SO SORE!!! Started working out again with trainer

[msi1337]

cliff notes:

I am 85lbs overweight..finally decided it was time to get back to a healthy weight and adopt a better lifestyle.

started training 3x a week with a trainer at Gold's Gym where I am a member.

didn't expect to be this sore... I am really sore!

mondays workout was back and shoulders (shoulder press, seated row, upright row, lat raise, straight raise). I didn't feel it in the shoulders in back..but my arms are killing me. I cant lift my cellphone up for the last 2 days! (slight exaggeration)

today was legs, abs, and glute..some core training as well... dont seem to be as sore, because I think my legs are much stronger than my arms, etc.

my question was.. is this normal to be this sore? I understand the no pain no gain concept, but just want to make sure I am not overdoing it. Anything I should be taking as a supplement, food that I can eat that will help restore muscles quicker?

I am 5'8" tall, 30yrs old, and 256lbs

 

[dealmaster00]

Right when I started working out, I was ridiculously sore too. It goes away after a few weeks, and I don't get anywhere near as sore from subsequent workouts.

 

[SKC]

Originally posted by: msi1337
cliff notes:
..
my question was.. is this normal to be this sore? I understand the no pain no gain concept, but just want to make sure I am not overdoing it. Anything I should be taking as a supplement, food that I can eat that will help restore muscles quicker?

I am 5'8" tall, 30yrs old, and 256lbs

Yes, soreness (especially when first starting out again) is normal. Expect it to continue for several weeks at least with consistent workouts, then your body should start getting used to/eventually liking the feeling.

There are many people well versed in nutrition here re your question on food. Standard answer is protein (especially whey); Costco has a pretty good deal right now on whey isolate. Bananas help with cramps as well.

 

[msi1337]

thanks for the update. I have been using whey as well. I was told by my trainer to make sure I am getting 230grams of protein a day

 

[brikis98]

It's normal. The first few times you do any new form of exercise at sufficiently high intensity will make you sore. The higher the intensity relative to what you're used to, the more sore you'll get.

As for diet questions, start with the fat loss sticky. Basic things you can do to minimize soreness are to warm-up before the workout, stretch after, and make sure you are getting sufficient protein and sleep. A few other things can help soreness a little bit - such as contrast showers, massages, and release techniques - but your best bet is just continuing to train and let your body adapt.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: msi1337
thanks for the update. I have been using whey as well. I was told by my trainer to make sure I am getting 230grams of protein a day

How much do you weigh total? A high protein intake is good while losing weight to maintain muscle mass so he knows what he's talking about there. However, if he has you doing split muscle group days, I'd have to question his actual knowledge. What are your goals? To lose weight clearly, but are you looking to be stronger or have a bodybuilder shape or what? Split days usually involve much more isolation work which translates more poorly into functional strength. I just wanted to put that out there.

 

[StageLeft]

Yes, soreness is normal and good and makes us into men. I think the worst soreness I ever had I could still feel a tiny bit 8 days after the workout, but otherwise 6 days after I've had once/twice. All other times it's only a couple of days or a few. I've had biceps so sore I could not straighten my arms a couple of days later. I think I overdid that.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes, soreness is normal and good and makes us into men. I think the worst soreness I ever had I could still feel a tiny bit 8 days after the workout, but otherwise 6 days after I've had once/twice. All other times it's only a couple of days or a few. I've had biceps so sore I could not straighten my arms a couple of days later. I think I overdid that.

Ya think? 😛 Bustin' out too many curls in front of the mirror for the ladies?

Sorest I've ever been was probably also the closest to death I've been without knowing it. I got rhabdomyolosis and my muscles just broke down entirely. I was sore for 2-3 weeks. Muscle destruction FTL.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Sorest I've ever been was probably also the closest to death I've been without knowing it. I got rhabdomyolosis and my muscles just broke down entirely. I was sore for 2-3 weeks. Muscle destruction FTL.

How the hell did you manage that? It's a good thing you recovered.

 

[msi1337]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: msi1337
thanks for the update. I have been using whey as well. I was told by my trainer to make sure I am getting 230grams of protein a day

How much do you weigh total? A high protein intake is good while losing weight to maintain muscle mass so he knows what he's talking about there. However, if he has you doing split muscle group days, I'd have to question his actual knowledge. What are your goals? To lose weight clearly, but are you looking to be stronger or have a bodybuilder shape or what? Split days usually involve much more isolation work which translates more poorly into functional strength. I just wanted to put that out there.

I weigh 256lbs total, my goals are simple..to lose weight and be in better health. I don't need to look like a bodybuilder. Slightly stronger would be assumed since I am lifting weights versus the fork to my mouth and the remote from the couch. 😀

I am very interested to know what this means:

Split days usually involve much more isolation work which translates more poorly into functional strength. I just wanted to put that out there.

We definetly do many exercises that target certain muscles. I can't attest to whether my trainer knows a lot. He majored in nutrition and has good body development. (He also competes in some competitions).

This is the first week of training, so I think he is just trying to feel out what I am capable of, and where I need to focus on.

 

[KingGheedora]

It's normal. If I take a break for even a couple months, my first time back always gets me really sore. Sometimes to an unbelievable extent.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: msi1337
I am very interested to know what this means:

Split days usually involve much more isolation work which translates more poorly into functional strength. I just wanted to put that out there.

We definetly do many exercises that target certain muscles. I can't attest to whether my trainer knows a lot. He majored in nutrition and has good body development. (He also competes in some competitions).

