Feeling worse from weight lifting? and an introduction
Options
shinealotdana
Posts: 11 Member
I've been lurking on this forum for a little while and decided to introduce myself. I've lifted weights off and on for a few years, but have been committed to SL for about 6 weeks. I like the heavy lifting! I'm also eating at TDEE minus 500 calories (2200) as I have about 50 pounds to lose. I lost 4 pounds the first month (monthly weigh-ins) so the number seems about right.
So as expected, the DOMS was pretty terrible at first but gradually got better. Now I have a surge of energy after a workout and then a moderate level of soreness the next day. What bothers me is that in general I feel worse...run down, achy, frequent headaches, even feverish at night. My husband felt bad for the first month or two of his weight training and is now better. So is this just a normal response of my body adjusting to the new demands on it? Or should I consider upping my calories? I've been lifting for about 6 weeks.
A secondary question is whether any of you have experienced headaches as a result of overhead press. My neck and shoulder muscles feel so tight and seem to affect my head.
Thanks!
So as expected, the DOMS was pretty terrible at first but gradually got better. Now I have a surge of energy after a workout and then a moderate level of soreness the next day. What bothers me is that in general I feel worse...run down, achy, frequent headaches, even feverish at night. My husband felt bad for the first month or two of his weight training and is now better. So is this just a normal response of my body adjusting to the new demands on it? Or should I consider upping my calories? I've been lifting for about 6 weeks.
A secondary question is whether any of you have experienced headaches as a result of overhead press. My neck and shoulder muscles feel so tight and seem to affect my head.
Thanks!
0
Replies
-
Maybe you started off too heavy? I think with Stronglifts you are supposed to start at a weight that is 50 percent less than what you could do and then gradually increase so you do not get DOMs and can work on form for a while. For women, 50 percent may be a lot less than the Olympic bar.
I always get crazy DOMS doing the 24 hr fitness bodypump class if it has been a while since I last did it but never got DOMS on stronglifts. The first few weeks on stronglifts felt pretty easy to me though. For my one person sample, I felt very tired the next day after lifting over the past weekend but never sick.
Maybe see a doctor?I don't know if it is normal and I'm certainly not a doctor. But I think exercise should give you a high and make you feel healthier, not sick.0 -
For your neck get a massage and try a chiropractor. A tight neck muscle can make headaches worse.
I have been lifting since April, doing madcow and accessories now but I still get DOMS to some degree from almost all sessions. Ty taking magnesium, I read recently that it can help with stiffness, soreness, DOMS even menstral cramps. I started it on Monday and so far the stiffness after I lift is a lot better. We will see tomorrow after DL's.
You can also retain water when you lift so you may have lost more but it's being masked by the water weight. You may find a whoosh happens after your body releases it.
I was feeling very run down a few months ago so I am eating at TDEE now and that feeling is gone now. Maybe try eating TDEE for a week and see how you feel. It's good to take a diet break for a week every few months.0 -
Thank you, Nancy and massage! I appreciate the insight from both of you.0
-
doms sometimes gets nicknamed 'muscle fever', i know that much. and after six weeks, maybe it's time for you to give yourself a break week, just to let your body catch up.
i know when i get over-extended and i'm heading into that stoopid-stubborn zone where you keep doing it and it keeps getting worse . . . well, things like insomnia and physical restlessness/achiness kind of go along with that sometimes, for me.
also, i second the magnesium, just because some days if i skip it i get these bodacious leg cramps. on top of magnesium, (for me) calcium.0 -
I'd also pay attention to the amount of water you drink and see if getting more helps. Being dehydrated is a major headache trigger for me.0
-
Maybe you started off too heavy? I think with Stronglifts you are supposed to start at a weight that is 50 percent less than what you could do and then gradually increase so you do not get DOMs and can work on form for a while. For women, 50 percent may be a lot less than the Olympic bar.
I may have started a little too heavy, I don't know. Of course, when I first started, my worst soreness was in my quads, just from bodyweight squats! Now I've only worked up to 65 lb on squats, but I think my form is pretty good and the soreness is nothing like it was at first. Thanks for the idea!
0 -
For your neck get a massage and try a chiropractor. A tight neck muscle can make headaches worse.
