Another weightlifting question (1 Viewer)

[Michael*K]

After five years of neglecting my body, I finally figured out I wasn't getting any younger and decided I have to get serious again about my health. Basically, I put on about 60 pounds since '97 that I'm looking to get rid of. I've been back at the health club for about a week. The cardio training I can deal with. It's the weight work I need brushing up on.

First, not surprisingly, I overdid things last night and now I'm paying for it. My pecs are really sore and I've been walking around work like I'm in a straightjacket, trying not to move my arms. What's the best way to treat a muscle strain--with cold or heat? I know you aren't ever supposed to apply heat if you suspect there's some bleeding, but in this case I doubt it's an issue.

Also, I must have no muscle tone. After I first hit the weights Sunday, I didn't feel any pain. But my muscles felt totally drained, like I had a couple of dead weights hanging from each shouder. Is this sensation normal until I start building up muscle strength?

I'm not really into supplements, but is there any food or drink that can give the muscles a quick energy burst or help them heal more quickly?

 

[ace peterson]

Mike-

I'm not a weightlifter, but I would say No. You over-used your under-used muscles and now they are going to be sore. Period. I think it would be best to try to keep them loose and warm if possible. Small, easy exercises to keep them from tensing up. Sports drinks that contain electrolytes (Gatorade, etc.) may help to replenish depleted minerals that are important to muscle function (i.e. potassium, sodium). Also antinflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) may help ease some of the discomfort as well. I think all those $20-30 GNC sports-beef up, recovery drinks and meals are overly priced bull.

Ace

 

[Drew Bethel]

Take whey protein and creatine. I just finished pumping iron and I'm eating 13 egg whites with creatine mixed with warm water as I type this! You should take either creatine or some whey protein with a good carbohydrate source (banana) immediately or within the first hour after your workout. This is when the muscles are begging for nutrition to help them replenish. Try to take in about 1-2 grams of good protein per day per lb of your weight.
And don't buy them from GNC...they're way overpriced!. Go to www.snw.com Don't take any pain killers like ibuprofin/anacin, recent studies has shown them to thwart muscle growth. Sore muscles are just damaged muscle tissue...they will recover by themselves and grow to adapt to the next onslaught on them.
Since you're just starting out try to stick with compound excercises: squats, leg presses, barbell bench press, bent over barbell rows, etc. And keep your workouts to 60 minutes or less...After about a month or so I would go to working one muscle group once per week. For thre advanced beginner and up:
Mon: Quads
Tue: Back
Wed: Hamstrings (sometimes with light biceps and triceps)
Thur: Chest, calves
fri: Shoulders (delts)
sat/sun: off
I also do about 30 minutes of cardio twice a week whenever I'm feeling energetic, but it's not a priority as I get quite a bit of outdoor biking done as a result of a maniac girlfriend.
I can get away with working 5 days in a row but I recommend 2 days on one day off...etc. I f you have any more questions I'll try my best to answer them...

 

[DennisHP]

As Drew says, get some protein and carbs in your body right away after a workout. Your muscles will not be so sore the next day when you do this. Also, imagine looking forward to that sore feeling after a workout! I do as it is always a good indicator of how productive your workout was.

 

[Greg_R]

When you're first starting out you'll want to ease into the lifting. Don't push yourself to failure for the first 2 weeks... After that (assuming you feel fine) you can start to push yourself. Keep in mind that your tendons and other connective tissue need to be built up as well. Your cardio (during lifting) will improve within the first 3-4 weeks... after that you can start circuit training to burn more fat.

I should also mention that a good warmup, cooldown & stretching routine are critical (especially as you get older). Do ~5 minutes of warm up (until you start sweating), followed by stretching (>10sec per stretch). Depending on the exercise, I'll do a warmup set as well.

 

[Michael*K]

OK, with the pain I was in earlier, it probably wasn't a great idea to go out shagging fly balls up at the baseball field tonight.

Glutton for punishment, I guess.

 

[Drew Bethel]

shagging????

 

[Brad_V]

Mike, if you've been off for five years, you really need to ease back into it. If you are seriously that sore right now, I wouldn't work out at all again until the soreness is gone. And then when you get back into it, whatever amount of weight you think you can do, cut the poundage in half. After a couple weeks of light stuff, start increasing if you want. If you hurt yourself by doing too much too early, you'll be out for much longer than just a couple weeks.

And as was said, definitely eat enough protein. For a typical "works out pretty decent three times a week" person, I'd shoot for about one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. It's just a ballpark figure. Professionals eat up to 2-3 grams per pound per day, but most mere mortals don't need anywhere near that much.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

About weight training: In a week or two at a given weight, you will feel like you could pump more. And you can. Then a week later, you add more. Then, you pull/tear something and you are out for a month. This is the famous 3rd-week injury a lot of people suffer.

