Weight lifting - soreness

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camckinney
camckinney Posts: 61 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I know there have been many posts regarding weight lifting and soreness. And I have searched these posts without finding my exact answer to my question. I introduced weight lifting into my routine a couple weeks ago. I found a great routine from bodybuilders.com that includes Upper body, cardio, rest, lower body, cardio, mid section, rest. I completed the upper body and as expected had soreness in muscles that I did not know existed but it was bearable. I made it to day 4, lower body. Stupidly enough I thought it would would be easier, but found that my thighs (top muscle) were unbearably sore. So much so that it hurt to walk. While waiting for the soreness to go away to bearable, I was pushing clothes (with my legs) down my stairs and pulled that same muscle (this does not normally happen). Therefore it has taken now 2 weeks to completely heal. So now I'm very nervous to start the process again.

So here are my questions:

1. Is the extreme pain normal for muscles that are not normally exercised?
2. Did I do something wrong?
3. Did I not stretch long enough?
4. The routines include a 20 min cardio after lifting. Should I not do that?

I eat a lot of protein, took pain reliever, and tried to drink more water.

Replies

  • Rajrand
    Rajrand Posts: 13
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    soreness is normal especially when you are new to weight training or even to cardio. Your body takes time to heal from all the micro tears that you create when you are working out and it takes time to repair. When i first started i was so sore in my legs that my condition was very similar to yours and was considering to see a doctor. I was working with a Trainer then so called him and he calmed down and asked to take a break for a day/or two and also take a hot water soak with Epsom salt. That hot water soak helped a lot and in two days i back in gym training. Since then i did feel soreness but i also saw myself recovering quicker and quicker. Now, 2 weeks is a long time so you can start by working on your pace and increase slowly as you gain more confidence. You can try walking after your strength instead of running and see how that feels.
  • xraylady33
    xraylady33 Posts: 222 Member
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    Delayed soreness-normal...be sure to repleinish with protien!
    Sorness more than a week, that is a little concerning, but if you have recovered then move forward. Do the reps and stop when you have exhausted the muscle to pain!

    DO NOT STRETCH BEFORE...5 min warm up on tredmill is fine, or jump rope etc.(several studies done on this)

    DO a warm down with stretches! Only about 2 minutes.

    Cardio post is an option if your fitness level will allow!

    LET YOUR BODY RECOVER...if you lift one day, or strength, the next day is rest or cardio.

    It takes time...allow yourself this luxury.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Soreness happens, but if you are just starting a program, you need to allow your body to adapt. I'd say your first mistake was trying to follow a bodybuilder type of routine. The amount of soreness you experienced is all the evidence you need that you did too much too soon. While some soreness is often unavoidable, what you are describing is NOT normal and should not be accepted as just "part of the process".

    If you have not been lifting, then your body will adapt and improve at relatively low intensities and low volumes of lifting. I mean 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps, not working to failure, but just enough so that you feel like you did something. That's all you need.

    Then just increase in baby steps. Pay attention to form. Leave each session feeling positive--and that you could have done a little more. It won't be long--2-3 weeks even--before you are ready to challenge yourself. And this time you won't be limping around for weeks afterwards.

    I am sure folks will post all sorts of remedies for dealing with soreness--some might useful, most won't. The best way to treat muscle soreness is not to induce it in the first place.
  • camckinney
    camckinney Posts: 61 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the encouragement and instruction. Glad to know this is NOT normal and that I over did it. It makes it seem much more achievable with your thoughts from not doing as many reps, to adding a stretch time after workout and to take my time, allow my body to heal and baby steps! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience and for taking time to answer my post.

    :) Tonight I'm going to do my Zumba and tomorrow I will do the mid section weight lifting reps. Looking forward to it now!
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
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    Soon you will learn to 'enjoy' your DOMS (or is it just me?).

    They will not be nearly as intense though because your body will have adapted. Also, up to a certain point, there is an inverse relationship between DOMS and the frequency with which you work a particular muscle. In my particular instance, if I work a muscle 2-3 times a week, the DOMS won't be bad at all. But if it has been a week or longer, there will definitely be some more soreness.
  • Coltsman4ever
    Coltsman4ever Posts: 602 Member
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    I look so forward to that soreness but I don't get it nearly as often anymore. I was smiling while I was reading your post because as I was reading, I knew EXACTLY what you were talking about. I've been working out regularly now for a few years and I don't get that soreness nearly as much as I used to. It gives you a sense of accomplishment when you're really sore. I still get sore but nothing like I did when I first started working out and I miss it. There were times I couldn't raise my arms for 3 days. I loved it!
    It's normal and if you're like me, there'll come a time when you miss it. Or maybe I'm just weird. ;-)
  • aj_rock
    aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
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    Wait, you said you 'pulled' a muscle. Is that what it is? There is a big difference between DOMS and PAIN. If you feel pain, get medical help, because you may have damaged something.

