First 5x5 yesterday kicked my bootaay! How am I supposed to do that again tomorrow?
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I think this article summed it up pretty well:
http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/doms-the-good-the-bad-and-what-it-really-means-to-your-training
Take home points :
a) Any training outside comfort zone may or may not lead to DOMS. DOMS isn't necessary for hypertrophy.
b) DOMS is not caused by lactic acid, it's microtears in muscle fiber.
c) The more eccentric contraction → DOMS. le. the more time you spend SLOWLY LOWERING, the more muscle soreness you get.
I'll add:
d) There's a certain element of sucking it up unless extremely sore. I don't think deloading a bit is equal to failure if it means forming a habit. Listen to your body.
...and congrats on trying it out! I know it's been a sort of nemesis for you.1 -
I have helped a few people train.
For new people to lifting I would say not to lift for a few days and let your muscles recover. Lifting tears them down. You need sleep to let them rebuild and adequate calories, not a big bump.
There is a form of exercise called "recovery cardio". It is basically very low grade cardio to get your blood pumping into the sore muscles to replenish them and ease soreness. You can google it and find lots of good information.
Congrats on starting lifting! But I would caution on thinking you need to go all hard core at first. It is easier to let your body recover fully and then work out again than injure yourself and go thru all that recovery time
After I did my 100K bike race I took 2 days totally off and two days of recovery rides. I'm used to lots of intense workouts. I have an Olympic Tri coming up soon. But I always take my recovery time to let my muscles and joints rest and repair.
If it hurts, listen to it!
Congrats again on your adding lifting! Best wishes on reaching your goals!2 -
Working2BLean wrote: »If it hurts, listen to it!
Yes, listen to it and focus on another muscle group the next day.
I haven't lifted in a year. I started with 5 days a week for an hour. Each day focused on different muscle groups. Rest my foot.
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@Sunny_Bunny_ congrats on doing this! So cool to see the women of this site lifting with real programs and not just token 2lb dumbells. Inspiring!
Thanks! I do like that it is heavy and not just a million reps with tiny weight. I feel like the best work is real work and since I don't do hard physical work, this makes sense to me.Congrats on starting the program! I hope you like it as much as I did! I really have nothing to add that everyone else hasn't said though so I just hope you feel better soon!! For reals though, working out when I had DOMS was actually a good way to lessen them.
I do like it really well so far. Even though I was scared about dealing with the pain today, I still wanted to go. I got through the whole set! The pain did get better as I got into it. I did some extra warming up and light stretching too.Shadowmf023 wrote: »The first week after I started going to the gym again, I barely ever sat down. Because I knew if I sat down long enough, and got up again, the DOMS would be brutal. Lol.
Yes! I have stayed busy and mostly on my feet since that first day. The pain is the worst when I finally sit down at night!@Sunny_Bunny_ I think this is awesome. Not that you were sore but that you are giving lifting a try. I can't wait until I've lost enough weight that I can add lifting. I hope your lift day went/goes well today. The soreness does go away, just hold on to that until it does. What will hooking is seeing your muscle definition come to life. Go you!
I agree that starting ASAP is better. I just couldn't get motivated enough to attempt it on my own. I really needed the gym partner. I was very intimidated by the idea of going it alone and I can't afford a trainer.
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Foamroller wrote: »I think this article summed it up pretty well:
http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/doms-the-good-the-bad-and-what-it-really-means-to-your-training
Take home points :
a) Any training outside comfort zone may or may not lead to DOMS. DOMS isn't necessary for hypertrophy.
b) DOMS is not caused by lactic acid, it's microtears in muscle fiber.
c) The more eccentric contraction → DOMS. le. the more time you spend SLOWLY LOWERING, the more muscle soreness you get.
I'll add:
d) There's a certain element of sucking it up unless extremely sore. I don't think deloading a bit is equal to failure if it means forming a habit. Listen to your body.
...and congrats on trying it out! I know it's been a sort of nemesis for you.
Thanks for the link. I always like having a good understanding of exactly what's happening.
Very good info1 -
Working2BLean wrote: »I have helped a few people train.
For new people to lifting I would say not to lift for a few days and let your muscles recover. Lifting tears them down. You need sleep to let them rebuild and adequate calories, not a big bump.
There is a form of exercise called "recovery cardio". It is basically very low grade cardio to get your blood pumping into the sore muscles to replenish them and ease soreness. You can google it and find lots of good information.
Congrats on starting lifting! But I would caution on thinking you need to go all hard core at first. It is easier to let your body recover fully and then work out again than injure yourself and go thru all that recovery time
After I did my 100K bike race I took 2 days totally off and two days of recovery rides. I'm used to lots of intense workouts. I have an Olympic Tri coming up soon. But I always take my recovery time to let my muscles and joints rest and repair.
If it hurts, listen to it!
Congrats again on your adding lifting! Best wishes on reaching your goals!
