Question for people that exercise regularly...

[Tabs]

If you exercise regularly that is at least four times a week, thirty minutes or more, then I have a question for you.

Does the aching go away or I am to assume the aching feet and muscles are a norm I need to get used to?

Thanks for your answers and your time,
Tabs

[Stargirl]

Hmm, I remember I used to ache too. I think you might want to ease your way into exercising; exercise fewer days a week or exercise for fewer minutes at first so your body doesn't suffer from an extreme jump in activity.

My personal experience was that I would exercise and my muscles would ache, but I would exercise anyway the next day. After a few days, it hurt so much I couldn't exercise, so I was forced to take a break.
I wouldn't recommend this, so I'd say if it hurts too much, take it easier or skip that day and try tomorrow.

[Tabs]

I was hoping the pain would eventually go away. The one thing I am working on is working out through the pain. I know if I take longer than two days off then it will take weeks to get back on schedule. I will reduce the intensity and the time and ease my muscles into submission.

Thanks for your response.

[Stargirl]

The pain does go away. It only comes when you overwork your body. Don't worry, you'll be able to do your exercise the way you planned soon enough .

Best of luck!

[Greg]

As long as the pain isn't too much, that means you had a good last work out. If you just started working out, then you are likely to feel some aches and pains . Important thing is not to work out those same muscles until the pain goes away. Wait til the pain is gone (this means your muscles have rebuilt themselves) and then go for your next scheduled workout. There is no point in working out muscles that are still tired/rebuilding themselves from the previous workout.

So, to answer your question - yes it is normal, if it persists and you feel it is abnormal, go see a doctor.

[dunhac82]

Yeah, the pain does go away. If you're just starting out I would recommend using lighter weights (you can always go up). Also form is extremely important in any excercise and it is best to get the form down first to make sure you are excercising the muscles you want and so you do not injure yourself. Also I find resting between days helps. Essentially you are breaking down your muscle fibers and restoring them. Sleep is also important. The best book I can recommend in my opinion would be the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger. $25 for the new edition. I realize that it is focused for bodybuilding, but I have found it an invaluable resource on the topic of the body and excercise. Best of luck on your pursuit of a more fit you!

[ChefSalad]

You should also note that if you're new to exercising (or restarting after a lengthy time off), you'll need to start out at a much lower intensity than will seem reasonable. Eventually you'll get to where you want to be. For example, when I started off exercising last year, I couldn't even ride my bike five miles. Now, one year later, I can ride five times that much. In fact, I'm going to ride my bike to work and back (13 miles each way) today, just like I did on Tuesday. It feels great.

My advice is to stick with it, lower your intensity (for now) and never work out a sore muscle. Most importantly, set a reasonable exercise goal, complete with a time frame, and write it down. Take that paper with you everywhere and read it occasionally. You'll be surprised when you realize that you made it.

[Tabs]

Thank you all for your support I am keeping up with the working out but at a lower intensity and building up from there. This was just the dose of motivation I needed.

Thanks again.

[toasterwater]

Okay, when you talk about "pain" you have to be more specific. If you are talking about sore muscles, then pain is not a bad thing. If you are talking about joints/ bones, then pain is a very bad thing.

If you just started some exercise routine, you will of course have sore muscles if you are working yourself hard enough. It is NOT necessary to stop working out until your muscles fell completely better, in fact, this will probably throw you way off course, and make it very difficult to get back on track. I've gone on runs, or lifted weights and felt the after effects for up to a week afterword... if I were to simply not work out again until the soreness went away, I would go way too long without working those muscles. If you never ever feel muscle soreness, chances are you are not going to make any kind of progress.

On the other hand, if you feel pain in your knees, ankles, feet, etc. that is a cause for alarm. If you are running regularly, and your feet, knees, etc hurt, you may be doing something wrong. A good place to start is to get new or better running shoes, this can make a world of difference. I would suggest not working out if it causes pain in joints/ ligaments. It may be a soreness that will go away within a week or so, but if it is something that persists, you should see a doctor, or some other health professional (or maybe you need a more "joint friendly workout like running in the grass instead of on the concrete, or even trying an elyptical machine or something).

So to summerize, if you are feeling muscle soreness but you are on a workout schedule that gives your muscles time to recover (a good rule of thumb is to wait a day in between working major muscle groups; i.e. upper body/lower body) then keep working out on your schedule... it will go away while you get used to the schedule. But if you are feeling pain in your joints or bones, then you are doing something wrong, and you need to seek advice on your specific situation. Don't let joint pain go untended, it will only get worse.