This is the first week of training, so I think he is just trying to feel out what I am capable of, and where I need to focus on.

Generally speaking, if your goal is strength, you want a strength training routine. Most strength training routines (especially beginner/intermediate ones) are built around full body workouts every session. The squat tends to be a central exercise, done almost every session, because of its ability to produce strength through out the entire body as well as the massive hormonal response you get from it. The primary focus of strength training routines is compound motions with free weights, using heavy weights and low reps.

This is quite different than many bodybuilding-style routines, which split the body into separate parts that are trained on separate days (e.g legs one day, shoulders another, chest another, etc). Exercises typically use slightly lighter weights and higher reps and more isolation movements (rather than compound movements) are used. The idea is that this type of training tends to maximize gains in muscle mass/size.

Obviously, both types of routines will improve in both muscle mass/size as well as strength. However, the different types of training tend to be better suited one or the other. I'd argue that strength training is typically a better approach for beginners because:

1. Early on, if the diet is the same, gains in mass will be roughly equal between the two routines. BB style routines only seem to produce appreciably more mass in more advanced trainees.

2. Strength training routines tend to produce more "functional" fitness. That is, since the body is used as a whole unit in the real world, training it as a whole unit (as is done in strength training) will often allow the gains from strength training to transfer much better to the real world. The higher proportion of free weight, compound exercises done in strength training also produce greater gains in neuromuscular coordination, which is also essential for being able to use your strength in real life.

 

[StageLeft]

Time to google rhabdomyolosis. That sounds awful.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: BeauJangles

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Sorest I've ever been was probably also the closest to death I've been without knowing it. I got rhabdomyolosis and my muscles just broke down entirely. I was sore for 2-3 weeks. Muscle destruction FTL.

How the hell did you manage that? It's a good thing you recovered.

Water polo. Weight training + 3 hours of HIIT/play work/sprints in the pool. Peed brown for a couple of days. The brown is what used to be my muscles. I didn't get a checkup on my kidneys afterward though... I probably should have.

I noobed it up. Don't ever do this. I could barely walk and I mean this quite literally. I fell out of bed the first day.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: msi1337

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: msi1337
thanks for the update. I have been using whey as well. I was told by my trainer to make sure I am getting 230grams of protein a day

How much do you weigh total? A high protein intake is good while losing weight to maintain muscle mass so he knows what he's talking about there. However, if he has you doing split muscle group days, I'd have to question his actual knowledge. What are your goals? To lose weight clearly, but are you looking to be stronger or have a bodybuilder shape or what? Split days usually involve much more isolation work which translates more poorly into functional strength. I just wanted to put that out there.

I weigh 256lbs total, my goals are simple..to lose weight and be in better health. I don't need to look like a bodybuilder. Slightly stronger would be assumed since I am lifting weights versus the fork to my mouth and the remote from the couch. 😀

I am very interested to know what this means:

Split days usually involve much more isolation work which translates more poorly into functional strength. I just wanted to put that out there.

We definetly do many exercises that target certain muscles. I can't attest to whether my trainer knows a lot. He majored in nutrition and has good body development. (He also competes in some competitions).

This is the first week of training, so I think he is just trying to feel out what I am capable of, and where I need to focus on.

Yeah, it seems like he's kinda using his background to apply to your fitness program. Now I'm going to use mine (which is clearly better 😛). Isolation routines for me took too much time. With a program that focuses on compound lifts (lifts that utilize multiple muscle groups - bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, pullup, etc), you get the job done more quickly and in a way that your body is more likely to approach in the real world. Needless to say, I don't usually have the need to curl 60 pounds. However, I squat/deadlift decent heavy things all the time.

I think that most trainers like to act like their way is the only way without much logic to back it up. I'm not saying that your trainer is bad, but I'm saying that for most people's goals of losing weight, improving aesthetics, and gaining strength a routine revolving around compound movements would be more beneficial. This is my opinion though.

 

[Jahee]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: BeauJangles

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Sorest I've ever been was probably also the closest to death I've been without knowing it. I got rhabdomyolosis and my muscles just broke down entirely. I was sore for 2-3 weeks. Muscle destruction FTL.

How the hell did you manage that? It's a good thing you recovered.

Water polo. Weight training + 3 hours of HIIT/play work/sprints in the pool. Peed brown for a couple of days. The brown is what used to be my muscles. I didn't get a checkup on my kidneys afterward though... I probably should have.

I noobed it up. Don't ever do this. I could barely walk and I mean this quite literally. I fell out of bed the first day.

In one day?

How long was recovery and how much mass did you lose?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Jahee

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: BeauJangles

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Sorest I've ever been was probably also the closest to death I've been without knowing it. I got rhabdomyolosis and my muscles just broke down entirely. I was sore for 2-3 weeks. Muscle destruction FTL.

How the hell did you manage that? It's a good thing you recovered.

Water polo. Weight training + 3 hours of HIIT/play work/sprints in the pool. Peed brown for a couple of days. The brown is what used to be my muscles. I didn't get a checkup on my kidneys afterward though... I probably should have.

I noobed it up. Don't ever do this. I could barely walk and I mean this quite literally. I fell out of bed the first day.

In one day?

How long was recovery and how much mass did you lose?

Not just in one day. Every day for about 3 weeks until rhabdo kicked in. I was inexperienced with weightlifting at this point so I didn't know any better.

I didn't lose mass. I actually gained mass throughout the season. Recovery was probably a couple of weeks of tremendous soreness and then a week of moderate soreness.