I would definitely rest if I thought the pain was more than my lazy muscles rebelling. Lol
Since I don't feel like there's an injury, I pushed through and I'm actually glad I did. I'm sure I'll be in bad shape again tomorrow once this stiffness sets in again tonight, but I'm sure there's no injury beyond what's to be expected from working my lazy self.
My gym partner mentioned that she likes to go for a bike ride on off days. Nothing major but she did say it makes the soreness feel better. I worked on my feet the whole next day, so I'm sure that was better than sitting all day. I actually did quite a lot of walking around with the project I was working on.2 -
5x5 is great, I love it! I find that working out sore muscles actually helps!1
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Good to see you made it through day 2!1
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What a great thread!
All the success stories make this an awesome group!
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The way to get over the soreness is to re-frame it. I was a gym rat for years, even though I don't look much like it now. I learned to love the pain. Pain-progress. When the pain from working out didn't happen, I would push harder the next day to make sure I was actually doing something beneficial. Even today I love that feeling of muscle soreness that comes with exertion.1
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The way to get over the soreness is to re-frame it. I was a gym rat for years, even though I don't look much like it now. I learned to love the pain. Pain-progress. When the pain from working out didn't happen, I would push harder the next day to make sure I was actually doing something beneficial. Even today I love that feeling of muscle soreness that comes with exertion.
I get that. I do love feeling it because I know I worked myself hard. I just didn't know how to best deal with it so I could get through another day.
Feeling ok tonight. Bought some Epsom salt for a bath tonight.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
I get that. I do love feeling it because I know I worked myself hard. I just didn't know how to best deal with it so I could get through another day.
Feeling ok tonight. Bought some Epsom salt for a bath tonight.
It gets better I promise! I knew thought I would enjoy strength training so much but I do! It makes me feel strong and accomplished . A mini She-Ra (lol) I wonder if anyone remembers her? 2 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
I get that. I do love feeling it because I know I worked myself hard. I just didn't know how to best deal with it so I could get through another day.
Feeling ok tonight. Bought some Epsom salt for a bath tonight.
It gets better I promise! I knew thought I would enjoy strength training so much but I do! It makes me feel strong and accomplished . A mini She-Ra (lol) I wonder if anyone remembers her?
That's what I'm hoping for. If anything will be motivating enough to hold my interest it will be this!1 -
@Sunny_Bunny_ how was the second session?
I used to like workout A better than B but I'm progressing more in workout B so I like it better now lol0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
I get that. I do love feeling it because I know I worked myself hard. I just didn't know how to best deal with it so I could get through another day.
Feeling ok tonight. Bought some Epsom salt for a bath tonight.
It gets better I promise! I knew thought I would enjoy strength training so much but I do! It makes me feel strong and accomplished . A mini She-Ra (lol) I wonder if anyone remembers her?
Wasn't She-Ra basically He-Man's boobied counterpart?2 -
samanthaluangphixay wrote: »@Sunny_Bunny_ how was the second session?
I used to like workout A better than B but I'm progressing more in workout B so I like it better now lol
It went well. I was able to go up to 50lb on the squats and complete the deadlift with a few lower weight warmups too. But I couldn't do the 45lb OH press. I could only do like 2! Lol
There was a small bar with weights attached that I used instead for only 20lbs, which was actually too easy. But I'll use their 30lb one next time. There isn't an option between 30 and the 45lb empty bar, so that's likely to be a tough transition.3 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »samanthaluangphixay wrote: »@Sunny_Bunny_ how was the second session?
I used to like workout A better than B but I'm progressing more in workout B so I like it better now lol
It went well. I was able to go up to 50lb on the squats and complete the deadlift with a few lower weight warmups too. But I couldn't do the 45lb OH press. I could only do like 2! Lol
There was a small bar with weights attached that I used instead for only 20lbs, which was actually too easy. But I'll use their 30lb one next time. There isn't an option between 30 and the 45lb empty bar, so that's likely to be a tough transition.
Yeah, OHP is hard - I find that one people struggle with the most, especially women because we are generally stronger in our lower bodies. Also, the muscles involved in the OHP are much smaller than the ones involved in deadlifts and squats so that also makes it hard to progress.
I've had to deload and work my way back up - and actually change from 5x5 to 3x5. I am looking into getting fractional weights so the increase is only a pound or two rather than the five pound jump.1 -
Switching to overhead dumbbell pressing could help get you through the gap between 30 and 45. I'm actually going to start rocking these again soon, using a swing to get the dumbbells to the shoulders, since odds are that you can always press more than you can curl.0
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My gym is limited in options for a lower weight for me on that one. There isn't a rack that I can pull the bar from either so I pick it up from the floor to start. But, that's not really an issue since that weight is so low.
I don't know how I would be able to get heavy dumbells to my shoulders to start.
The smaller bars like the 20lb i used are fixed weights...0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My gym is limited in options for a lower weight for me on that one. There isn't a rack that I can pull the bar from either so I pick it up from the floor to start. But, that's not really an issue since that weight is so low.
