Working Through Muscle Pain

nojunkmaill

So I have started back in the gym but after one day my legs are quite rightly fcuked!

I am guessing it is just muscle pain / getting myself back into it.

I have asked two different fitness instructors and one advised it is useful to work through this, to keep working out and break throughout it

Another has said I should rest until I feel able again but if this happens everytime I will only be going twice a week and was hoping for 5 times a week.

Which is best?

Thanks

Hanley

Hard to say. Provided you're not injured and just sore from the previous workout, I think a good guideline is; if you're start to feel ok after a gentle warm up then plough ahead. If you still feel stiff and sore after the warmup then take it easy.

arybvtcw0eolkf

What did you do?.

ie - treadmill
Squats
bike
etc?.

nojunkmaill

Treadmill - About 25mins

And

A Hour Spin Class

celestial

nojunkmaill wrote: »

Treadmill - About 25mins

And

A Hour Spin Class

Unless it's an actual injury, which by the sounds of your post it isn't likely, then you're just experiencing natural muscle ache after a lay-off from the gym - totally normal. Best bet as mentioned is to do some light exercise to get the blood flowing round those aching muscles, if you feel good keep going, if you really are in discomfort then maybe give it another day or two. Once you've gone back a few times, and go more often and work out with more intensity you'll find it harder and harder to get the same muscle aches!

LegacyUser

nojunkmaill wrote: »

Treadmill - About 25mins

And

A Hour Spin Class

in that order???

FunkZ

I hate training through DOMS. I done squats on monday and didn't train again till yesterday, the DOMS were at their worst on Wednesday and Thursday, Friday and Tuesday were equal, not too bad.

Train a body part that isn't sore?!

peterk19

i find it helps if you do a few light weights to get the blood into the muscles causes DOMS to recover faster

bwardrop

A coupe of explanations:

DOMS = delayed onset muscle soreness. Happens after a particularly tough or unaccustomed bout of exercise & it is what everyone is getting at in their replies. Couple of colflicting theories re: cause, no need to go into them here!!

DOMS peaks 48hrs after the bout of exercise that caused it. The good news is that there is a protective effect from it - you should not experience quite as much pain following subsequent workouts (unless you are on a particualrly heavy program).

Rest muscles that are sore. If you want to train, then train a different body part as previously suggested. Active recovery may help - do some light cardio , but no weights on the affected muscles. DOMS cases altered proprioception (how your body determines where it is in space) and technique is likely to be poor if you train the sore muscles. This increases risk of injury.

Rest is critical to training gains - 5 days a week (of weights training) is a lot for the average person unless you are on a very well planned, periodised training program.

bwardrop

Oh yeah - to the OP - Do not listen to any more advice that instructor number one gives you.

nojunkmaill

cheesedude wrote: »

in that order???

Yes...

Why? Not good is it?

Today I did Pump And Tone and I am probably going to be wrecked tomorrow...:(

Canis Lupus

Any time I've had doms I've still worked out but only gently exercised the sore muscles. Can't say I've injured myself to date doing it.

Doing something feels better than just sitting about using sore (not injured, that's different) legs etc as an excuse not to hit the gym.

bwardrop

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Any time I've had doms I've still worked out but only gently exercised the sore muscles. Can't say I've injured myself to date doing it.

Doing something feels better than just sitting about using sore (not injured, that's different) legs etc as an excuse not to hit the gym.

I agree with with the previous poster that doing something is better than doing nothing. However, I did not suggest that anyone use muscle soreness as a reason not to go to the gym - this seems to be how the post was interpreted.

Exercise Induced Muscle Damage (EIMD) / DOMS are forms of injury - the predominant theory on it's cause is micro-tears to the muscle fibres. Your body will respond as if you had a soft tissue injury - increased levels of anti-inflammatory agents etc.

Muscles that are sore following training will have reduced functioning (decreased peak power output, rate of force development, etc) so it is pointless trying to train them as usual.

I did suggest some light cardio work for affected muscles. Do a different type of activity - go swimming or walking or something else outside of the gym. In the gym, use a cardio machine that does not primarily tax the sore muscles. If you have a well planned weights training program you should be focussed on a different body part.

There should be no reason for a person to have to perform weights training on muscles that are still sore (damaged) from a previous workout. If anything, this will prolong your recovery period as the muscles are not being allowed the time to regenerate fully.

To finish, just because you have got away without injuring yourself to date does not change the fact that your chances of getting injured are still increased.

