"My god, that was a great workout - I'll still aching!"

[Tobias_Reece]

Hey guys

 

Dont post much in this forum, but I have a nagging question....

 

The other day someone came up to me and said "My god, that was a great workout - it's three days later and I'll still aching!"

 

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I read that a muscle "burn" should die off after x amount of minutes. If the pain is still there after several days, the muscles are actually damaged.

 

Is this correct, or am I talking a load of crock?

 

Cheers everyone

 

 

[ckdstudent]

An ache the next day is fine, shows that you've worked and should dissappear after a decent stretch. An ache three days later is a sign of either very bad stretching/warm-up/cool-down or of damage.

 

 

[rabid hamster]

I used to get lots of aches and stuff, but now I warm up and stretch for 30 minutes and I never get those anymore.

[KickChick]

Soreness is due to lactic acid build-up, muscle spasms or muscle damage.

 

Soreness that lasts more than two or three days may indicate something more serious.

 

By muscle damage I mean that overloading your muscles can cause micro tears, when the muscle heals it becomes stronger. This is why weight lifters lift every other day - to give the muscles time to heal. Movements that cause muscle soreness have been shown to produce localized damage to the muscle fibers. Chemical irritants such as histamine are released from damaged muscles and can irritate pain receptors in the muscle. Also, muscle damage often causes a slight swelling in the muscle tissue which creates enough pressure to stimulate these pain receptors. However, it has been shown that some swelling may persist even after the muscle soreness has disappeared. So, it is thought the pain receptors either gradually adapt to the swelling or to some other factors present.

 

Obviously the person that made that comment to you overused his muscles or lacked consistent training.

 

 

[Tobias_Reece]

Ok, cheers guys - so that means I wasn't talking a load of crock.

 

I feel so proud

 

 

[Jack]

Erm Kickchick, while I agree with the majority of your post, many weightlifters will only work the same bodypart once a week due to the intensity of the workout and how the muscle needs so long to heal afterwards. If you try squatting 3 sets with a weight that will bring you to failure in 6-8 reps, I'm sure you'd be aching for more than one day afterwards.

 

Working your muscles every other day can lead to overtraining unless you work them with the intensity of one of those many guys you see in the gym lying in a steambath, hoping to lose fat from it.

 

 

 

[KickChick]

er um Jack ... thanks.

 

I guess it would depend on how intense you are going to take your weight training routine. I was actually referring to a non-pro weight lifter ... (actually referring to what I do) I believe the norm for most people who go to the gym is 2-3 sessions a week (so that would be every other day.... right?) The normal "working person's" regime.

 

A typical strength training workout can be done every other day with great results and no injury .... as long as you don't take it to the extreme.

 

Everyone's goal is diff ... it is a "routine" for some of us and once a week for my biceps just won't "cut it" ....

 

 

[Withers M.A.A.]

Your body actually builds muscle while you are resting. If you work out today you damage your muscle. Over the next few days it repairs itself. This is when you build muscle.

 

Pete

 

 

[Bon]

Most people who take weight training seriously use a 2 day split routine and have one day a week off.

 

They get used to weight training, so their body rebuilds a lot quicker than someone just starting, plus they fuel their body with a lot of protein which I'm guessing most of us have trouble getting adequate protein for weight training due to money, etc.

 

 

[Jack]

Sorry if my message sounded a little harsh, I typed that early in the morning. No hard feelings.

 

There is no one right or wrong way with weight training, but there are dozens of different methods. Working the same muscle once a week will suit those who go for intensity, and working it 2-3 times a week would suit those that prefer not so extreme methods. Whatever you choose, make sure it suits you!