues, Wed just different muscle groups on those days-CST, BB, Legs at 80% ORM. You people need to read the section above where I wrote not to work the same muscle groups on immediately succeeding days. That is the context for the recovery period for 40+.
I am just under 49 years of age as well.0 -
Pushing through actual joint pain is a bad thing.
I don't push through new pain- ever. With all my old injuries, I know what pain is normal with exercise, and what isn't, so I'm comfortable (as are my doctors and physical therapists) with me pushing through that pain.
Muscle soreness? If they're really really sore, I'm not going to push past it and stress them, but I am going to work them some anyway, because doing nothing will just perpetuate the soreness.
It comes down to knowing your body. Your post raises red flags for me, because it sounds like you might be pushing through joint pain, which is just asking for injuries.
If you want to keep your active lifestyle, that means protecting your body. Others can give you better advice on how than I can, but please think about what you're willing to push through and what you aren't, and weigh the risks. A major injury will take you out a lot longer than taking a weekend or two off and spending time building your body back up.0 -
I just push through knowing I'm getting better and eventually it will not hurt once muscles are used to that particular exercise. I also have learned to love that feeling. I used to live for that "pump" and "burn" back when I was lifting hard.0
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After my last hiatus (due to pregnancy/post-partum and laziness), throwing myself back into lifting was painful. After my first leg session, I couldn't walk straight for a couple weeks. It fckn' hurt. Muscle memory started kicking in and my body re-adapted FAST. I even had really fast muscle gains. I was a newb all over again, but with the advantage of muscle memory. So if you really want it, deal with the pain, and just dive back in. Of course, I started back up from the bottom. I didn't try and jump to heavy as if I never quit. Just be smart and use common sense and you'll bounce back asap.
I don't know how serious your 'joint' pain is, so I answered as if it wasn't an issue. I generally ignore minor pains as long as they don't hold me back.0 -
Here's a couple of things. Get some moisturizer, or Balm of Gilead, and add some cayenne pepper. Rub the mixture on your sore muscles. Cayenne is the bomb! It will heat the area and it will help relieve the soreness.
You could also make some Cayenne tea, which is boiling water and start with an 1/8th of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Drink it right down. Cayenne is a natural pain killer, and it helps with arthritis, muscle aches, and a whole slew of stuff. Slowly increase the amount of cayenne you use till you're up to 1 tsp. Do this 2 -- 3 times a day.
Also, tumeric. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory. You have to build it up in your system, so it takes a while to build up, but once it does, it's awesome as well.0 -
I'd highly recommend reading 'starting strength'. I know you said you did a lot of strength training in the past but maybe you did split routines?
It's a great read and advises on using big compound lifts to get strong in a balanced way that avoids injuries or creating muscle imbalances.
As to the pain, the best way to get rid of it is more exercise AND you learn to love it as you know your doing something right.
As to your age, 43 is certainly not old
. Good luck with whatever routine you decide on.
Edit: just saw the bit about the joint pain, sorry. No, working through actual pain is not good but it may be caused (if its anything like my dodgy knees) by an imbalance - starting strength and SL5x5 has really helped me with this - that and omega3 oil 0 -
Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
LOL I'm gonna tell my man! He's 41... He'll think this is hilarious!
eta: spelling.0 -
[Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
LOL I'm gonna tell my man! He's 41... He'll think this is hilarious!
Well this forum is strictly amateur hour compared to the truly knowledgeable ones and that is where the information comes from. Perhaps you are reading out of context as well.0 -
I'm 55 and I weight train, and I don't wait 72 hours to recover. I work out three days, rest, work out two days, rest, work out three days.
Upper & lower body 2x a week.
Why, 72 hours, that's just silly!0 -
Your post really indicates little as routine with muscle groups worked and intensity are not indicated. I suppose a person could lift the same muscle groups every succeeding day if they were not using a heavy ORM. Not my area of interest. Anything else is not feasible as your CNS will not tolerate it.
You cannot repeat a full bore squat workout if done with 80% or more ORM within a 24 or 48 hour period.0 -
Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
LOL I'm gonna tell my man! He's 41... He'll think this is hilarious!
Well this forum is strictly amateur hour compared to the truly knowledgeable ones and that is where the information comes from. Perhaps you are reading out of context as well.
Okay, his reaction not what I expected. :grumble: I guess I see him as an adonis of sorts. I admittedly took it out of context. He did say as a general rule, probably. He also says, no absolutes... I'm never answering for his *** *kitten* again, lol.0 -
Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
LOL I'm gonna tell my man! He's 41... He'll think this is hilarious!
Well this forum is strictly amateur hour compared to the truly knowledgeable ones and that is where the information comes from. Perhaps you are reading out of context as well.
Okay, his reaction not what I expected. :grumble: I guess I see him as an adonis of sorts. I admittedly took it out of context. He did say as a general rule, probably. He also says, no absolutes... I'm never answering for his *** *kitten* again, lol.
Takes a better person to admit error. Rarity on the Internet. My Compliments.0 -
Thanks, all. The joint pain is mostly my hands, my grip is crap, dr said arthritis from old injury so we treat it as such, but I don't have limitations. Because my grip sucks, I mostly use machines so I won't drop. When I'm not l limping around whining about how much I ache from whatever NON-exercise activity I killed myself doing, I do upper body Mon/Thurs and lower Tues/Fri, light cardio before each session. Very mild in intensity as I'm just starting back, bare basics, low weight.
I'm pretty sure I know the difference between pain to work through as opposed to just me being a sissy. I know I've got to get these muscle groups trained. The major soreness doesn't come from the exercise, but how I tend to beat my body up every weekend and then start skipping sessions because I'm too sore. Maybe with cooler weather coming I won't be as tempted to volunteer my weekends tossing bales of hay and stuff.
I appreciate the insight into everyone's schedule and the ideas. It's motivating to hear from other folks who are older like me. So now I've just got to keep my mind from pulling the age card. I just feel like my body is mocking me sometimes!!0 -
Okay, his reaction not what I expected. :grumble: I guess I see him as an adonis of sorts. I admittedly took it out of context. He did say as a general rule, probably. He also says, no absolutes... I'm never answering for his *** *kitten* again, lol.Folks over age 40 need 72 hours to recover from strength training workouts. Although that depends on what intensity you are doing.
LOL I'm gonna tell my man! He's 41... He'll think this is hilarious!
Well this forum is strictly amateur hour compared to the truly knowledgeable ones and that is where the information comes from. Perhaps you are reading out of context as well.
Takes a better person to admit error. Rarity on the Internet. My Compliments.
Oh and the only thing that separates professionals from amateurs is that professionals get paid
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