so i started working out this past friday... anyway, i honestly thought i was lifting a light load. at the time i could feel the burn and everything. anyway, to make a long story short, my shoulders and arms are crying out in pain for the past 2 days. i been using ben gay to help alleviate the pain. anything else you guys recommend? a warm bath with epson salt?

and in the future.. how can i prevent this from happening again?

and when is it ok for me to work out again? after i heal? or is this normal?

Hi Hookenhorns,

Just a quick reply before the real experts kick in:

IME having muscle pain after the first time you lift weights is entirely normal. Also that this lasts a couple of days. Of course I cannot judge if this is muscle pain or something more serious but like if the pain did not start suddenly and came up on you after you lifted the weights there is a big chance that this is just sore muscles.

To prevent from happeniing again...actually a lot of people on the formum like the feeling of slightly sore muscles after workout as a good sign.

Usually the soreness gets less after 2 or 3 times (if you do like 1 workout like power class a week).

Suggestions to have less trouble the next time:
- do a good warming up
- do a good cooling down (including stretching)
-take lighter weights next time
- build up to it, start slowly & progress little by little.
- get some instructions as to how to perform the lift (also helps a lot to prevent injury)

The build up to it is also a very good idea to prevent injury.

If it is just sore muscles you can surely work out again after 1 week. The minimum I have heard is to have a minimum of 1 day rest between workouts for the same muscle group. A lot of people on the forem have 3 or 4 day (or 5 day) splits, so they have more than 1 day rest between.

I go to power class every week in the gym. This also has tha advantage that you learn the techniques as well, which is again a good idea to prevent injury.


succes,
Rabbit

A warm bath, anti-inflammatories, and gentle stretching should help. It's okay to be sore, but make sure that you didn't injure yourself. If you do work out, focus on your lower body instead to give your upper body time to recover.

thanks for the advice guys... just a real quick follow up Q.... does epsom salt baths work? or is it just some fad. im thinking of taking one tonight to help alleviate the pain. by the way, the pain is going away slowly. i cant' wait to work out on upper body again. im resting the upper body right now and running and doing lower body till i heal.

Epsom salts are supposed to work. I've never noticed much difference between a regular hot soak and a hot soak with the salts. It feels pretty nice either way. My favorite thing to do is to hit the whirlpool or sauna in the gym after a particularly gruelling workout. It seems to lessen the soreness afterwards, and even if it doesn't, I think it's a reasonable reward for a job well done.

Don't worry about the pain though. It comes with the territory. You'll find that it lessens as you get used to it, and that when you try something new, your muscles will cry out in protest all over again.

Do some gentle stretching, have some hot baths and then do it all over again as soon as you're able.