First off, I am a cycle commuter who rides 5 miles round trip to work as often as I can (last two weeks, I only missed one day of 10). I’m pretty active and work on my feet walking, climbing ladders, carrying heavy things, bending, and all that jazz. I like to hike and run less often than I’d like, but I’m working my way back into it.
I’ve never been much into gyms and exercise though I’d like to be. I just can’t seem to find the self-motivation to exercise. Now I know I need to because of the activities I like to enjoy means that as I get older being fit is even more crucial.
So I joined a small gym and had a personal training session yesterday morning. Now we started out with a five minute warmup on the rowing machine and the rest was bodyweight exercises that alternated between lower body and upper body with some core and balance work interspersed. Now some exercises I struggled mightily with (pushups and balance), others were slightly easier, but still hard (backwards lunges with 5lb kettlebells overhead), while some I felt pretty confident about (squats). Needless to say, I worked hard, sweated a lot, kept my heartrate up, and at the end of it I was completely spent.
It was my day off, so I hung out at the lake after and swam a little bit, but took the rest of the day pretty easy. I was a little bit sore walking out of the gym: my car door felt heavier and the steps leading to my door were not fun. I felt ok for the rest of the day but became stiffer as the evening wore on. This morning I wake up and I can barely crawl out of bed. All day at work, I suffered and moaned, moving much slower than usual and wincing with every bend, ladder rung, and sit down. My glutes are screaming at me. My triceps are utterly useless and I can’t raise my hands all the way above my head. I can hardly lift things at eye level and I am walking like an old woman. I cannot support my own weight on my arms while sitting in bed. My lats are kinda sore, but the trapezius muscles are almost as bad as my glutes.
It was suggested I get some arnica gel. Tonight I soaked in a hot bath for awhile (last night I soaked for over an hour) and then had arnica rubbed over all my sore muscles. I can’t tell a difference, yet (hope it’s cumulative).
My questions are:
[ul]
[li]Is this level of ensuing pain normal? I expect it is and will go away the more I condition those muscles.[/li][li]How long should I expect it to last?[/li][li]How best to heal the muscles and reduce the pain, so I can feel closer to normal again? (I am hiking on Friday) and,[/li][li]How long should I take to rest the muscles before I go back and destroy myself with that routine again?[/li][/ul]
Someday, I hope this gets easier to do like running did (when I got addicted to those endorphines). It’s not too late to learn to want to work out, I hope.
Sounds a lot like normal ‘delayed onset muscle soreness’. Yes, it diminishes with practice. I hobbled around for a good week after starting any new workout. It starts 24-48 hours after working out; the second day after might even be worse than the first. You should exercise again after a day of rest and work through the stiffness.
If your pain starts during workout, is sharp and localised, that’s when you should start to worry. I am on my phone so I can’t link cites but any search for DOMS should help you out.
It depends on what you did, how hard you did it, and what kind of condition you’re in. Eccentric movements (under load while the muscle is lengthening) produce more soreness than concentric movements. So, running downhill could destroy someone’s legs for the next three days, but running uphill wouldn’t make them sore at all.
Cycling is a very specific movement pattern and so doesn’t use that many muscle groups. So you might have strong legs for cycling, but weak ones for running, and everything else is basically untrained. If you keep doing a more varied routine that works more muscles, you’ll have less soreness and will be in better overall shape.
The first day is bad, the second is worse. You should do light exercise and attempt to ignore residual soreness for better recovery starting from the second day. If you did nothing, you’d feel back to normal in about 5–7 days, less with active recovery. Assuming you don’t do more strenuous exercise and produce more soreness in the meantime.
Since you’re already past the first couple of hours post-workout, not a whole lot. Ice baths or contrast baths help speed recovery. Light massage can help too. There are some indications that NSAIDs (like aspirin and acetaminophen) and antioxidants can prevent your body from adapting to exercise. In other words, they blunt the feedback mechanisms that lead to your body to make changes to get stronger. Literally: no pain, no gain. That said, it’s probably okay to take an aspirin or two after overdoing it, as long as you’re not using it as a long-term strategy for recovery.
