Heavy Lifters both Men and Women Question?

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Pearl0105
Pearl0105 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started heavy lifiting two weeks ago and now all my muscles hurt! Right now I am typing this and my biceps are feeling it. I have a PT so he makes sure my form is correct and I am not overdoing it but I am so eager that I keep pushing myself (I am totally enjoying lifting). I alternate between the lower body Mon and Wed and upper body Tues and Thurs..... Now my question is should I continue lifting through my sore muscles or give them a break? HELP!!!

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  • karensoxfan
    karensoxfan Posts: 902 Member
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    I'm lifting according to New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLFW), and never lift 2 days in a row to give muscles a chance to recover. It includes a lot of full-body moves though, but if you're alternating upper & lower body, maybe only lift every other day?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    If your alternating, are you still sore 2 days later?? This is a question I'd ask your trainer. I don't lift if I'm sore. May do some light cardio. I lift every other day with a cardio or rest day in between.
  • Pearl0105
    Pearl0105 Posts: 35 Member
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    I was thinking about one day rest completely from lifting but I was wondering if that will be effective since am working out different muscle groups each day.....
  • Pearl0105
    Pearl0105 Posts: 35 Member
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    If your alternating, are you still sore 2 days later?? This is a question I'd ask your trainer. I don't lift if I'm sore. May do some light cardio. I lift every other day with a cardio or rest day in between.

    I asked him but he stated it was normal... I just wanted to see what others were doing..... He did state I could take a rest day but I am really having fun excluding the soreness......(Does that make sense :happy: )Plus Sunday it my total rest day
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Do you use the weekend as rest days? I do. Also, the soreness/ stiffness may mean you are overtraining or it may mean your body is just adapting to the initial workload. What does your trainer say?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    If your alternating, are you still sore 2 days later?? This is a question I'd ask your trainer. I don't lift if I'm sore. May do some light cardio. I lift every other day with a cardio or rest day in between.

    I asked him but he stated it was normal... I just wanted to see what others were doing..... He did state I could take a rest day but I am really having fun excluding the soreness......(Does that make sense :happy: )Plus Sunday it my total rest day

    If you believe he's the right trainer for you, I'd follow his advice. If your having fun and it's not wearing you out, I'd push through it.
  • FlyeredUp
    FlyeredUp Posts: 663 Member
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    Assuming your PT. knows what they are talking about, continue to lift. But you should also take vitamin C pills to help with the sorness. Nothing beats vitamin C at helping repair those sore muscles.
  • VMarkV
    VMarkV Posts: 522 Member
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    DO NOT TRAIN TO FAILURE...just do heavy weights, low reps (specifically, less than 5 reps/set), and more sets. It's perfectly fine not to feel spent after a heavy set
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Foam rolling really helps me... And I lift when I'm sore still... I would say if you are sore the second week after a new routine it is a bit weird, usually I'm only really sore when I try something new
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    Beginners are able to recover (and achieve gains) more rapidly than experienced lifters. If you're currently working one muscle group on alternating days I think that's enough recovery. As time goes and you approach your genetic potential, you'll probably find that you need more recovery time. So long as you can lift thru the soreness (and yes, do dynamic stretching and foam rolling to help), you should be fine.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    I lift every other day and usually the soreness doesn't kick in until 24-48 hours for me. but then again this isn't debilitating soreness, just a faint one. Therefore, I lift sore. I am doing NROL4W and the workouts use slightly different muscles so I think in my case it is okay.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    You need to give yourself a break. I only lift 3x per week (MWF) and target different muscle groups each time.

    Your body needs time to heal the muscle after you've stressed it.

    Light cardio will help take the edge off the soreness also.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    I started heavy lifiting two weeks ago and now all my muscles hurt! Right now I am typing this and my biceps are feeling it. I have a PT so he makes sure my form is correct and I am not overdoing it but I am so eager that I keep pushing myself (I am totally enjoying lifting). I alternate between the lower body Mon and Wed and upper body Tues and Thurs..... Now my question is should I continue lifting through my sore muscles or give them a break? HELP!!!

    What are you doing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? If you're still sore when it is time to work that muscle group again, you need to give it a rest. I would recommend splitting it up further if you are that sore so that the individual muscles get more rest, or maybe changing it to Monday and Thursday for lower body, Tuesday and Friday for upper body, Cardio only (with Cardio following the workouts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) and Flexibility on Saturday, and Total body rest on Wednesday and Sunday.
  • tigeratty
    tigeratty Posts: 75 Member
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    Two things really help with with the soreness: (1) foam roller at the end of my workout on the parts I have exercised; (2) protein shake or protein heavy meal within an hour of lifting.

    I'm 45 and these have helped immensely with the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

    You should be ok on your current schedules with the splits as you have a day of rest in between workouts on the same areas of your body.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Extreme soreness is very common the first couple weeks, and probably due mostly to DOMS. It should get better pretty quickly after that.
  • bigaggie06
    bigaggie06 Posts: 10
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    Get New Rules For Lifting (Or Womens NRFL) they are really good books with a lot of good info. One of the things they point out is that you do not build muscle if you are working them; you only build muscle while you rest which is why it is important never to lift more than 2 days in a row.
  • Pearl0105
    Pearl0105 Posts: 35 Member
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    THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR VALUABLE ANSWERS! Vitamin C I will take and change schedule to Mon and Thurs lower then Tues and Fri upper. I was doing cardio Fri and sat. I will switch that Wed and Sat.....I will definately try more stretching.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    DO NOT TRAIN TO FAILURE...just do heavy weights, low reps (specifically, less than 5 reps/set), and more sets. It's perfectly fine not to feel spent after a heavy set
    I agree with this. Also I would hate to be underneath a heavy bar when my arms completely fail. If you are lifting really heavy, it's always going to be 'hard' without having to completely destroy your muscles first. As for soreness, if it prevents you from going back, then it might be too much. It's not about how much you can do all at once, but the result of working intensely and consistently over a long period of time.

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