Why do my pecs hurt so much after doing dozens of push ups?

MrBiggiesworth
MrBiggiesworth Posts: 846 Member
edited February 28 in Fitness and Exercise
On days when I do dozens and dozens of push ups, my pecs become really sore, well the day after they become really sore.
Why does this happen? Are my muscles growing as I rest them after this? I was under the impression that high rep low weight resistance training would not cause my muscles this kind of a need for recovery.
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Replies

  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Depending on which truth out there you believe, its either 1) a build up of lactic acid from the anaerobic work the pecs have been doing or 2) tiny micro-tears which are the result of strength training, even stamina type resistance training; possibly a combination of both.

    Can I ask why you are doing "dozens and dozens" of push-ups and not progressing to a more intense pectoral exercise (presuming you are bodyweight resistance training) - or are you doing them for stamina or a challenge?
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  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If I spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Agreed.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    Can I ask why you are doing "dozens and dozens" of push-ups and not progressing to a more intense pectoral exercise (presuming you are bodyweight resistance training) - or are you doing them for stamina or a challenge?

    It is a challenge from a small exercise group to do a certain number of pushups within the week. I decided to do them all in one day. I do practice bench press a couple times per week, and chest flys once or twice a week as well. Yet my pecs feel SO much more sore after doing all those pushups than after doing 5 sets of bench press. It makes me think that perhaps pushups are a better workout for me and bench press is not so useful.

    Um, so you did a bunch of reps of an exercise you don't normally do, and you're wondering why you're sore? I'm gonna go with "because you did a bunch of reps of an exercise you don't normally do"
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  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
    Gainz brah.
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  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
    Spend more time at the gym. Build that brah-cabulary. Lexicon curlz, brah.
  • ecphillips1286
    ecphillips1286 Posts: 331 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Yes, my idea was wrong. What I really want to say is will my pecs grow more from doing dozens of pushups that make me really sore or from 5 sets of 'heavy' bench press that I feel nothing from the next day.

    Your chest will only grow to a certain point by only doing push ups. That is saying your chest is out of shape and your not adding plates on your back. Same exercise with same weight does not build muscle so they will not grow. If your not feeling your bench then add more weights and keep going. Push-ups are good for many muscles but bench is the way to go for a bigger chest
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Yes, my idea was wrong. What I really want to say is will my pecs grow more from doing dozens of pushups that make me really sore or from 5 sets of 'heavy' bench press that I feel nothing from the next day.

    muscles don't grow because they're sore.
  • ecphillips1286
    ecphillips1286 Posts: 331 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Yes, my idea was wrong. What I really want to say is will my pecs grow more from doing dozens of pushups that make me really sore or from 5 sets of 'heavy' bench press that I feel nothing from the next day.

    Your chest will only grow to a certain point by only doing push ups. That is saying your chest is out of shape and your not adding plates on your back. Same exercise with same weight does not build muscle so they will not grow. If your not feeling your bench then add more weights and keep going. Push-ups are good for many muscles but bench is the way to go for a bigger chest

    Also... If you want the most out of chest exercises to gain mass, make sure your doing incline and decline as well as flat. Guaranteed if you do an intense workout using these with heavy weights to almost the point of failure you will feel it the next day. In my experience I started lifting about 4-5 weeks ago. I do not do push-ups. I work 1 muscle group a day (intensely) with a day or 2 off. In the last 2 weeks I have gained 1 1/2 inches on my chest. (my back is getting bigger as well tho so that I'm sure is a factor) I do 7 chest exercises on chest day and the next day and the second I feel it like mad. Come the next week strength has improved and obviously size as I just mentioned. Good luck
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  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Yes, my idea was wrong. What I really want to say is will my pecs grow more from doing dozens of pushups that make me really sore or from 5 sets of 'heavy' bench press that I feel nothing from the next day.

    Your chest will only grow to a certain point by only doing push ups. That is saying your chest is out of shape and your not adding plates on your back. Same exercise with same weight does not build muscle so they will not grow. If your not feeling your bench then add more weights and keep going. Push-ups are good for many muscles but bench is the way to go for a bigger chest

    I hear what you are saying. The thing is, I have been doing bench press at least once per week for over a year now. I do 5 sets.
    My first set I do 12 reps with 135lbs. I could do more reps but that first set is more of a warmup anyway.
    The second set I up it to 155 sometimes 165 and I usually do 10 maybe 12 reps if I am feeling strong enough. At this weight I feel that I am nearing muscular fatigue by the end of the 12th rep and could only do 1 or 2 more before failing.
    The third set I up to 185lbs, at this weight I can only do 5 or 6 reps before I feel like I will fail on the next rep so I stop (I don't have a spotter)
    For the next two sets I do the same thing with 185lbs getting 5 or 6 reps both times.
    Then occasionally I go back down to 135lbs and do 12 more reps, which are considerably more difficult this time.

