Just started weight training...

michellepearson224
michellepearson224 Posts: 72 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
....and worried I'm not doing it right. How much should it hurt the next day? I can feel I've done something, but I'm not sore. Obviously I haven't started very heavy, and I'm focusing on upper body as all the cardio I do is focused on my legs (running and spinning). Any tips for a beginner please?

Replies

  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    What program are you using? Soreness is not always an indication that the workout is effective. And if you're brand new to weightlifting, it's a good idea to take it easy and light at first while nailing down your form.
  • raeowens6164
    raeowens6164 Posts: 3 Member
    I just started strength training a little less than a year ago. I was very intimidated and shy in the weight room. I started asking others about form or how to do a certain exercise. They were not as scary as I thought they would be, lol. Also, they directed me to Bodybuilding.com. They have free programs for beginners and a database of exercises with videos to show you how to do them. This is helping me a lot.
  • irtrail
    irtrail Posts: 18 Member
    Here's my take on your question:

    There are several work out programs that give you a scheduled routine. I have the Kris Gethin 12 week hard core trainer and it has an associated app which has videos on the exercises. They give some good pointers and proper method to help with technique. I would try something like this or throw down the funds for an hour with a personal trainer. However, the trainers can vary widely with respect to knowledge area, experience and such, so research them to get your best value.

    As for soreness, there is a wealth of information and blatant lamentation about DOMS on the internet. Read up. Also, know that your first time hitting weights after an extended absence will have some mild to severe soreness. If it feels more than sore and painful, stop those motions and see a doctor. Then, break back in slowly and do A LOT of flexibility and range of motion exercises. Again, Google is your friend.

    All in all, be careful. Work on form, flexibility, and technique. Don't injure yourself.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Are you following a program? I would suggest following a beginner strength program and focus on full body compound lifts. You should not exclude lower body.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    I've been lifting for over 2 years and I still get crazy DOMS. But lack of them does not mean you didn't try/aren't doing it right.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited January 2017
    michellepearson224 wrote: »
    How much should it hurt the next day?

    that's kind of a 'how high is up' type of question. anything sharp or localised . . . that might be an actual thing.
    when i first met with lunges and squats, i think it took three weeks before i even felt like i'd got to where i felt like 50% of it had gone away. i kept biking up a horrendous hill the whole time i had the doms though.

    for upper body, i was terrified the first day after i did the overhead press. i really thought i had damaged something; it hit all kinds of tiny muscles around and under my collarbone that scared the *kitten* out of me. and there's these ones in your neck called the scalenes . . . oy.

    tenderness can be really extreme, i guess is my best answer. it's just a sign that you probably overdid your first try a little. but as far as knowing if you did it 'wrong' . . . it really is hard to tell without specific knowledge of what you did and where you hurt now. any muscle you use all of a sudden is going to react strongly at first, but knowing whether you used bad form or not is more a matter of getting familiar enough to have a sense of which muscles SHOULD show that tenderness, depending on the lift you just did. my press was probably bad in the sense that i shouldn't have been stressing my scaleneds and subclavius in the first place. and the quad doms meant i had no idea at that point about sharing the work with my hamstrings and glutes.
  • michellepearson224
    michellepearson224 Posts: 72 Member
    Thanks everyone, I'm just doing a basic programme that the fitness instructor in the gym set for me. Then in 6 weeks I go back to him and he gives me something more challenging. He showed me form etc, and there are always instructors around the gym to ask. I may try a little more weight today, some of the exercises don't feel challenging enough.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    michellepearson224 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone, I'm just doing a basic programme that the fitness instructor in the gym set for me. Then in 6 weeks I go back to him and he gives me something more challenging. He showed me form etc, and there are always instructors around the gym to ask. I may try a little more weight today, some of the exercises don't feel challenging enough.

    I suggest raising your weight slowly and methodically. You'll get to the point where you are challenged soon enough. If your current weight on an exercise was completed, both reps and sets, increase that weight 5 pounds next time. Continue each time to failure, attempt that weight again the next time after failure and, if failure again, decrease and start again. Then in six weeks when you meet with your instructor, your progress can be monitored and your program adjusted accordingly.
  • michellepearson224
    michellepearson224 Posts: 72 Member
    Thankyou I have started doing exactly that as I didn't feel challenged enough. Tonight the last few reps were a real struggle but I did them! Good to know I'm doing something right
  • danielleschuhmann
    danielleschuhmann Posts: 9 Member
    Is there any strength training workouts on Youtube.com that are really good? I workout with hand weights at home.

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