Hanley

A thought from a different perspective on this.... (and I'm not suggesting people attempt it)

The biggest improvements that I've seen on my squat particularly was during the first of my two Sheiko cycles. For those who don't know what they are, basically you end up squatting 4-5x a week, but only training them on 3 days (so yes, you squat twice in one day!). The weight's are in the 80-90% range, with sets and reps of around 4-7x2-3.

The DOMS for the first 10 days or so were absolutely ridiculous. I was spending pretty much 20-30 mins just trying to loosen up. It was a horribly difficult training period, but my god did I feel built proof after it. It's hard to explain the feeling on invincibility you gain from working thru DOMS time after time, and then one day it all just stops. No pain. No stifness. Just get up and squat. Move on, come back. Squat again. You started to feel like a well oiled machince after it.

Obviously I'm not suggesting people try and of this, but there is a place for it from time to time, and in certain circumstances I think.

Colm_OReilly

Hanley,

What sort of gains did you get on these cycles?

Thanks,

bwardrop

Everyone is free to do what they want... and I know Hanley was not suggesting that everyone try what is outlined above. I'm new to this board and it sounds like Hanley is a pretty experienced lifter and could cope with a period of overload as described.

However, from a professional point of of view I just wanted to bring the following to everyone's attention.

From:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12617692?ordinalpos=14&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

"... DOMS is most prevalent at the beginning of the sporting season when athletes are returning to training following a period of reduced activity. DOMS is also common when athletes are first introduced to certain types of activities regardless of the time of year. Eccentric activities induce micro-injury at a greater frequency and severity than other types of muscle actions... DOMS can affect athletic performance by causing a reduction in joint range of motion, shock attenuation and peak torque. Alterations in muscle sequencing and recruitment patterns may also occur, causing unaccustomed stress to be placed on muscle ligaments and tendons. These compensatory mechanisms may increase the risk of further injury if a premature return to sport is attempted. A number of treatment strategies have been introduced to help alleviate the severity of DOMS and to restore the maximal function of the muscles as rapidly as possible. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have demonstrated dosage-dependent effects that may also be influenced by the time of administration. Similarly, massage has shown varying results that may be attributed to the time of massage application and the type of massage technique used. Cryotherapy, stretching, homeopathy, ultrasound and electrical current modalities have demonstrated no effect on the alleviation of muscle soreness or other DOMS symptoms. Exercise is the most effective means of alleviating pain during DOMS, however the analgesic effect is also temporary. Elite athletes who must train on a daily basis should be encouraged to reduce the intensity and duration of exercise for 1-2 days following intense DOMS-inducing exercise. Alternatively, exercises targeting less affected body parts should be encouraged in order to allow the most affected muscle groups to recover"

Enough said - I doubt there are many of us who are athletes who have to train every day, although I realize there are plenty of people who do. Add variety to your work out - it will help with adaptation and progression and prevent your workout becoming boring / stale. The last piece of advice is most relevant to the vast, vast majority of you reading this. There should be no reason to do weight training on sore muscles for a recreationally trained athlete.

t-ha

nojunkmaill wrote: »

So I have started back in the gym but after one day my legs are quite rightly fcuked!

It's to be expected if you're just back. I'd say just try and listen to your body - the main thing you want to avoid isn't pain, it's injury. I like Hanley's suggestion of seeing how you feel after a light warm-up. Also, see if your performance is affected (i.e. can you hit the same speeds for the same distances as before, if you can you're golden). This is only the initial period anyway, as you get used to the exercises you'll get less and less DOMS from them so I'm sure you'll be good for multiple sessions pretty soon, if not now.

Hanley

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Hanley,

What sort of gains did you get on these cycles?

Thanks,

I can't really give specifics since I didn't test my maxes before and after. I also didn't run specifically to increase my max. If I had been I would have lengthened the preperatory period to around 8 weeks, and competition period to 5. All I did was a 4 week base/prep period.

It was a great kick start to my next training cycle tho because it gave me lot of time to work on form with moderate weights and get my work capacity up.

The only problem I would have with people saying "don't use sore muscles to lift weights" is that some minor residual DOMS is going to be present in alot of people when it comes time to train again. Quite often these are people who might not be all that dedicated and just look for excuses to skip training. By saying "don't train" (even if we're talking about specific areas) you just give a nice get out of jail free card that will probably hamper them in their efforts to get in shape.