You could go back the next day, if you really wanted to. DOMS doesn’t seem to affect performance appreciably, it just makes moving very unpleasant.
You usually get some performance benefit from having a 24–48 hour recovery period following strenuous exercise. That doesn’t necessarily mean you do nothing. Active recovery could be light exercise and stretching during that day or two following, if you did a strenuous full-body workout (like in your case). With better planned or more periodized training, you could be working out nearly every day but have different levels of intensity and be working different muscles every time, thus giving your last set of completely bombed muscles time to recover.
No one is immune from soreness, but in general I’ve found that if I’ve been doing things right by getting varied exercise, including some heavy weight lifting and high intensity training, even max-load workouts or high-rep sessions don’t completely mess me up. I might have only a couple of sore spots, or light soreness following even very strenuous workouts.
But, if I take too long of a time off, I’ll get sore again for the first few sessions, and I could have some soreness following workouts for up to 2 weeks or more depending on how de-conditioned I got. I’m generally okay with a week or two, but take more time off than that and a normal workout will make me sore again. I had a nearly 6 week period where I couldn’t do more than some very occasional bodyweight calisthenics, and the first two weeks back sucked almost as much as starting from day one.
Yeah - what they said. Lotsa good info. Maybe you went at it a little hard the first time trying a bunch of new, but even when I was in really good shape, there would be workouts that kicked my butt like you describe. I also usually felt the second day after a tough workout was far worse than the first.
Forget the arnica gel. Just stay active - walk, bike as always. Stretch, hydrate, and eat well. Take a day off from the new workout and hit it again the next.
Also - realize that if you are feeling this sore, there’s a good chance you will feel similar should you ever take an extended break from this training - say for the flu, travel, etc. So be aware of what you are getting into.
When I went to my first personal training session I was that horribly sore, too. I couldn’t sit down to pee without holding onto the wall. I figured, I was paying him, so I asked him to go just a smidge lighter this past session. Then he went too light! So when I go see him today I’ll ask him to go a little heavier.
I don’t mind soreness, even strong soreness. But when it seriously impacts my ability to walk up and down stairs, or even go pee, I think that’s too much. I seriously felt like I did damage to my thighs and knees!
Just work with the trainer. Tell him what you’re feeling.
Oh, and nothing helped with the horrible, horrible soreness. Soreness isn’t even the word for it, really. It was really PAIN. Swimming made it a little better at least.
Tbf, a 5-mile round trip commute isn’t rerally going to prepare you for very much.
What the PT has been doing is introducing your main muscle groups to work - groups like tri and biceps, shoulders, lower back, quads, etc. Probably the main 8 groups.
As said above, the first time will kill you and the recovery will take days. The second will be immensely better and by the fourth you’ll wonder what the fuss was about - muscles respond really well once they wake up to the work.
Stretch a lot, drink infinite amounts of water and trust the pro.
Oh, and because of immodest age - recovery and age, don’t get me started - I also use whey powder to speed recovery (buy the powder, make the shake straight after a workout and drink immediately eg. right as you stop working).
I find it a Godsend in terms of feeding muscle at the right time (when your muscles are screaming for protein). Suggest you do your own research on whey powder.
Just to reinforce the above, no matter how in shape you are, when you do something new you are going to get sore. You did a whole boatload of new stuff all at once, very intensely. Allow 48 hours of rest before repeating. It’s OK to exercise if you’re still feeling sore. I have found that it even helps work through the soreness.
Ibuprofen will help with the pain, if it’s really that bad, but not much you can do to accelerate the recovery process.
The soreness tells you you’re building muscle mass (among other things). If you want to build strength and muscle mass, then learn to enjoy (or at least, appreciate) that feeling, because the more you feel it, the further you’re going toward your goal.