    If it is indeed DOMS to a large degree, try taking your workouts down a notch. Work yourself up to a point. Don't do too much at once or you risk injuring yourself.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Soon you will learn to 'enjoy' your DOMS (or is it just me?).

    They will not be nearly as intense though because your body will have adapted. Also, up to a certain point, there is an inverse relationship between DOMS and the frequency with which you work a particular muscle. In my particular instance, if I work a muscle 2-3 times a week, the DOMS won't be bad at all. But if it has been a week or longer, there will definitely be some more soreness.

    I enjoy mine :)
  • DeeJayTJ
    DeeJayTJ Posts: 355 Member
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    i could not figure out what the hell DOMS meant.

    thanks to urban dictionary -
    Short form for: Delayed Onset Of Muscle Soreness
  • alleyag
    alleyag Posts: 142
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    Soon you will learn to 'enjoy' your DOMS (or is it just me?).

    They will not be nearly as intense though because your body will have adapted. Also, up to a certain point, there is an inverse relationship between DOMS and the frequency with which you work a particular muscle. In my particular instance, if I work a muscle 2-3 times a week, the DOMS won't be bad at all. But if it has been a week or longer, there will definitely be some more soreness.

    I enjoy mine :)

    My legs are so sore right now its tough to sit in a chair without grabbing on for support. aND I Love every minute of it. Been lifting a while now but I give every workout my all. Don't get it as bad as I used to, but still love the feelings of doms when I get it! Stay motivated!
  • camckinney
    camckinney Posts: 61 Member
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    Well my arms....YES it felt good to be sore because I knew I actually worked my muscles. It was certainly bearable soreness and didn't feel wrong. But my legs, were intense and it was one particular part of my muscle group. There was regular soreness on other muscle parts that felt normal like my arms did. It lasted for at least a week, then I pulled that same muscle area when pushing clothes with my legs. It scared me that my muscle would pull so easily. I assume that it had just not healed completely and I had really over worked it. Thus the two weeks since I've done any major exercise other than walking (slowly, I might add) :)
  • keola64
    keola64 Posts: 207 Member
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    Use a rapid release protein supplement prior & immediately after an intense workout ,like whey isolate or something,the amino acids is what you need to help repair your muscle tissue rapidly,especially if your on a low cal diet a supplemental source of your your protein is best to avoid losing muscles mass along with your fat. Do some research on supplements,whey isolate is great,its clean protein and very useful & as close to natural without going overboard on supplements,read up on whey protein it is very highly recommend by numerous body building nutritionists.
  • keola64
    keola64 Posts: 207 Member
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    Oh by the way the DOMS subject I rarely get that feeling ,I do push my work outs till fail & yet rarely feel the pain a lot of it is do to the how often I exercise ( almost every day ) and the main acids I intake during & or after my workouts I've lost almost 100pounds and am down below 8% body fat I've only used whey isolate protein drinks as my only supplement,a mixed with a healthy diet and lots of water I rarely get hit with any post workout pain,more of a laziness lol. But my advice is get as lean as possible before building muscle mass it kind of a generally rule for people who want to lose weight and aquire lean muscle mass
  • leilani♥
    leilani♥ Posts: 579
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    I went on an intense hike on Sunday.. then ran a few miles on Monday so today I too have a little bit of pain in my legs. BUT I LOVE IT. LOL... As night fall creeps up on me my legs should be fully recovered cause it doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday. Then I'm off to ZUMBA :)

    Maybe you pulled a muscle while doing your legs? I don't think I ever hurt for 2 weeks straight. So I'd go see your doc if it continues.
  • Bankman1989
    Bankman1989 Posts: 1,116 Member
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    I AM ALWAYS, ALWAYS SORE! The more I work out the more sore I am going to be. Honestly I feel that if you are really trying to get into tip top shape you're going to be sore regardless of how experienced you are. I take _-Arginine to recover quicker but the pain isn't going away anytime soon. Embrace it and GO FOR IT!@!!
  • kurtybee
    kurtybee Posts: 17
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    1. Is the extreme pain normal for muscles that are not normally exercised?
    Yes pain is normal but extreme pain has me worring. You should be really sore but not to the point were you cannot function. U should go to a doctor and have them check your legs. You could have a torn muscle or circulatory problems.
    2. Did I do something wrong?
    You could have done too much too soon.
    3. Did I not stretch long enough?
    Stretching does help. I only stretch for about 5min after I work out.
    4. The routines include a 20 min cardio after lifting. Should I not do that?
    If that is what your program calls for then do it. I would turn the intensity down. People tend to over do it when working out. Remember to cool down.
  • ExFit
    ExFit Posts: 28
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    No Pain, No Game... Unless you get injured then you'll be screwed. But yea, soreness means its working!

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