Older members, Do you have more soreness from working out?

In My Humble Opinion
1
  • Yes - I’m older and soreness from exercise is a problem
  • No - I’m older rarely get sore
  • NA - I’m younger and want to vote

0 voters

I’ve exercised more this summer. Primarily with a 8lb weight bar and several dumb bells. Nothing over 10lbs. I do three reps of twenty for each exercise.

I bought a exercise bike that includes arm exercises. Similar to this one. It works the arm, legs, and core muscles. I’m up to level 7 for 30 mins. It goes up to level 20.
https://www.fitnesszone.com/product/physiostep-lxt-recumbent-linear-cross-trainer-demo.html

The trouble is, I’m always sore afterwards. I’m used to getting sore if I add more reps or weight. Soreness always went away after a few days. I got used to the exercises.

Not anymore. I’ve been on the same level for weeks. Same arm exercises with dumb bells.

I also have to sleep after exercise. Can’t keep my eyes open. I usually sleep for at least an hour.

Is this just part of getting old? I see photos of seniors older than me. I’m not trying to get that ripped. I just want to stay strong and healthy.

Too be clear, I’m dealing with general soreness. Not specific pain. I’m not injured.

Does this old guy go home sore every day?

2

In between. My exercise is going for long slow walks, and, yes, they definitely make me more uncomfortable than they did 30 years ago…but not so bad that it is a “problem,” so I couldn’t vote for the first poll option.

(Means I’ve got a few more miles left!)

3

My soreness is more annoying than painful.

It’s like you over did some yard work and you feel it for several days.

I used to exercise and rarely felt it afterwards. Unless I got stupid and used heavy weights.

I sold my bench and weight set a few years ago.
I have a set of 2 to 10 lb Dumb bells that I use now. No more bench presses for me.

That machine I bought works the core. I definitely feel it afterwards.

4

How are you with hydration? I used to go a whole day sometimes without taking one drink of water (and I didn’t drink sodas or anything). When I got sore I felt like I wanted to die.

I’ve learned over the last 3 years that when I’m hydrated (Half my body weight in ounces of plain water), I feel good, I’m less sore, I feel less inflammation/bloating, fewer headaches, less grumpy…in short, it really makes a difference (for me). I work out with weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, etc) 5 days/week.

5

I hadn’t considered hydration. I’ll start drinking more water and see if that helps.

Coffee & tea is my main source of fluids. Usually with my meals.

I have some resistance bands. My physical therapist recommended some shoulder exercises a few years ago. Muscles help stabilize the shoulder. I had a roto cuff injury a few years ago. PT helped heal it.

6

I still have soreness from working out years ago.

7

The more I exercise (usually swimming or walking) the less sore I am. Things hurt when I get out of bed or I’ve been sitting for more than an hour.

8

I don’t necessarily get more sore, but recovery takes longer. At 55 I do cardio and resistance work on alternate days.

9

Well yeah. Duh. I go for a long walk now and my body is all achey. When I did it 40 years ago, I could wake up and do the same walk again. Who’d expect otherwise? I can still walk the legs off most folks in their 20s and I’m in good shape for my age. My guess is that when I’m 90 there will be far more payoff pains whenever I exercise, but that I’ll be in better shape than most 60 year olds. Cuz I like to walk.

10

No. But I have a trick.It is a dancer’s trick I learned a long time ago and it works pretty well. Whenever I do an unusual strenuous exercise that is likely to make me sore, I do this, and it cuts the soreness way down. Dissolve 1 heaping tablespoon of Jello (any flavor, they’re all bad) in approximately 8 oz of hot water and drink it right after the exercise. If I were to go do something really unusual like showshoeing or cross-country skiing I would take a thermos of hot water along and have a cup of Jello at some point during the activity, as well as at the end.
This is not medical advice…but I don’t see any way it could hurt. It’s worked for me for years.

11

As I get older, it’s not that I get more sore but that it takes longer for the soreness to go away.

12

That’s my problem too. My soreness isn’t any worse than 20 years ago. It just lasts for so much longer.

I exercise three days. Take a day off. Then three more days. I may have to cut back to two days of exercise, a day off then two days exercise.

I can always take walks on days that I don’t use the weights or exercise machine.

It takes some experimenting to see what works.

13

I get sore if I do unfamiliar stuff and it’s quite intense - currently have some arm pain because I worked with weights for the first time in a while. But as a general rule I just exercise differently now; more for general functional fitness and mobility, less heavy lifting, sprints and so on. I have friends who train very intensely and they often struggle to move normally the next day. That seems silly.

14

Another vote for this. DOMS used to resolve before my alternating day workout was due. Now it’s more like 2x that long. Almost 62.

15

I’m glad to hear other people are experiencing this problem.

I’m still discovering the changes in my body. Getting older is all new to me. :thinking:

I’m trying to stay as fit as possible. Before I get another 10 years older.

16

I’m 47, so not sure if I’m an older doper member, but I don’t get a higher level of soreness from working out than I did previously. It just lasts slightly longer, and is delayed for a day. Previously, I’d get a given level of sore for usually just a day the very next day. Nowadays, I usually am not sore at all the next day, but then 2 days from the workout I get sore for the rest of the week (if it is something that would have normally made me sore previously.)

17

Aches, twinges, and joints that go crack. Also a lack of energy and a complete disinterest in doing stuff.

Nothing wrong with my older member, though.

18

I’m a cyclist so workout does not generally mean shoving weights around, it’s endurance - and pressure is on the parts involved in breathing - intercostal muscles, etc.
Maintaining a particular level is no real issue - the problem comes when trying to improve or extend fitness and endurance, especially when coming back after a week off.

I find the day after a shortish ride of maybe just 40 miles I feel a bit sluggish, but no soreness, but the day after that then soreness can kick in - that happens if I took too many climbs too fast - its as if I can’t feel the soreness until later - makes it harder to work out the current limits and makes it easy to go to far into the limits.

If I go for a longer ride, say 80-100 miles it can take maybe 4-5 days to get over it - again I can’t feel the limits at the time well enough. If I dial it back it feels like I’m not pushing hard enough - but, recovery is much faster.

It also takes a lot longer to attain any improvement - coming back into the game after a number of years off - yet I see others of similar age who never took any time off anbd they are pretty much just as fast as they were.

My take on this is that you really can’t afford to take time off, maintaining ability is a lifelong committment and any long breaks are very difficult to come back from.

19

I have more soreness from sitting still in a comfy chair.:wink:

I don’t work out per se, but yeah, after a lengthy hike I’ll be sorer than usual.

20

No kidding.

I don’t actually “work out.” I do walk most days. But I’m creaky and sore when I get out of bed in the morning. As I get older (I’ll be 72 in November :scream: ) I feel more fragile. Not in terms of potential broken bones or anything, but just that I’m likely at any given time to feel aches and pains-- in my legs, in my back, headaches, sore neck-- and my stomach seems to get upset more easily. I have an alarm set on my Fitbit for 7:15 pm every day to remind me not to eat past that time. If I do, it could cause an upset stomach and interfere with sleep. Sleep is iffy anyway, and I have a hard time getting a decent night’s sleep (but that’s been true for many years). I just feel physically more creaky, shaky, less robust, and well, fragile. I don’t like it.