pain

Hello people!

I need help! I was just wondering if anyone knows how much it is reasonable feel painfully stiff after a weights session. Immediately afterwards and even the following day I feel fine, but the day after that it's agony! Does this mean that I'm overdoing it on the weights, or does it just mean that I'm being pathetic and I just need to man-up. If it's the latter, will it get better as I do more? I don't really mind the stiffness, but it puts me off doing exercise on that day, which means I can only lift twice a week (not really enough). Also, I my work involves lifting, carrying stuff as well as hanging onto horses, and the stiffness makes me feel weedy!

Any suggestions are much appreciated!

I've found the same thing every time I've changed up my strength training workout to include newer harder exercises.  After a couple of workouts with the new exercises, the excess stiffness two days later stops.

If it's bad enough, I'll delay my next workout by a day - and I've still had results I'm happy with.  I figure it's really a good thing because it means I'm definitely challenging my body and working as hard as I can.

 It's called Delayed Onset Muscle soreness or DOMS for short, and there isn't a really compellig explanation for why it occurs. Current best guess is that it's related to inflammation of the connective tissue in your muscle rather than something involving the muscle tissue itself, but the evidence is sort of sketchy.

 It usually helps to do some sort of recovery work the day after - light moving around at 40% of max heart rate, just enough to get the blood flowing. Current best guess as to why it helps is that the increased blood flow helps bring more nutrients and growth factors + anti-inflammatory serum peptides to the connective tissue, but again, even though we know it kinda works the why of it is more a guess than settled science.

I need to at least sit in the hot tub after a heavy work out the next day, but light stretching or some more of what bit me, but with no intensity helps (aka stretching).  The hot tub a few hours later and again the next day is great in conjunction with stretching.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I also do yoga, so I think I'll try to alternate that with the weights to stretch some of the stiffness off - although yoga sometimes makes me stiff too! I guess that I'm not really overdoing it then - just need to get round it somehow - and get in the bath!

Ibuprofen will also help.  Take it before you work out, then as needed according to the directions.  It reduces inflammation.