Doing too much at the gym?

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Replies

  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    I get DOMS often. Some people get them more. For recovery adequate protein, at least eating maintenance, and sleep help me the most. Still have them at times but not as bad.

    Now I do agree that a change in programming may help. I like others do not tolerate full body workouts well. I do love an upper/lower split. If your new to lifting I do recommend one of the beginner programs from the link above. They all work well and they are made with recovery in mind.
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
    One way following a program could help is that you would probably do the same exercises week after week. If you keep doing new exercises every workout that could absolutely cause more DOMS. Not saying you should only do the same few exercises every time, but keeping a handful of exercises that you do for the heaviest lifts can be a good idea. Also I find I get more sore if I do heavier reps or many sets per muscle group, so keeping it to at most 12 reps for 6-9 sets (3 sets per exercise for 3 exercises) could be worth trying to see if it works :)
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    I would suggest getting a program going. Strong lifts is a popular one.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    To cut down on soreness (without supplements) you might want to stick to a program like others have mentioned (main point really is sticking to exercises you perform regularly to gauge progress/progressive overload and adapt to soreness). Upping training frequency slowly will also help adapting to DOMS. Agreed with others about recovery/sleep optimization too
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    To cut down on soreness (without supplements) you might want to stick to a program like others have mentioned (main point really is sticking to exercises you perform regularly to gauge progress/progressive overload and adapt to soreness). Upping training frequency slowly will also help adapting to DOMS. Agreed with others about recovery/sleep optimization too

    Eh another 1 for a structured program. I guess I'm not just some *kitten* hole throwing poor advice out there. What are the odds. It's almost like in my 3+ years of lifting I actually learned some valuable information.

    Your body adapts to stimulus resulting in less soreness. If there's a constant change of stimulus how is it supposed to adapt?
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    edited April 2018
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    To cut down on soreness (without supplements) you might want to stick to a program like others have mentioned (main point really is sticking to exercises you perform regularly to gauge progress/progressive overload and adapt to soreness). Upping training frequency slowly will also help adapting to DOMS. Agreed with others about recovery/sleep optimization too

    This. I found that stretching and foam rolling after my workout helps, too, and I find that moving around - just walking - really helps. Seems like staying still really ups the DOMs ante for me.
  • jamesakrobinson
    jamesakrobinson Posts: 2,149 Member
    Maxxitt wrote: »
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    To cut down on soreness (without supplements) you might want to stick to a program like others have mentioned (main point really is sticking to exercises you perform regularly to gauge progress/progressive overload and adapt to soreness). Upping training frequency slowly will also help adapting to DOMS. Agreed with others about recovery/sleep optimization too

    This. I found that stretching and foam rolling after my workout helps, too, and I find that moving around - just walking - really helps. Seems like staying still really ups the DOMs ante for me.

    I will second that... I fell asleep for a nap on the couch while channel surfing and woke up with all the DOMS that I thought had finished the previous day. Perfectly fine in the morning and while I was out walking to do my errands, then I fell asleep for about an hour and woke up with stiff legs, traps, and lower back.
    It took walking to the gym and hitting an arm day for it all to loosen back up.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Get on a program. I've done trainers programs and unless they're a certified coach with lifters who compete, they're garbage. And most of what I see people do in the gym on their own, is garbage.

    I'm not trying to make you feel bad. But there's a reason why people who are successful are successful. They run established programs.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    jamesakrobinson wrote: »
    Maxxitt wrote: »
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    To cut down on soreness (without supplements) you might want to stick to a program like others have mentioned (main point really is sticking to exercises you perform regularly to gauge progress/progressive overload and adapt to soreness). Upping training frequency slowly will also help adapting to DOMS. Agreed with others about recovery/sleep optimization too

    This. I found that stretching and foam rolling after my workout helps, too, and I find that moving around - just walking - really helps. Seems like staying still really ups the DOMs ante for me.

    I will second that... I fell asleep for a nap on the couch while channel surfing and woke up with all the DOMS that I thought had finished the previous day. Perfectly fine in the morning and while I was out walking to do my errands, then I fell asleep for about an hour and woke up with stiff legs, traps, and lower back.
    It took walking to the gym and hitting an arm day for it all to loosen back up.

