Soreness

Hello everyone-

I recently started doing strength conditioning. I've always been a runner and have done cardio exercise, so I was very cautious about lifting weights. I started slowly following instructions from the personal trainer at my job's gym. They guy is very knowledgeable but recently he put me through a hell of a workout and I'm so sore it's not even funny.

I want to know if there are any tips for getting rid of the soreness? it's so bad I can't pick up my 7 month old up!

Please help!

Stretch and take hot baths/ showers.

Fish oil and ibuprofen - ibuprofen for the pain and some short-term anti-inflammation help, fish oil for the long-term help with the inflammation.

 DOMS is currently not really well understood but the best guess we have is that it's related to inflammation of the muscle fibres and fachsia - certainly, anti-inflammatory treatments tend to help.

Original Post by melkor:

Fish oil and ibuprofen - ibuprofen for the pain and some short-term anti-inflammation help, fish oil for the long-term help with the inflammation.

 DOMS is currently not really well understood but the best guess we have is that it's related to inflammation of the muscle fibres and fachsia - certainly, anti-inflammatory treatments tend to help.

 Thanks for the tip. I've been taking Ibuprofen before goign to bed. I just don't want to get complacent or used to taking it, but as bad as I feel now i'll try anything!

Melkor! If I did strength training on Monday and HIIT on Tuesday and I'm going to the gym again today, but my lower body is still pretty sore, is it still ok if I strength train again today?

Have you ever seen those white foam rollers at your gym?  If not, ask a trainer if they have any and see if they will show you how to roll out.  My volleyball coach in high school had us roll out after practice - and the first time we did it we just about cried!  It hurts alot in the beginning but after a while your muscles will loosen up and it will really decrease how sore you are the day after an intense work out. 

Aside from time, a little bit of light activity is probably the best way to reduce soreness. I like going on a light jog when I have bad DOMS and it seems to bring down the intensity of the soreness. Even though you probably don't feel like moving, sitting still will only lengthen the amount of time it takes to recover.

Thanks everyone for the tips. I'm still hurting but going away slowly.

tennisjess1701 I have see those white foam rollers and wondered what they were for.... I guess I knwo now... I'll ask my trainer to show me what to do for my arms and back as those are what hurts the worse.

Here's a newbie question... DOMS is an acronym for what?

Cheers ya'll

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Hurts like a mo'fo when you're stupid about getting back into training or changing your exercises -  I was walking like a geriatric for the better part of a week just recently. Hurt too much to bend at the knees when walking ;)

 As long as you're not actually in pain, just dealing with common residual soreness it's better to train than not; moving around gets blood flowing to the muscles and the healing process speeds up some. As long as you can get through the exercises with good form there shouldn't be any issues.

 Key point is good form of course - if you're in enough pain that it interferes with the proper execution of the exercises you should stop; the consequences of using improper form have a heck of a lot more potential for long-term damage than missing a workout has.

Original Post by mnmario125:

tennisjess1701 I have see those white foam rollers and wondered what they were for.... I guess I knwo now... I'll ask my trainer to show me what to do for my arms and back as those are what hurts the worse.

Here's a pretty good introduction to foam rolling.  I'd recommend rolling everything to start instead of just rolling what hurts since pain in one area is often caused by problems somewhere else.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by mnmario125:

tennisjess1701 I have see those white foam rollers and wondered what they were for.... I guess I knwo now... I'll ask my trainer to show me what to do for my arms and back as those are what hurts the worse.

Here's a pretty good introduction to foam rolling.  I'd recommend rolling everything to start instead of just rolling what hurts since pain in one area is often caused by problems somewhere else.

I agree with FS - rolling is something everyone should do on all parts of the body, you wouldn't believe how much it helps - you'll be working on muscles you never even knew were sore:)

I agree about the foam-rolling.  I don't do it enough, but when I do, it's like having a personal massage -- for free!