Muscle soreness after weight training

[Kawakami Gensai]

All right, well, I consider it weight training. I'm only doing about fifteen pounds on each arm, which is sadly about all I can handle at this point. Anyway, after a couple days of doing the following...

1) 10 curls
2) 25 pulls
3) 25 bench presses

3 sets of each

...My muscles aren't sore at all. What I'm trying to say is: Why aren't my muscles sore after doing what is difficult for me? Isn't recovery from soreness what makes your muscles stronger?

[elder999]

When you use muscles you have not used for a while or try a new exercise or training technique, it is normal to feel a dull ache of soreness in the muscles that were trained-I get sore every winter from skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing-every winter that there’s snow, anyway. This pain is caused by microscopic tears in the fibers of the connective tissues in your body--the ligaments that connect bones to other bones, and the tendons that connect muscles to bones.
This microtrauma may sound harmful, but is the natural response of your muscles when they experience work. This is the primary reason it is so important that you get enough rest between specific muscle workouts. Each time you work out with weights, you cause this "damage"--these tiny tears in your muscles; they need ample resting time to rebuild and become even stronger, bigger, and more firm.

The reality is that soreness is a very poor indicator if muscle growth is occurring. If you worked at a level that demonstrates overload you will cause muscle growth. In fact, muscle soreness on a consistent basis can be a sign of doing too much work and leading you down a path of overtraining. Many top athletes train without any desire to experience muscle soreness as it impedes their ability to perform.

Your lack of soreness may be due to a lack of intensity :just because you’re lifting the most that you can now doesn’t mean that you’re lifting the most that your muscles can. I take it from your other posts that you’re ailing, and you’ve actually been able to lift more in the past. I know a little (well more than a little) about working out while debilitated by illness. These weights might not be your one-rep maximum. If your doctor says it’s okay (or even good) for you to lift weights, determine what your one-rep maximum is for those exercises, and use about 70% of that for exercise…..if you can, I’d also recommend body-weight exercises like push-ups and pull-ups to failure. Cheat on these if you have to.
Talk to the doctor, though.....

[Johnny Yuma]

Matt,

I've never weight lifted professionally, but Elder's advice for push-ups and pull-ups sounds good. Rotate days, though. Also, I would add dips into the rotation, as they are killer for your triceps.

The important thing is, exhaustion. Just as Elderdude said. Try to work your heartrate up a bit before you go at it though...and don't forget to stretch, isolating and highlighting the muscle groups you plan on working.

You can supplement that with your current work out and see how that goes.

[Shitoryu Dude]

You might want to pick up a book on weightlifting.

There is far more to weights than most people realize, and if you aren't going to use a trainer, then do the next best thing and study up on it.

[Michael Bland]

Yup. read some body building forums, too.

as some basic advice...

I would suggest more weight, less reps in a set.

Do whatever weight you can do 6-8 reps, but don't wuss out - actually do what you couldn'T possibly do more than 8-9 times with someone pushing you and screamin in your ear. Then do about 4 sets on a single exercise... Don't worry about the weight as a qunatitative figure as compared to what others lift - just compare your own progress!

I would also recommend doing more exercises that incorporate more muscle groups. I would throw out the curls... focus on Bench, Squats, and Deads as a starter. If Deads kill your lower back, then at least do some lat pulls or rows instead. Those three will help you grow and will also grow your arms, as well.

Also - eat big. Read up on the proper nutrition for building muscle... proteins, fats, and the proper complex carbs.

Rest a lot! Don't do too much in one day.. and don't do too much in one exercise... and make sure you leave a 5-7 day window after blasting a muscle group before you hit it again.

good luck and happy lifting!

[Mike Hawthorne]

Also, you might want to try Max-OT if you are looking to add muscle mass. Its free and a pretty good ebook on weight training.

[KempoCat]

hi

if youre wanting a serious book that coves pretty much all aspects of weighttraining. i'd suggest 'the new encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding' by schwarzenegger and b.dobbins.

i recommend if you ahve the choice, then to purchase the hardcover version, as the softback tends to fall apart cos the book itself is heavy and massive..

[kmorgan]

Though I've never been a pro I have competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting over the years. Scary, I've been training for 25+ years now....
The guys who have already answered here, have provided sound advice to you, so I won't bore you by saying the same things again.
Your weight training routine should be a reflection of what you want. Do you want strength, size or tone? As there are multiple different ways of training for each.
Basically..Eat big, sleep big and lift big.
I wrote an article for EJMAS a few years ago, it may provide you with some basic advice, give it a read if you'd like,
Good luck,
http://ejmas.com/pt/ptart_morgan_0202.htm

[kmorgan]

Forgot to add this one
http://ejmas.com/pt/2004pt/ptart_morgan_0304.html

[Shimura]

I used to do the heavy weight training/bodybuilding thing, but recently got turned on to this program called CORE training by Mark Verstegen. I really like it, and incorparates all aspects of training from stretching to weight lifting. Plus it has alot of movements and excercises conducive to someone who practices budo. You can pick up a copy of the book online, or even at your local bookstore ie Barnes and Noble etc.

[spartanmachine]

Some sound advice here. You're definetely doing too many reps to get sore. BTW soreness is due to swelling that occurs not microscopic tears themselves but the swelling that surrounds those tears. Tears are what cause your muscles to grow though. Just had to elaborate. That's why doing light work + many many reps after heavy few reps reduces soreness somewhat, because it decreases eventual swelling.

[Troll Basher]

Here is a website that has lots of workout info like 1 rep max calculators, and so on. It also has some suggestions for workout as well.

http://www.thepumpingstation.com/

Here is another one for workout logs:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/WorkoutLogs.html

and another

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/resourc...Workout%20Logs