I have been lifting since April, doing madcow and accessories now but I still get DOMS to some degree from almost all sessions. Ty taking magnesium, I read recently that it can help with stiffness, soreness, DOMS even menstral cramps. I started it on Monday and so far the stiffness after I lift is a lot better. We will see tomorrow after DL's.
You can also retain water when you lift so you may have lost more but it's being masked by the water weight. You may find a whoosh happens after your body releases it.
I was feeling very run down a few months ago so I am eating at TDEE now and that feeling is gone now. Maybe try eating TDEE for a week and see how you feel. It's good to take a diet break for a week every few months.
Great, I'll try the magnesium. And if I'm still feeling tired after my next weigh-in, I'll think about eating at TDEE for a while (which actually sounds delightful). I really wanted to finish my second month before making changes so I can judge my results accurately. Consistency has been my biggest problem in past weight loss attempts.
About the water retention... At what point does your body release it? Is that something that happens after you've been lifting for long enough? A whoosh of weight loss would be a nice surprise.0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »doms sometimes gets nicknamed 'muscle fever', i know that much. and after six weeks, maybe it's time for you to give yourself a break week, just to let your body catch up.
i know when i get over-extended and i'm heading into that stoopid-stubborn zone where you keep doing it and it keeps getting worse . . . well, things like insomnia and physical restlessness/achiness kind of go along with that sometimes, for me.
Wow, muscle fever. That's exactly what it feels like sometimes. Thank you... It's encouraging to know I'm not the only one to have that response.
0 -
-
shinealotdana wrote: »For your neck get a massage and try a chiropractor. A tight neck muscle can make headaches worse.
I have been lifting since April, doing madcow and accessories now but I still get DOMS to some degree from almost all sessions. Ty taking magnesium, I read recently that it can help with stiffness, soreness, DOMS even menstral cramps. I started it on Monday and so far the stiffness after I lift is a lot better. We will see tomorrow after DL's.
You can also retain water when you lift so you may have lost more but it's being masked by the water weight. You may find a whoosh happens after your body releases it.
I was feeling very run down a few months ago so I am eating at TDEE now and that feeling is gone now. Maybe try eating TDEE for a week and see how you feel. It's good to take a diet break for a week every few months.
Great, I'll try the magnesium. And if I'm still feeling tired after my next weigh-in, I'll think about eating at TDEE for a while (which actually sounds delightful). I really wanted to finish my second month before making changes so I can judge my results accurately. Consistency has been my biggest problem in past weight loss attempts.
About the water retention... At what point does your body release it? Is that something that happens after you've been lifting for long enough? A whoosh of weight loss would be a nice surprise.
It's different for everyone. I didn't really experience it. But plenty of people do.
My legs also feel warm after a session.0 -
If you're getting headaches after OHPs, pay attention to your head/neck/jaw position. I find myself gritting my teeth unconsciously in an effort to get that thing up, and as a result have tension headaches. Keep your eyes level or a bit up, keep your chin up, and neck in a neutral position. Have a spotter help if you need it. And second the water, lots of water!0
-
shinealotdana wrote: »A whoosh of weight loss would be a nice surprise.
gee . . . i haven't had one of those up-all-night-peeing times for a while, but they are nice. use this info extremely cautiously, but in so far as i have any kind of impression of it in my own body: it seemed like six or seven hundred calories in a single sitting could push that 'eject water' button for me. course, i try to kind of ignore that hypothesis, because if i kept hopefully eating that much every couple of days just in case it might empty the tank, i don't think things would go the weight-loss direction i'd like them to
i can't always sort through all the broscience and girl-theory on why or how or whatever all of this works. but honestly, i think for as long as your muscles are tender and you have the achey doms thing going on, you can probably count on it that some of whatever you weigh is water. the tenderness in your muscles is a sign they're inflamed . . . and where there's inflammation, there's gonna be fluid, trust me.
it's also quite typical for me (and other people i've heard from) that as long as you're lifting, you just are going to carry a few pounds of water around. i think i've taken two or three 'rest weeks' since i started sl, and it really does seem like i'll lose several pounds a few days into a rest phase, and then get them back over the first few days when i go back to lifting again. i honestly sympathize with the scale-based frustration, but there's a lot of truth too in the idea that the scale should be ignored if you lift.
0
