Strength training...pain?

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nero82
nero82 Posts: 27
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone,

Was wondering if someone could point me to some good information on strength training.

I went to the gym with my brother on the weekend, and it was fine, didn't really have 2 much trouble. However...the day after... I was pretty much crippled. And the day after that, and today its better but I am still not sure if I will be able to do my cardio. The problem is I NEED to be able to do my cardio. I have to keep my blood pressure down, not to mention the fact that I like having the extra calories to work with in my diet. So I am struggling with the idea of what to do with strength training. I am not aiming to bulk up really, just want to do a bit of work and get a bit toned.

So is it possible to start with lower weights and ramp it up so I'm not crippled for three days after I do weights? I know the old "no pain no gain" thing, but I'm not really sure I believe that, and in any case, I really can't afford not to do my cardio just because I've done some weights. My other thought was lowering the weight just for my leg workouts. At least if they are functional I will still be able to use the elliptical...

Thanks everyone :)

Replies

  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    When I strength train I'm usually sore the next day and a little bit sore the day after that. You may want to try lowering your weights for now and when you build some muscle strength you can slowly raise them. You might not need to lower the weight that much, 5-10 lbs is probably enough. While it's true that it's normal to have some pain after lifing, you don't want to injure yourself. Also I like to stretch the muscles I worked right after, I find I'm less sore after if I do.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    Some things to try (I'm sure more informed folks will add/modify this):

    1. Warm up a lot before you lift
    2. Lighten the weights a bit
    3. Get your protein in early and often (!! don't underestimate how much this can help)
    4. Stretch after
    5. Take a bath with epsom salts

    And also if it's your first time, you're bound to be a lot extra-sore just from the overall shock and awe to your body. This isn't necessarily going to be the way it always feels..check out threads on various programs, like Insanity, 30 Day Shred, P90X etc and you will see that the first workout is always a real killer.

    Oh AND also lol..give your cardio a try even though you're in pain, you might feel a lot better after your muscles get warm and oxygenated.
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    ^^This.. and besides, do the cardio anyway.. it'll help, you'll see.. it'll loosen those sore muscles up and get the blood flowing to get some of that lactate out of there. I always feel better after cardio after a hard weight day.
  • seph_house
    seph_house Posts: 101 Member
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    doing any new exercise for the first time, if you push yourself a reasonable amount, will make you ache the next day. the good news is that if you keep doing it, the intensity and length of that ache will reduce quite quickly. if it keeps on aching for three days after a couple of weeks of doing a given exercise then you are probably pushing yourself a bit hard and need to back off a bit.

    for example, when i started up with NROL4W at the beginning of the year, i was only working twice a week in the first week 'cause it took me three days to stop walking funny after a session :) by the second week i was happy to do three sessions in the week. by the third week i was achy the next day but not anything that would stop me.
    besides, i always found that even when aching the worst then a session on the elliptical is really good for easing the pain and loosening everything up (usually my glutes or quads that go because i push them quite hard and then sit in a nice supportive office chair all the next day & seize up, oops:). If your cardio of choice is running though i might answer different, i always find that really difficult when i'm aching.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
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    "No pain, no gain" is bs.

    I know pain/soreness is perceived differently to different people, but pain is usually an indicator that something went wrong. Also, rest and recovery is just as important as excersize.

    That said, sofaking6 gave great advice. Try it, you may feel better.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    Also, try a bath in epsom salts after the workout. You'll be surprised how much this lessens the muscle soreness.

    Start with lower weights though. You WILL be sore but not as much.
  • nero82
    nero82 Posts: 27
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    Good advice, thankyou everyone :)

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