I don't know how I would be able to get heavy dumbells to my shoulders to start.
The smaller bars like the 20lb i used are fixed weights...
You get them up by literally swinging them forward and up, and moving yourself underneath while they are aloft to catch them on your shoulders, or clean them up, a la Saxon:
"The muscles called into play are practically the same here as in the one-handed snatch, but the bell must be placed on and between the feet as shown in illustration. Keep the head down, then, with a perfectly straight arm, pull up, using a combination of muscular efforts and concentration as described in the snatch lift. Lean back and watch the dumb-bell with your eyes, and when it is at a suitable height suddenly dip beneath same and twist your wrist violently, so that you may place a straight arm beneath the bell."
ETA: for reference http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/strongman-profile-arthur-saxon-teaches-us-the-dumbbell-swing0 -
Edit: Nevermind. Gallowmere has it. My phone is stupid slow.0
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »My gym is limited in options for a lower weight for me on that one. There isn't a rack that I can pull the bar from either so I pick it up from the floor to start. But, that's not really an issue since that weight is so low.
I don't know how I would be able to get heavy dumbells to my shoulders to start.
The smaller bars like the 20lb i used are fixed weights...
You get them up by literally swinging them forward and up, and moving yourself underneath while they are aloft to catch them on your shoulders, or clean them up, a la Saxon:
"The muscles called into play are practically the same here as in the one-handed snatch, but the bell must be placed on and between the feet as shown in illustration. Keep the head down, then, with a perfectly straight arm, pull up, using a combination of muscular efforts and concentration as described in the snatch lift. Lean back and watch the dumb-bell with your eyes, and when it is at a suitable height suddenly dip beneath same and twist your wrist violently, so that you may place a straight arm beneath the bell."
ETA: for reference http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/strongman-profile-arthur-saxon-teaches-us-the-dumbbell-swing
So, you just do that with both bells at the same time then right? Idk about that. Lol
I'm not super graceful0 -
samanthaluangphixay wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »samanthaluangphixay wrote: »@Sunny_Bunny_ how was the second session?
I used to like workout A better than B but I'm progressing more in workout B so I like it better now lol
It went well. I was able to go up to 50lb on the squats and complete the deadlift with a few lower weight warmups too. But I couldn't do the 45lb OH press. I could only do like 2! Lol
There was a small bar with weights attached that I used instead for only 20lbs, which was actually too easy. But I'll use their 30lb one next time. There isn't an option between 30 and the 45lb empty bar, so that's likely to be a tough transition.
Yeah, OHP is hard - I find that one people struggle with the most, especially women because we are generally stronger in our lower bodies. Also, the muscles involved in the OHP are much smaller than the ones involved in deadlifts and squats so that also makes it hard to progress.
I've had to deload and work my way back up - and actually change from 5x5 to 3x5. I am looking into getting fractional weights so the increase is only a pound or two rather than the five pound jump.
Maybe 3x5 will be possible once I get past 30lb.
Then just work up from there...0 -
Shadowmf023 wrote: »I usually work through it. Just warm up properly (and I mean PROPERLY, like a good while longer than usual) before you start. It's only the first week or two usually.
Not for me. I get sore every single time I work out.0 -
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
I get that. I do love feeling it because I know I worked myself hard. I just didn't know how to best deal with it so I could get through another day.
Feeling ok tonight. Bought some Epsom salt for a bath tonight.
It gets better I promise! I knew thought I would enjoy strength training so much but I do! It makes me feel strong and accomplished . A mini She-Ra (lol) I wonder if anyone remembers her?
Wasn't She-Ra basically He-Man's boobied counterpart?
You are indeed correct sir!0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
I get that. I do love feeling it because I know I worked myself hard. I just didn't know how to best deal with it so I could get through another day.
Feeling ok tonight. Bought some Epsom salt for a bath tonight.
It gets better I promise! I knew thought I would enjoy strength training so much but I do! It makes me feel strong and accomplished . A mini She-Ra (lol) I wonder if anyone remembers her?
Wasn't She-Ra basically He-Man's boobied counterpart?
yes she's my hero lol0 -
The soreness is much more manageable this week.
Even though I missed my 3rd workout last week because my gym buddy was possibly getting sick and had a big job interview that afternoon.
Since she has hereditary angio edema, I didn't give her a hard time about it. Terrible disease! Anyway, I didn't feel comfortable enough to go it alone so I made sure I worked on projects around the house that day that kept me busy, like painting all of my doors. Which I couldn't finish in one day...
so the soreness from last Tuesday was completely healed by the time we went again on Sunday. We were still able to increase weight, so I guess that's good.
I'm sure I will get more comfortable going alone at some point and I will need to since she does have unpredictable random episodes of flare ups.
Anyway, it's only week 2 but I'm actually looking forward to going tomorrow, which is a unique feeling where exercise is concerned for me. 5 -
love it! Great job!1
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Sounds like you may have found your exercise bug. Congrats. and continue all the wonderful work.2
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