So, I started the week very gung ho about how I was going to return to my pre-wedding routines for food & exercise. I knew it was really weights that I'd been slack with & needed to get to the gym pronto - so off I toddled on Tues after work. I realised it was the first time I had been there after work since about a week before the wedding. (i.e. over 2 months ago now!) I have been a couple of times on weekends, but had not got back into an after work routine in all that time.
So I did a bit of cardio to warm up well, then weights, then a bit more cardio, then abs & stretching. Maybe I was a bit ambitious with the weights, as it had been a few weeks ... but I was so determined about getting "back into it". So I went straight for super-setting everything. At one point towards the end, I actually felt slightly weak and dizzy ... and afterwards my legs were actually trembling. I bent down to re-tie my shoelace (something it seems I have to WAY too often ... anyone else have this problem??) and I seriously had the shakes. haha Anyway, I felt a bit shakey and fatigued afterwards, but not in a bad way.
As expected, I was in a bit of pain the following day and this escalated on Thursday. Every time I stood up from my chair at work to go somewhere I had stiffened again & was walking like an old grandma. I had planned to have Wed as a rest day, as I knew there would be pain, and get back to the gym on Thurs ... but I seriously could barely walk on Thursday and was even sore on Friday. Yesterday I just took Lucy for a good walk instead, and it is only now today I feel I can go back to the gym.
Normally I would always advise just working through the pain, once you warm up it feels better, etc. But this was so bad I couldn't have seen how I would even get warmed up!
What do you all think out in blog-land? Did I perhaps over-do it in my enthusiasm? Or is it just that it had been a while since I was in a regular weights routine, and it should settle down now? Any tips for alleviating this in the future? I'm thinking if I need more rest days than active days, I'm not going to achieve much!
I don't have any advice about over-doing it... it seems I need yours on under-doing it! I have definite motivation problems! Well done for actually getting to the gym in the first place, I say.
ReplyDeleteI tend to do the same thing. You dont go to the gym for ages... Then when you go back you think you can do what you could months ago... And then DAMN it hurts.
ReplyDeleteHope your much better now though. Maybe shorten your workouts a little for the short term?
Have you gone back to the gym?
ReplyDeleteIf so, hope the recovery time wasn't nearly as long!
Thanks ladies.
ReplyDeleteI did go again last Saturday & did the same weights routine again. I did slightly drop the weight on the quads work because that was where I'd had the most pain & what you said Sammie is true - i had just gone straight back into what i was doing before. So I dropped it slightly and was fine this time.
However, I've had a sore neck this week. It wasn't caused by the gym - it started at work. I use a laptop at work and i think the problem is i just drop my head down too mcuh and it put pressure on my neck. I need a laptop stand or ramp or something. But this has meant I have not actually been back to the gym this week. I've also lacked motivation. Ooops.
It's normal to have severe DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after an intense workout, especially if you've had a break from exercising recently. My advice would be to start out at the weights you used to do, and if you can complete all your rep, it's not too heavy. In fact, you're probably getting a better workout pushing yourself that hard than if you were 'easing yourself into it'.
ReplyDeletePersonally, stretching straight after my workout really helps with the soreness, as does Deep Heat cream and active recovery, like going for a walk to warm the muscles up.
Also, could you ask your work if they could get you a monitor for your laptop or something?
Hope you avoid bad DOMS at your next workout!
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