Here is the trick: your muscles will grow in a week, but the legiments that hold the muscle to the bone are stiff and dont grow as fast.

Never increase weight more than once in 3 weeks.

When you think you might be ready to increase weight - do your first set with your old weight, then do your second set with one more weight. If I can do this continously for about 4 sessions, then on the 5th session I start with the new weight.

Another bit of advice: you are sore. Note the weight and reduce it. Keep reducing it until the next day you feel worked, but not sore/injured. If you feel super sore, you will find all kinds of excuses to not go back.

Only after you are in good shape can/should you try the intense body-building lifting that the hard-boys do. Dont start trying to do this.

 

[Jody C Robins]

Just a note about Creatine. No studies have been done on it's long term effects, so use at your own risk. Even though it seems like every player in the NFL uses the stuff, I have not tried it and have no plans to.

 

[Tom Johnson]

As you can no doubt tell by know there are many conflicting tenants as to what is the "best" way to train. I have been a personal trainer in the best. The best way to train is the way that is best for you. Most of the advice you have gotten so far isn't necessarily wrong, it just may not be best for you. First you should examine your goals. Second, you should decide the amount of time you are able to put forth. This is very important. You shouldn't set an unrealistic goal of how much time you can spend in the gym. You will find yourself missing workouts and eventually not going at all. Don't get locked into a particular method. Try all of them. Try different training splits and different exercises. See which work best for you and which don't and which ones you body responds to. For example, someone may tell you that the only way to train legs is to do squats. That may be fine for most people, but what if you have a knee or back problem? It may be best to use an alternative method. What if you can only devote 3 or 4 nights a week to training? If that's the case one body part a night wouldn't be realistic for you. Read as much as possible. This is one the the best ways to get as much information as possible and sort it out for yourself. Try some of the reccommend routines and see if they work for you or not. You have to listen to your body and see how it responds. Some people need more or less recovery time than others. If you are still sore from the last workout you most likely need more time to recover. Don't go overboard on supplements. Learn about them and see which are best for you. Personally I don't think going on creatine your first week in the gym is good advice. You will make some of your biggest gains in size and strength in the early phases of your training as yopur muscles respond to the new stimulation. Later, these responses will be much smaller. It is at this point that I would recommend using creatine and some other supplements. Get plenty of rest between workouts and drink plenty of water. A good portion of your muscle is comprised of water. Don't use a hard and fast rule as to when to increase weight. Your body will tell you when it's time. If you have any specific questions feel free to contact me. A good source of information can be found at www.weightsnet.com.

 

[Samuel Des]

As Tom mentioned above, it really is dependent upon the person. In my experience[b/], rest is over-rated, i.e., taking days off is over-rated. I have noted substantial improvements in my overall abilities to perform by pushing myself to work out everyday.



Having said that, when I notice something that is out-of-the-ordinary (good pain versus bad pain), I stop and wait at the first sign of injury. I feel that I am attuned to what my body tells me, so I feel that this is the right way to go about it for me.



Again, I wouldn't recommend my routine to other people. It just seems to work for me. My strategy will likely change as I age. If it ever gets to the point where I don't enjoy it, I will take up a different routine, or play different sports.

 

[Chris Lock]

> Just a note about Creatine. No studies have been done on it's long term effects, so use at your own risk.

It's a natural substance your body creates, so I wouldn't worry about it. However, I've never heard of it as a remedy for soreness.

To relieve/avoid soreness from working out:

-stretch

-ointments like Icy Hot or Mineral Ice

-massage

-hot tub, steam room

-MSM (a supplement you can get in pill form, basically sulphur)

 

[Tom Johnson]

It's a natural substance your body creates, so I wouldn't worry about it

You should re-think that statement. Testosterone is a natural substance your body creates and I don't think you would recommend he take that, would you? Here's one article that discuss some creatine side effects. http://www.purepowermag.com/samples/...tinedanger.pdf

 

[Samuel Des]

As far as weight gain from muscle size, the effects of creatine appear to be true from what I have seen. There are a few guys in my gym who went into it together at the same time and -- I'm not kidding -- after two weeks, the effects were visible. These guys got pretty big VERY fast! That was enough to convince me that creatine wouldn't be right for me.

 

[Drew Bethel]

I've been taking creatine on and off for years now. I have not experience any negative side effects. Just increased strength and a few extra puonds in weight.

 

[Michael*K]

Well, I'm not going to be taking creatine or any other supplement if I don't have to. I just want to feel and look healthy. I could care less about being "ripped."

 

[Henry Carmona]

If its within 24-48 hours of the accident or strain, apply cold pack 15 to 20 minutes 3 times a day.
If more than 48 hours, or after Cold Pack, apply Hot Pack 15 to 20 minutes 3 times a day.
If your inclined, get a prescription for a muscle relaxant(if continuous pain and stiffness), anti-inflamatory(if swollen), and OTC pain medication.
And of course rest and no lifting.