That said, you need to know the difference between how that “good pain” feels versus “bad pain”. As active as you are, I bet you have a good sense for it.
Good pain means you’re building strength. Bad pain means you injured something.
Good pain happens when you use the particular muscle. Bad pain is either persistent or is in the joints. With good pain, you can exercise through it (but don’t go nuts). With bad pain, you usually want to avoid what hurts (with lots of variations on that, depending on the nature of the injury. In any case you don’t want to make it hurt without good advice or experience as a guide.) The above isn’t nearly sufficient to describe the difference, but most of us have learned the specific sensation for good pain; it’s pretty easy to recognize.
My high school track coach believed in exercising every bit as hard on the 2nd day of practice, despite the pain. Some research shows that he might not be correct, but it’s not fatal. That 3rd day of exercise is definitely the worse, and things get better after that, with the same load of exercise.
Research from many years ago (too long ago to remember enough to cite) showed that if your goal is building raw peak strength and/or muscle bulk, most of the muscle growth occurred in a fairly small time window about 24 hours after the exercise, and improvement was fastest if you didn’t exercise that muscle at that time. So, for bulk/strength training, you want to alternate muscle groups each day. I have no idea whether this applies to training for endurance or cardio purposes.
Thank you! I have heard that term before and forgot it. And I am fully aware of the difference between “good” pain and “bad” pain. I recognized this as the good type, but I didn’t expect it to so intense and damn near disabling! I made such a spectacle of myself whining and moaning to my co-workers and even my customers noticed my altered movements. :o
I have also experienced severe sprains, so I know that sudden sharp pain is bad and something to see a doctor about.
Yes! Thank you for the detail here. I really got into running several years ago competing a handful of footraces (up to half marathon), but then I stopped for whatever reason running regularly and started running more sporadically. Then I got an urban style bike and started riding recreationally and on short errands, in lieu of taking the car, and a few times on long commutes to work (30 miles RT). I had a lot less energy for running then, but I developed the muscle group for cycling. Then I got injured at work and had to stop everything for several weeks.
Now, I’m getting back to running because I love it. I not only ride daily, but I am still doing long rides on my road bike. And I’d like to start swimming. But age is catching up and making weight maintenance and endurance a little more challenging and I recognize that a more varied routine that focuses on whole body health and fitness is going to keep me in the game, as they say. I’m as eager to enjoy my time in the gym as I do on my bike and running.
The good news is that the second day was actually better than the first. Whether it was the hot bath, the arnica gel or the light massage I got while it was applied, my body’s resilience or my mind’s own ability to heal, I woke up on Day 2 realizing that turning over in bed was much easier and less painful than the first day. So, I got up, ate a bowl of oat bran and went back to the gym. The workout (sans trainer) was much more difficult than the first one and I totally wimped out on the pushups, but I got through it and spent 15 minutes on the rowing machine (my warmup went a little longer because I just like that machine!) and followed up with a 2 mile run (tolerating the treadmill because it’s hot outside). Then I rode to work and noted that climbing the ladder felt better, I didn’t yipe when I sat down and I could bend over and pick stuff up off the ground without doing my old lady routine.
Today, day 3, I have new muscle soreness (lats and hamstrings) over the old muscle soreness (glutes and triceps, mostly) but I’m still moving better than Day 1. Today, we’re going for a six mile hike up and down a mountain and then I’m going to celebrate my awesome week at one of my favorite breweries with co-workers. I think I’ve earned it, but tomorrow I’ll be back at the gym working off a delicious truffle burger and a few pints. <---- That is not a typical dinner, mind you. But man, I’m really, really hungry for something substantial.
