Discepline v.s. soreness

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graceunstoppable

New member
I've joined a gym and I've finally started dedicating myself more to working out. I've been taking morning classes to up accountability, and it's really been kicking my butt. I'm finally excited to work out and I'm enjoying it - but I'm noticing that my biggest, most common excuse to not go to the gym is 'I'm too sore, I should avoid working out today'

My goal is to work out 3 days a week, but my average week ends up being like this:
  • Monday: work out
  • Tuesday: really, really sore - no workout
  • Wednesday: ' Well, I'm still kind of sore...' - no workout
  • Thursday: workout
  • Friday: sore - no workout
  • Sat & Sun: My company gym is closed on weekends.
I feel like this isn't enough working out to show results.
Does any one else have this issue? Should I just be pushing through the pain and working out anyway?
 
@graceunstoppable I used to get WICKED bad, can't walk 48hrs afterward hamstring DOMS from RDL's. I was doing them once a week.
Started doing them twice a week and pushed through the pain. Turned out doing them more often stopped the soreness. Counter-intuitive but very very real.
 
@graceunstoppable I'm sure you've gotten a lot of great advice on here, but here's my two cents from a relative newbie (been consistently working out since January of this year).

I would try forcing yourself to go when you're sore. I've been amazed how sore I can be but once I start moving around at the gym, I'm stretching everything out and I actually start to feel better. Sometimes if I'm just SUPER sore from a lift, I'll go and do cardio instead. There's always something you can be doing that isn't too terribly painful and usually you feel kinda warmed up and better after, in my experience.

Here's the other thing: if you go more often, you won't get sore so badly (typically). The less working out = the more time you have in between workouts = the higher chances of getting sore.

Last thing: Warming up and stretching to reduce chances of soreness.
 
@graceunstoppable Try using a foam roller or a medicine ball on your muscles before a workout if you're feeling sore- it'll hurt like a BITCH but you'll be at least a little loosened up to the point where you can do the workout.

If you push yourself to just be consistent for one week even though it hurts, you'll barely feel sore in between workouts if you stay consistent.
 
@graceunstoppable If you're sore - a walk is always a great way to get some exercise without taxing your muscles too much. Once your muscles get warmed up they may actually feel better and then you can do a good stretch afterwards.
 
@graceunstoppable I have been lifting for years and am sore like it's my job. I squat Monday and deadlift Thursday, and am recovered by the next time I lift.

I have found many things that help, mag at night, food right after workout (esp. Carbs), taurine and vitamin e after workout, stretching, standing at my desk, lots of water - but soreness is life :)

One thing I can do is ride a bike while my legs are still sore. I keep a very high cadence and takes away a lot of the stiffness. Running helps my lower back soreness a ton, but only if under 45 min and relatively slow.
 
@graceunstoppable I'm going to get downvoted... I'm aiming for better consistency and also having this issue. I have past injuries, though, and am 40. Because of this, my personal policy is to not push through too much pain.

I do do active recovery on off days. (Light swimming or cycling - very easy work, though, no pain - just enough movement to get blood moving around.) I'm also just not increasing weights from workout to workout right now, until I build up better strength and recovery capacity.

If you're fresh on a weekend, though, might be worth getting a membership at one of those $10/month gyms and knock something out on a Sunday now and then.
 
@graceunstoppable Your problem is all in your Wednesday.

If your pain is on one side but not the other, or comes on suddenly, that is an injury (it could be just minor, but it's an injury rather than normal DOMS). Don't do any exercise on that bodypart until it feels better.

If you have an illness that is contagious, don't go to the gym.

But other than that, if you're scheduled for the gym in your plan, go to the gym. If your body part is too sore to get a good workout, get a shitty workout. But get in the habit of going to the gym on the days you're supposed to go.

Worst case scenario, you get a good workout on Monday and Friday, and a shitty workout on Wednesday. And even that's better than 2 good workouts on your current "wait until I feel good" plan, right?
 
@graceunstoppable The best way to stop soreness is to move a little bit. Maybe you don't need to go to a class or do anything strenuous, but until your body gets used to it, try going to the gym M-W-F and maybe try to do something lighter/easier on Wednesdays to help get you through the soreness, just so you get the routine going.

Also, are you stretching at all? It may help with the soreness if you're not! Not just after you exercise, but try stretching before you go to bed and a few times throughout the day. You should try to stretch for 15 minutes at least after a strenuous workout.
 
@graceunstoppable The soreness goes away, just keep at it. If you don't push through it and only attend class sporadically, you'll likely continue to get sore. What kind of sore are we talking about, btw? Like can't sit down on the toilet sore or just stiff muscles kind of sore? The prior should not be happening anymore. That kind of sore regularly is not a good sign. Things I've found that help are stretching, using a foam roller and taking some Natural Calm at night. The Natural Calm will also help with bowels soooo go easy on it.
 
@graceunstoppable I don't think it's as simple as a yes/no response.

Are you maybe-kind-of-a-bit-sore and this is actually a motivation thing? Then you need to work on that. There are a million strategies, so it really depends on what motivated you.

Are you experiencing normal DOMS? Not such a big deal. Maybe it's a matter of reading up on DOMS so you know what's happening and upping your motivation to work out.

Are you sore because you started off doing too much? Do you feel absolutely wrecked after a workout, not energized? Maybe you're going too hard on Monday and need to adjust the intensity of your workouts to build a solid base.

Are you sore because you are or have been injured? Are you sore because you form is off? Then you definitely need to back off and get a proper medical opinion for the injury/trainer opinion for the form.
 
@graceunstoppable General soreness isn't well correlated with fatigue or need for rest days. I would find a structured program that you can fit into the workweek and just do it. The soreness will likely go away after a few weeks.
 
@graceunstoppable I try to structure my week around anticipated soreness sometimes! So if I know I'm likely to be sore on say, Tuesday, that's a day for yoga, a gentle run or a swim. Yoga in particular helps me recover faster. And if I know I'll be missing a day or two due to my schedule, the day before is when I'll go all out and push myself knowing that I'll have a full rest day or two afterwards. By that logic, Friday is your day to go wild!

By the way, you'll almost certainly get less sore over time, as right now your body is probably adjusting to new movements. Over time this will reduce a lot. Now I only get sore after a really tough session, or when I change things up with something totally new.
 
@graceunstoppable How long have you been working out for? When I first started, my DOMS was so bad I felt like I got hit by a truck everytime I worked out. Now, after 5 months of strength training I almost never get very sore.
 
@graceunstoppable I would DEFINITELY try to make yourself go MWF if your gym is closed on weekends. Sometimes it HELPS the soreness when you workout again....

What kind of classes are you taking? All strength? Cardio?
 
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