One other kind of pain I can think of is muscle cramps. This just means that you are not properly hydrated, or you dont have the proper balance of electrolytes in your system. Water supposedly takes at least a day to cycle through your system, so stay it's best to stay hydrated always. As for the electrolytes, drink some gatorade after a serious workout.

I hope this helps, if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. If you have any doubt about my credibility, I am a Marine, and I workout at least 4 times a week not including martial arts training.

[ChefSalad]

Actually, toasterwater, I think you've stumbled onto one of the biggest ongoing controversies in the fitness. On one side are the bodybuilders, weightlifters, powerlifters, etc. On the other side are the runners (the more endurance based the running, the more likely they're on this side) and the military.

First, I would like to define soreness for the purpose of this discussion. It is referring to muscle soreness from (over)training only. It is not referring to cramping, joint pain, pulled muscles or any other serious pain. In fact, most people would describe this kind of soreness as feeling good.

The lifters have generally agreed (yes, there are dissenters) that working out a sore muscle is never good. For newbies this could mean pauses of up to four days. If you aren't getting enough protein, that time could be extended. This comes after a lot of experimentation and learning during the 80s. This was when bodybuilding was most in vogue, and thus when it had the most people experimenting and sharing their results with others.

The runners (and the military, for some reason) tend to say that one day's rest is all you need, if they say you need any rest at all. They believe that working a (somewhat) sore muscle is good training for endurance. It teaches you to handle soreness and stress well. It instills discipline.

Who's right? Well, I personally believe it's the bodybuilders, at least when you take into account most people's goals. If your goal is to gain or maintain muscle mass OR to lose fat (which is heavily dependent on muscle mass) then don't train a sore muscle. A little bit of nearly imperceptible soreness is OK, but if you've still got a good burn then don't work it. If your goal is endurance but not mass and you're already at a good weight, then working a sore muscle is OK. If you do it quite a bit, you'll begin to lose muscle mass but you'll gain endurance. If that's your goal then go for it.

To those who think I'm wrong about losing muscle mass by training sore muscles, you need only look at one place. Pictures of endurance runners. They often have so little muscle mass that they look like starving children from Africa. But they have good endurance and that's what they were going for.

To the military people who disagree: when's the last time you saw a soldier who weighed 250 lbs of muscle? Probably never. It wouldn't even make sense. That would cost entirely too much to feed (since muscle takes a buttload of calories and protein to feed), and would be contrary to the goals of the military. You need people who can run twenty miles, not people who can bench five hundred pounds.

[techgal]

The pain will definitely subside.

However, eventually you will come to see pain as a good thing. Often times, pain just means that you have reached a new level of fitness.

As a runner, I have new pains all the time as I continue to push myself to new levels. However, instead of trying to avoid pain, I seek it out. I see it as a sign that I'm doing something right.

Of course, you don't want to cross the line over into injury, which can often be a fine line.

But pain can be a great sign of accomplishment. And if you get as crazy as me, you'll start to relish it as a major accomplishment

[starlet]

You sound like me when I started! Yes, it will go away, you are simply working muscles that have not been worked in...well, a long time. You have to train those muscles. It gets easier and easier as you go along.

But if it is real soreness, but just twinges, you have overworked yourself and possibly have nearly damaged something. Get in tune with yourself, and see which it is.

[Angela]

One thing I've gotten from passionate cardio & weight-training is the ability to tell the difference between delayed onset muscle soreness, starting one day after a workout and really setting in two days after, and "pain", which is my body's reaction to harm and shows up sharply and immediately.

I welcome DOMS because it makes me aware of the growth of desired muscle tissue. I alternate body halves so as not to work muscle that's in the midst of repair. Maybe it would be useful to not refer to DOMS as "pain" so that your brain doesn't negatively associate with exercise. I know, it hurts, but it's a completely different sort of hurt than if you twist your ankle or drop a 60 pound dumbbell on your finger (I did that a couple of weeks ago - yowch!)

[siamesesilk]

Most of the pain goes away if I stretch well after the first five minutes and then again at the end of the workout as well. I still have a few aches sometimes. Also If it start to hurt while I'm on the tredmill, I will just slow down a little. I walk six days a week, for 75 mins. each.

[JMan]

All input here is great - here's what I glean from you all:

1) Diet - make sure you're getting protien and essential vitamins/nutrients/acids/electrolites
2) Hydration - stay hydrated
3) Alternate Workouts - don't work out sore muscles. Switch to other muscle groups.