I’m reluctant to try NSAIDS for several reasons. As a runner, I’m all to familiar with the trend of using them as a method of pushing limits and I don’t agree with the practice for the very reason Learjet mentioned. If you reduce the ability to feel “bad” pain, you can seriously injure yourself. I personally prefer to stick to topical or non-pharmaceutical methods for reducing pain from inflammation, although I will take NSAIDS as prescribed. As a rule, even outside of exercise, I tend to eschew pharmaceuticals as much as sensibly possible.*
I will, however, admit to flying high on Vicodin after I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed years ago and succumbing to the magic that is analgesics when my knee collapsed medially and I couldn’t even walk on it.
My ability to complete the reps that I originally had done was diminished on the second day, but the muscles, once sufficiently warmed up were significantly less painful and more pliable.
I don’t know how long I’ll be able to maintain this level of motivation and commitment to my goals. As hard as pushups are, making myself keep doing them for any length of time adequate enough to realize a benefit, let alone doing any routine indefinitely, is even harder. Way harder. If anyone knows the secret to maintaining motivation over time, I’m all ears (or eyes?). But for now, I appreciate all the feedback and anecdotes being shared here and I welcome more.
Anaamika, I know about walking funny, too! I hope I get the luxury of working with a personal trainer again (it’s expensive!) because doing it on my own much more challenging. I’m not sure my technique and form is as good when I don’t have someone pointing out what I’m doing wrong. I know it’s pretty bad given I’m a novice. But right now, it’s just me until I find a workout buddy I don’t have to pay to motivate me and give me tips. If I stop at 8 pushups because I can’t get to 10, well then I’ll just have to keep trying to do the 10 I somehow found I could do with my trainer. It’s such a mind game, isn’t it? I figured when I started cursing her in my head, I was getting my money’s worth.
Does your gym offer classes? Often, you can get a similar workout to personal training in a group class. A personal trainer is useful if you have specific goals. But if you’re just looking for some general fitness, you may get the same results in a class. There are all types of classes. Some are strictly aerobic, others incorporate weights, others are about stretching and relaxation. Try a few out and see if you find one that you like.
Anytime you workout new muscles you can get sore. Until those muscles get efficient, they produce a lot of waste and your body is not yet prepared to quickly flush it all out. Keep working out and your body will adapt. If you are sore, don’t just sit there. Drink a lot of water and keep walking and moving around so that the waste will get flushed quicker.
In the UK, many gyms/imstructors follow a NZ based org called Body Pump.
Totally mixed ability, mixed gender class with music; systematically works the main muscles groups in a ‘collegiate atmosphere’. Excellent workout, very nice introduction to weights.
My gym does offer classes, but the only one I’m interested in is at an inconvenient time. It’s a smaller gym and right now I’m paying just for access to the gym. I’ll pay more when I decide to start taking classes. I’d like to do a boot camp, though, and have let them know I’m interested in signing up for one, so hopefully they’ll schedule one soon. It’s a newer gym and there aren’t that many members yet, but they keep bringing in new equipment and have a huge, well-equipped space already that is clean and comfortable.
My immediate goal is to get comfortable working out in a gym and get more adept at performing the exercises I’m doing well with good form and technique. Right now I kind of feel like a fish out of water. I am staying active, keeping up with my normal daily activities.
On a positive note, my hike today was great. I was surprised at how good I felt and this was the first hike since my knee injury (I’ve been on three since) in which my knee felt completely normal and not weak and fatigued. It was a good day. Gym tomorrow and then work again.
Do I want to lift weights? I don’t know. Should I be lifting weights? My personal trainer seemed to think that bodyweight exercises seemed to be a good place to start. I have to say, it seems to be enough to make me hurt. Maybe I’ll graduate to weight training when the bodyweight exercises become easier, I guess.
At the beginning many of the women just use the bar itself without weights attached.
It’s so popular because of the ‘group/collective’ aspect, and doing a good workout to music - we’re supposed to accept the gym isn’t boring when it really is for most people. Body Pump is full every class, about 80% women. It’s just fun, and a great way to work those main muscle groups.
