Sore muscles.

[equinox]

I've stared going to a gym recently and it's cool but I'm getting sore muscles all over my body. I'm not really used to doing lots of physical activity. I'm fit altready but I've been doing lots of weight training. Is it normal to get sore muscles or is there something wrong with what I'm doing?

[LostInMyThoughts]

Yes it's very normal.

 

If you want to mitigate it, first warm up by doing light-moderate cardio. Then stretch, especially the muscles you plan on working. Then after your weight routine, do a full set of stretches again.

 

Stretch before you go to bed, and when you wake up in the morning.

 

Eventually, you won't be as sore, and sadly, you'll start to miss that sore feeling.

[shes2smart]

Normal.

 

Soaking in the bathtub in hot water with Epsom salts will help ease the soreness. The package of Epsom salts will tell you how much to use.

 

If you're not already doing so, you may want to do weight training every other day to give your body a chance to rest & repair itself.

[easyguy]

Stretching is very important before working out, especially for lifting weights. I usually do some warm-up stretching for a few minutes beforehand, and a couple minutes after I am done to wind down and relax the muscles.

 

Yes, it is normal to be sore. If you are sore, give it a day or two to go away. Never work out if you are feeling sore. Also, watch your form on certain exercises. Often times a sore muscle can be the result of improper form. With lifting weights especially, you don't want to hurt yourself by not doing it correctly.

 

I remember a few months ago I dedicated one workout to leg exercises. I did lunges for a couple of minutes, but did them a bit too fast. The next three days my legs were extremely sore.

 

Resting is important. Give your body time to do its work.

[Ash]

It's entirely normal.

 

Don't overdo it at first though. It takes a while to build up working all those muscles that normally don't get a workout even if you are relatively fit.

[stark]

Its normal, what type of soreness do you have?

 

Muscles feel stiff when you move them - Thats inflammation caused by muscle tearing, warm-up more or cut the amount your lifting.

 

Burning sensation when moving - Lactic acid build-up, your muscles didn't get enough Oxygen, cut your reps.

 

Muscle fatigue (too tired to lift) - Muscles aren't getting enough glucose, rest more between sessions.

 

If your going to intense lifting sessions that it might be worth taking a Whey/Cretine mix* which will deal with most of the soreness issues.

 

*Do your research first before taking anything

[confused25]

If that's the first time you worked out in a while, then it's normal to be a bit sore afterwards. Next time before your workout, make sure that you stretch well and afterwards too (especially the parts you know you will be working on).

[geraldann]

3 days ago i got out of bed and the back of my neck and top of my shoulders was hurting,its now day 3 and cant move my head and shoulders without a lot of pain.have not done any straining or exercise that would cause any pulled muscles.i take an over the counter pain pill for the pain and it calms it down but it does just stay there.it makes my head tilt forward and right in the very top of my shoulder in the very middle is where it feels like it is coming from,it feels a little hard. got any clues?

[shes2smart]

3 days ago i got out of bed and the back of my neck and top of my shoulders was hurting,its now day 3 and cant move my head and shoulders without a lot of pain.have not done any straining or exercise that would cause any pulled muscles.i take an over the counter pain pill for the pain and it calms it down but it does just stay there.it makes my head tilt forward and right in the very top of my shoulder in the very middle is where it feels like it is coming from,it feels a little hard. got any clues?

 

You might've slept with your head or neck in a weird position and caused some muscles to spasm (cramp). That is likely what that hard spot you're feeling is. I've done that before. It can cause the kind of symptoms you're describing.

 

If you have a chiropractor, they can do wonders for stuff like that. I've been doing regular visits to a chiro for over 15 years and have found that to be a huge help with neck/shoulder/upper back issues.

 

You can also see your regular doc. S/he is likely to prescribe some muscle relaxants which will help, but may not get at an underlying structural issue like a chiropractor can.

[Ash]

I second what shes2smart says about a chiroprator. I got this way myself and nothing I did to try and relieve the muscle pain worked because the muscles were working when they shouldn't have been due to back misalignment and swollen (and locked) joints in my back and hips. Chiro fixed me up very well.