    I have made progress in the bench press, I never used to go for 185 lbs until about 6 months ago. So my weights are going up as I get stronger, but I really don't get sore from bench press anymore unless I do dozens of reps (like in a bodypump class or something), or doing lots of pushups will really make my chest sore.

    Soreness/pain/DOMS is not a good indicator of a good workout.
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Yes, my idea was wrong. What I really want to say is will my pecs grow more from doing dozens of pushups that make me really sore or from 5 sets of 'heavy' bench press that I feel nothing from the next day.

    muscles don't grow because they're sore.

    1577119_o.gif
  • ecphillips1286
    ecphillips1286 Posts: 331 Member
    If your working intense it is normal to feel a bit sore afterwards. Should you feel like your paralyzed? Absolutely not! Proper weight/sets/reps/rest/nutrition is key to growth and recovery. I mentioned earlier to add in other chest exercises other than flat bench. Give it a shot. All of us responding have givin you the answer.....more weight = more muscle. If you go to the gym often enough and you see the same people maybe you can find someone to spot you for your heavy free weight chest exercises
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Soreness/pain/DOMS is not a good indicator of a good workout.

    Please elaborate.
    What IS an indicator of a good workout.

    Just my opinion, but an indicator of a good workout is one you get done..hahaha.

    But soreness usually indicates that your muscles were unconditioned for the workout (whether different type or different level of intensity) that you had/are used to. (Case in point being that you hadn't done a bunch of push ups before and then you taxed your body in one day doing them.)

    You can increase strength, improve conditioning, and even grow muscle (if that's your goal and you are in a calorie surplus/bulk stage) without getting sore at all or much.

    If you are able to push your workout to improve (even if little by little), I'd say this is also a good indicator of a good workout.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Not sure where you got these ideas about only certain type of activities making a person sore. If spend a day doing more walking or standing than usual my feet get sore. Can't get more high rep, low load than standing or walking.

    Yes, my idea was wrong. What I really want to say is will my pecs grow more from doing dozens of pushups that make me really sore or from 5 sets of 'heavy' bench press that I feel nothing from the next day.

    muscles don't grow because they're sore.

    Noted

    But really, isn't my muscles getting sore from a workout a sign that if I feed and rest them properly that my muscles will indeed grow?

    no, because...
    muscles don't grow because they're sore.

    instead of worrying about soreness, which means virtually nothing, concentrate on progressive overload while consuming buttloads of protein and making sure that you're in a calorie surplus. i do better with higher rep ranges (8-12) and more volume, but to each their own.

    1. progressive overload
    2. volume
    3. buttloads of protein and foodz




















    1186. muscle soreness
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    Oh hey. My *kitten* is on fire after doing 3 sets of weighted hip thrusts, 10-12. On the other hand I can do 3 to 4 sets of BW hip thrusts before my butt starts to hurt. What does this mean? Please include diagrams.
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  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    Oh hey. My *kitten* is on fire after doing 3 sets of weighted hip thrusts, 10-12. On the other hand I can do 3 to 4 sets of BW hip thrusts before my butt starts to hurt. What does this mean? Please include diagrams.

    I don't know what this means? Get out of here! Go make your own question!

    Well I know *you* don't know.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    OK, by progressive overload do you mean, more weight with each set, or increasing my weight the next time I workout as I get stronger?

    Also, what do you mean by volume?

    well by all means, let me google that for you

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/goulet11.htm
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Oh hey. My *kitten* is on fire after doing 3 sets of weighted hip thrusts, 10-12. On the other hand I can do 3 to 4 sets of BW hip thrusts before my butt starts to hurt. What does this mean? Please include diagrams.

    i'll send the proper diagrams right after you send me to proper photos of what we're working with
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  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    OK, by progressive overload do you mean, more weight with each set, or increasing my weight the next time I workout as I get stronger?

    Also, what do you mean by volume?

    well by all means, let me google that for you

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/goulet11.htm


    So by volume do you mean you want me to use weights that take up more space rather than the more dense variety?
    It is not as simple as google.

    DYEFollowLinks?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    OK, by progressive overload do you mean, more weight with each set, or increasing my weight the next time I workout as I get stronger?

    Also, what do you mean by volume?

    well by all means, let me google that for you

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/goulet11.htm


    So by volume do you mean you want me to use weights that take up more space rather than the more dense variety?
    It is not as simple as google.

    waitaminute, wtf does this question even mean? of course 5 pounds of muscle weighs more than 5 pounds of fat. everybody knows dis
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