- 10/22/08: Newsletter
- Strengthening Your Legs
- Working Out on Empty Stomachs
- Making Cardio Less Painful
- Avoid Crashing
- Coping With Sweets
- Increasing Metabolism
- Organize Your Training
- Eating Habits
- Visceral Belly Fat
- The Best Running Shoe
- Strength or Aerobic Capacity?
- Toning Legs with Cardio
- My Doctor's Scale is Off
- More Reps and their Effects
- 04/24/08: Newsletter
- 1-08-08: Newsletter
- 11-08-07: Newsletter
- 10-03-07: Newsletter
- 8-29-07: Newsletter
- 6-20-07: Weight Loss
- 6-13-07: Back Injury
- 5-08-07: Friendly Pressure
- 4-27-07: Running Routines
- 4-20-07: Cycling Cardio
- 4-10-07: Back Injury
- 4-03-07: Lunges Quads Butt
- 3-27-07: Running Off Fat
- 3-27-07: Runners Diet
- 3-23-07: Eating Late
- 3-13-07: Abs for the Obese
- 3-07-07: Supplements
- 2-21-07: Carbs Weight Gain
- 2-14-07: Accurate Bodyweight
- 2-07-07: Weight Fluctuations
- 1-30-07: Best Oatmeal
- 1-21-07: Winter Cardio
- 1-14-07: Training Children
- 1-10-07: Sick Bay
- 1-03-07: Shin Splints
- 2006: Archives
- 2005: Archives
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09-21-05// Muscle
Soreness
How do ease myself back into a work out with out getting too sore?
Dear Chris:
I have been lifting on and off for years and have had good
results. Sometimes I take time off from my work out’s
because my life becomes too busy or my body needs a little
rest. The most difficult about getting started again is the
extreme pain that follows my first work out back. I know
that there is a degree of discomfort that goes hand and hand
with weight lifting but it sometimes gets so bad that I can
hardly walk up the steps to get to my office the next day.
I guess what I’m trying to ask is should I feel that
bad after my first work out? Is it possible that I’m
doing something wrong? There must be a better way to get
started. I would appreciate any advice you could give me.
I’m willing to try anything to avoid feeling that way.
Pat L.
Dear Pat:
One thing is for sure, if you work out you will eventually experience
sore muscles. However you should never experience a crippling
soreness that causes you to miss a day of work in order to
recover. There is a difference between getting a good comfortable
soreness that heals in two days and is the result of a challenging
work out and a bad soreness that lasts for a week and is a
signal that you traumatized your body. Many lifters can’t
tell the difference between the two. The bottom line is if
you’re still sore after two days than you probably gone
a little over board.
I always tell people that it’s sometimes better to work smarter than to work harder. If you’re getting started after a break take things slow. Start by doing a work out that will challenge you but will not cause you to be so sore that you can’t function the next day. This is true for experienced lifters as well as those of you that are just getting started. I usually advise people to cut back the weight they are lifting to about 65% of what they usually do. In other words if you bench press 100 pounds for 10 repetitions during a normal work out than you reduce the weight to 65 pounds for the first week. Use this system for your entire work out. Increase the weight by about 15% a week and you will be back to your normal weights in no time. This will allow you to get back into the swing of things with out causing extreme soreness. I know this system is a little difficult for the macho men out there that are only concerned with how much weight is on the bar but I can guarantee you will get much more progress in the long run.
You may also want to try a full body work out. Do one exercise only for each body part. Complete three sets for each exercise. Keep the weight at about 70% of what you would normally do. Do this work out three times a week with at least one days rest in between. Since you are only doing three sets for each body part your body will recover much faster. Try this work out for 2-3 weeks. Increasing the weight by 10% per weak and you will soon be ready to go to a more difficult program.
Research shows that by starting back slow you can make much more progress. If you don’t ease your way back into working out you will do more damage than good.