Group: Injuries & Rehabilitation

Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 54, Messages: 4465

Dealing with injuries and learning how to avoid them is extremely important!

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ADVICE: Body soreness

3059365
3059365
Posts: 21
Joined: 2006/08/09
Australia
2006/12/30, 05:23 AM
Dear Readers,

I was wondering, recently i have adapted new workouts into my workout routine and I have experienced pains in the regions in which i am working. I have added squats and i have had sore upper thighs for three days now, is this to be expected? I havent done them for at least a month maybe a month and a half, and when i was the weight wasnt as high - as i have used other legs strengthening workouts since then. Is the pain a good thing or bad? It isnt a servere pain more like an ache of sorts. Is it my muscles reacting to the new load and stress and simply growing (which i am hopeing)? Or has it made my muscles weaker? which is why I may be experiencing pain? Also is it wise to continue training with these simple aches? As it is not serious of that i can be sure, you can deffinetly tell when something is more then just a cramp or ache. Any information would be well appreciated - As i experience some other aches at times in other areas as well, can anyone explain why this happens.

Kind Regards,

Robert
Ravenbeauty
Ravenbeauty
Posts: 3,755
Joined: 2002/09/24
United States
2006/12/30, 02:56 PM
Hi Robert,

It is normal to experience soreness if you haven't worked those areas in a while. Are you drinking enough water? drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day will help as well. To aleviate some of the soreness, I always soaked in the tub with epsom salt and stretched. I am not a big fan of popping pills alot so if it is absolutely unbearable, take some ibuprofen.

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Bettia

To be motivated, motivate others!
homegym1
homegym1
Posts: 75
Joined: 2005/08/12
United States
2006/12/30, 09:28 PM
eat alot that always helps
Ravenbeauty
Ravenbeauty
Posts: 3,755
Joined: 2002/09/24
United States
2006/12/30, 09:31 PM
depends on your goals homegym.

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Bettia

To be motivated, motivate others!
3059365
3059365
Posts: 21
Joined: 2006/08/09
Australia
2007/01/06, 02:11 AM
Hey guys,

Sorry havent looged on in a while, yeah i do drink quite a bit of water but i suppose i ca always drink more. I also experence soreness in other muscle areas sometimes, especially after a hard days work on a specific muslce group, i read an article that its a good thing as long as it isnt unbearable - its says that it timulaes muscle to grow and the aches are a sign that the area has been worked. Is this true?

Kind Regards,

Robert
shaunbroyhill
shaunbroyhill
Posts: 115
Joined: 2006/12/30
United States
2007/01/06, 01:56 PM
What you are experiencing sounds a lot like Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, also known as DOMS. DOMS is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers. The amount of tearing (and soreness) depends on how hard and how long you exercise and what type of exercise you do. Activities that require muscles to forcefully contract while they are lengthening, (eccentric contractions), seem to cause the most soreness. You use eccentric contractions when you descend stairs, run downhill, lower a weight, or perform the downward motion of squats and push-ups. In addition to muscle tearing, swelling can occur in and around a muscle, which can also cause soreness hours later.

Here are ways to prevent or reduce DOMS.
Warm up thoroughly before activity. Don't immediately jump into heavier lifting.

Cool down completely after exercise. Give your body a chance to keep your blood flowing through the muscles to reduce the amount of toxins still in the tissue.

Perform easy stretching before. Don't over stretch yourself, but do enough to get your muscles ready for the workout.

Perform thorough flexibility exercises after exercise, while the muscles are warm. Again stretch the muscles, because when you do a lot of lifting/contractions, it can cause the muscle to essentially "bunch up" as I call it, so the stretching helps get the muscle relaxed again.

Start with easy to moderate activity and build up your intensity over time. Don't jump right into a heavy pace of cardio- start at a low intensity and build up.

Avoid making sudden major changes in the type of exercise you do- don't just jump into a heavy routine right off. Build up to it slowly.

Avoid making sudden major changes in the amount of time that you exercise- If your body adapts to a 15 minute workout, and you all of a sudden switch to a 60 minute workout, your body won't like it. Gradually build up to the workout length desired.

If you get DOMS, here are the best ways to treat it:
1. Wait. Soreness will go away in 3 to 7 days with no special treatment.

2. Avoid any vigorous activity that increases pain.

3. Do some easy low-impact aerobic exercise - this will increase blood flow to the affected muscles, which may help diminish soreness.

4. Use the R.I.C.E. treatment plan (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)

5. Use gentle stretching on the affected area

6. Gently massage the affected muscles,

7. Try using a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the soreness temporarily, though they won't actually speed healing.

8. There is some evidence that performing Yoga may reduce DOMS.

9. Allow the soreness to subside thoroughly before performing any vigorous exercise.

10. Don't forget to stretch and warm up before your targeted activity.

Lastly, if the pain or soreness exceeds 10 days, you may possibly have an injury versus DOMS, I would check in with a physician at that time.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2007/01/07, 09:11 PM
Along with the RICE treatment, I would actually cut back on the Ice portion. While a cryomassage can be great, regular icing as is intended with RICE treatments reduces blood flow, and while this helps to control inflammation, it impedes recovery. You're aim should be to increase blood flow to the area.

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Iron and chalk.
brachii
brachii
Posts: 79
Joined: 2007/02/26
Canada
2007/03/01, 09:05 PM
I've seen guys at the gym, all they work on are biceps. They spend literally an hour or more doing nothing but biceps. First some bicep curls, then barbell curls, then hammercurls, the preacher curls. I see guys doing this everytime they go to the gym. Wow talking about overtraining eh? I don't see much gains in these fellows.

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\"Gold medals aren\'t really made of gold. They\'re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.\" - Dan Gable

brachii
conan_0822
conan_0822
Posts: 441
Joined: 2006/11/23
United States
2007/03/03, 10:42 AM
Not to mention the tri's are the bigger muscle in your arm :)