I am a total beginner to weight training, and had my first session with a trainer at the gym last night. We did a lot of different exercises - free weights for my arms, balance exercises, cardio, squats, and machines for abs and legs. I knew it was a lot to begin with at the time, but I really felt fine while doing the exercises.

I expected to be sore today, but most of my body feels fine (very minor soreness)... except for my quads, which are seriously hurting. Walking is painful but tolerable, but going down stairs is really quite awful. My quads feel extremely stiff, and I can tell they're swollen/retaining water as I literally can't stand with my feet together because my thighs are getting in the way (this isn't normally the case for me). Another sign that I'm probably retaining water is that my weight is up more than 2 lbs. since yesterday, despite eating on-plan.

My question is: how do I recover from this? I am skipping the gym tonight as it doesn't seem wise to even go and do my cardio on the treadmill as I had planned, but I really want to a) figure out how to recover from this, and b) make it to the gym tomorrow for cardio.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to recover? Is it safe for me to take Advil, or is that ill-advised because it will hide the pain? (It seems like it would be good for any inflamation) Should I stretch? I've been drinking a ton of water today, but other than that I'm not sure what to do.

Thank you very much for any feedback.

Take some advil, drink some water, and if you possibly can, move as much as possible. You don't have to slam it out at the gym by any means, but walking or some light cardio gets your blood flowing, which whisks the lactic acid (the byproduct that is currently causing you so much grief) out of the muscles faster. Really, it sometimes sucks to be doing cardio when you're still sore, but it WORKS.

Awesome. Thank you so much! I really WANTED to go to the gym to do the cardio, but was worried it wasn't safe to do so. (Now I'm upset I missed it when I could have gone ) I'm so glad I can go tomorrow. I don't mind doing it through the pain, as long as I know it's safe (and even better, good!) to do so.

Thanks so much again - I really appreciate it.

Cardio is perfectly safe. So is lifting, incidentally, although it could be more painful.

Hate to break it to you, but the "second day sores" (technical term -- Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) are often worse.

The good news is that after a couple of weeks, you won't get as sore. Your body will adapt, as it is so good at doing.

Good for you for starting with strength training. It's really the only way to prevent or at least minimize muscle loss during weight loss. (Plus it's good for your bones, for your body shape, for day-to-day living, etc etc.)

//b. strong,
Kim

Definitely feeling better today than yesterday (though going down stairs is still rough!), and my weight is back down - lower, actually, than it was before my training on Thurs. I did go to the gym, and I took the first 5 minutes on the treadmill slower than usual, but really felt fine and so just walked my normal speed after that and added 5 minutes at a higher speed at the end. I'm REALLY glad I was able to go - thanks so much to both of you for the advice.

I'd just like to jump in and send words of encouragement. I've been lifting and doing functional exercises for a year. I'm still a beginner and have learned a lot from the people on this site. Stay here, post, and keep lifting.

There have been times when I was so sore I wondered WHY? was I doing this? But, Kim is right: over time it gets better. I find the second day (DOMS) often much worse.

And, Mandalinn is right, too. Keep moving!

I recommend that you read about foam rollers, get one, and use it. It really helps.

Rhonda

Thanks so much, Rhonda, for the encouragement. I was honestly worried the other night... I played a varsity sport in high school and through my first year in college (12+ years ago now!), and remember how sore I would be through the first week of practice (my abs especially; we would do something like 500-600 reps of different ab exercises per day), but I've truly never felt ANYTHING like how my quads felt the other night. I did a lot of different leg exercises with the trainer, and we kept adding more weight because I was doing fine with it at the time... and I was seriously afraid I might have injured myself - especially because the rest of my body felt fine (only the basic soreness I had expected). Edited to add: I also didn't stretch at all before doing any of the exercises with the trainer (she didn't suggest it, and I didn't think of it because I was so nervous about my first session with her), and I'm going to insist on stretching first when I meet with her again this Thursday.

My legs feel a bazillion times better today, and I did my cardio at the gym again - I'm super grateful for that advice, and think the walking has helped a lot. I did my arm exercises at home with 8 lb. dumbbells last night (and I don't really feel sore at all from those, and so am probably not doing enough ), and tomorrow I'm planning to go to the gym earlier than normal so that I can do the leg exercises again - maybe with a little less weight, or a few less reps.

I honestly like the strength training a ton better than the cardio - I really LOVED doing it the other night. I'm truly looking forward to continuing it, I just want to try to find a sweet spot where I feel sore but not non-functional the day after.

Thank you, again, to all three of you for the advice and encouragement. I'm such a beginning at this, and I appreciate so much that I can ask a question and get such great feedback. Thank you so much.


Edited again: Rhonda, the foam rollers and exercises sound like exactly what I could have used this weekend. What a great suggestion - thank you!! I will definitely look into getting some.