In addition:
4) Stretch - before workout to prevent injury, and after to increase flexibility
5) Warmup/Cooldown - cardio before and after weight/muscle focus work
6) Pay attention to soreness that is not muscle. If it's not muscle, it could be bone or tendon or ligament.

[toasterwater]

To the military people who disagree: when's the last time you saw a soldier who weighed 250 lbs of muscle? Probably never. It wouldn't even make sense. That would cost entirely too much to feed (since muscle takes a buttload of calories and protein to feed), and would be contrary to the goals of the military. You need people who can run twenty miles, not people who can bench five hundred pounds.

Actually, I know several Marines (not to nag, but soldier is a term for the Army) who weigh well into their 200's of lbs of muscle, including one who used to lift competetively. For you to assume that having a large amount of muscle mass is somehow contrary to military goals is absurd. Yes, we all need to have endurance, but as long as you can pass the physical fitness requirements, and your body fat percentage is below required maximums, there is no regulation on how your body mass is to be comprised. In fact, it can often be an advantage to be built like a house. Imagine going on a 20 mile hump with 70 lbs of personal gear on your back, a rifle slung from your shoulders, and the reciever of a 50 Cal. machine gun weighing you down. Who would you rather be under that load- the 160 lb endurance runner, or the 250 lb body builder?

And as for the comment on costing too much to feed, I'm going to assume that was a joke. The military could care less how much money they spend on food. Not to mention that many of those 160 lb endurance runners eat like horses themselves.

As one last comment, I would like to enlighten you to the fact that there are many different jobs in the military, and you cant exactly stereotype everyone into the same "weight class" so to speak. The admin worker who will never see combat can do whatever he wants with his body as long as he can pass a physical fitness test (and maintain the body fat requirements). But then again, no one is going to tell a grunt to be an incredible hulk vs a speedy gonzolez either. As long as you can accomplish your mission, thats what counts.

I realize that this post was a distant tanget from the original topic, and I appologize. I just wanted to clear up that missunderstanding.

[JAlvy]

The post with the 6 tips was spot on. Of those 6 tips, I'd say stretching and hydration are two to key on, to start.

I ran my first 10k yesterday, and since I headed to a basketball game right after, I neglected to go through my whole stretching routine. And I am feeling it today. I never realized what a big difference it made until I didn't do it.

[CamC]

Originally Posted by Tabs

If you exercise regularly that is at least four times a week, thirty minutes or more, then I have a question for you.

Does the aching go away or I am to assume the aching feet and muscles are a norm I need to get used to?

Thanks for your answers and your time,
Tabs

Hi Tabs,

To reduce the pain and help aid muscle growth I would recommend Glutamine. Glutamine, Creatine, and Protein, are the three basic supplements, and Glutamine greatly reduces pain and helps the muscle heal more efficiently.

As far as "how" to work out, you only want to do one body part per week. BECAUSE after you tear down a muscle it takes about 2-4 days for it to heal back to where it was, and 5-7 days to heal completely heal over where it was before (which is how you gain muscle).

[Tabs]

Thanks again everyone for your time and kindness, all your words are much appreciated.

Cheers,
Tabs

[pictokid]

i thnk those pain r becos ur muscles tissues endurance lvls r lower at start cos u haven been really doing gd workouts for long time, and aches probably r built up acids in ur muscles areas where u work out i thnk, all these i was taught in d army n when i jus got enlisted, we were pumped like dogs

my officer told me for starters all along nv been thru hard physical, ur body muscles need time to get used to d workout n condition over time, so as long d pain is not accute, n is gradual follow by aches nxt day or after, u shld be fine, try to stretch out n warm up ur muscles 1st b4 workout, also after finnishing workout that r more demanding, u can try having banana milk shakes(best is not chilled), very nutricious and helps wit recovering from aches. and also slp earlier on that same day n make sure u slp well n sufficient til nxt day. and for d nxt few days whereby u feel d aches, u can cont to do some stretches but if u still wanna workout, keep it minimal n light, probably jus 10-15min jogs n some basic static stations etc

in any case if u shld feel certain pain as acute or felt in joint areas on spine etc impt body parts, stop immediately n try moving that area like bending or rotating etc, if that movement causes that same sharp pain, its probably a sign of that area being injured already, do watch out closely for signs of pain n how it feels like n where it occur, aches r pretty common n mostly norms

happy working out