    Hah, leg day followed by laying on the couch the rest of the day is a sure fire way to not be able to walk the next day...always some light cardio after
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Get on a program. I've done trainers programs and unless they're a certified coach with lifters who compete, they're garbage. And most of what I see people do in the gym on their own, is garbage.

    I'm not trying to make you feel bad. But there's a reason why people who are successful are successful. They run established programs.

    I both agree and disagree. I definitely think you should have an experienced trainer, but not all trainers will take on competitors as that is a specialization quite different from the general "I just want to get healthy" population. Also, it is quite easy to get certified without really having that much knowledge these days (trust me, I have taken some certification courses that were ridiculously simple).

    I would, however, agree that going with a good trainer who knows how to set up a program and who actually asks you for feedback is very important. And the trainer should also have some success stories to back up their knowledge.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    andreaen wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Get on a program. I've done trainers programs and unless they're a certified coach with lifters who compete, they're garbage. And most of what I see people do in the gym on their own, is garbage.

    I'm not trying to make you feel bad. But there's a reason why people who are successful are successful. They run established programs.

    I both agree and disagree. I definitely think you should have an experienced trainer, but not all trainers will take on competitors as that is a specialization quite different from the general "I just want to get healthy" population. Also, it is quite easy to get certified without really having that much knowledge these days (trust me, I have taken some certification courses that were ridiculously simple).

    I would, however, agree that going with a good trainer who knows how to set up a program and who actually asks you for feedback is very important. And the trainer should also have some success stories to back up their knowledge.

    I may have wrote that very late at night. Garbage is a strong word. The average train does not really know how to program though. I had a trainer who made a decent program for me while I was a beginner. Really after a few months I needed at least a cookie cutter program written by a coach/elite lifter.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    fitdadclay wrote: »
    I believe your carbs are to high at 50% if you are looking to gain weight and muscle. Carbs are going to make you tired believe me I know I have a 1-1/2 year old.
    I work 12hr days and sleep maybe 5-7 hours.
    But I currently switched my carbs down to 27-30% and have almost endless energy. It’s not Keto but your body will start to use fats for energy not just carbs.
    Hope that helps also I agree with the BCAAs for having pain after lifting

    That is very individual. I have a 2 yr old and a 4 month old, have a similar work schedule and sleep schedule. When I cut, I have carbs at 50% because they satiety me and give me energy. And the more I cut carbs, the more tired and lethargic I get.
  • peadarcurran666
    peadarcurran666 Posts: 1 Member
    Great that you are making the effort to achieve your goals. MyFitnessPal is brilliant and has helped me lose 16lbs. Since january. Keep motivated and keep pushing forward. I think the trick is 'small steps' .. try to do to much to soon and it tends to be short lived. DOMS - (Delayed onset muscle soreness) tends to be as a result of overload - i.e. doing more than your body is used to. This could be caused by any of the FITT components. (Frequency of Workouts, Intensity of Workouts, Time spent doing workouts, or Type of Workouts). Normally if we resume an exercise we havent done in some time we can expect this the first few times we do it but then our bodies should adapt to this new exercise. If you are continually having DOMS you are overloading your body beyond the point it can recover and adapt. Bodybuilding is best done by different body parts on different days to allow recovery in between. Workouts should be progressive and structured and allow for small incremental increases in the FITT components. I would suggest you take a recovery week, reduce intensity/duration for a few days, allow your body to adapt. Then start a more structured and progressive plan. It will all come together and you will reach your goal and it will be sustainable.
    On the diet aspect - I'm not a professional but I would assume if you are trying to bulk and increase muscle mass through heavy weight training that 25% Protein is too low and should be maybe between 30-40%??

    Look forward to hearing how you get on and keep up the great effort.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    fitdadclay wrote: »
    I believe your carbs are to high at 50% if you are looking to gain weight and muscle. Carbs are going to make you tired believe me I know I have a 1-1/2 year old.
    I work 12hr days and sleep maybe 5-7 hours.
    But I currently switched my carbs down to 27-30% and have almost endless energy. It’s not Keto but your body will start to use fats for energy not just carbs.
    Hope that helps also I agree with the BCAAs for having pain after lifting

    that is what works for you. I eat a lot of carbs and it helps me with my energy. If one does lower carb then they need to either up fat or protein. and for me I cant do high fat due to a health issue.fat doesnt cause me to have more energy it has the opposite effect on me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    - Structured program
    - try to get more sleep
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