When I work out....?

Question

I recently started working out to loose weight and to tone my muscles. If I do a bunch of crunches, push ups, and jump rope, my body aches for 3 days. Is this normal? Should I wait to work out until my muscles are no longer sore. 3 days just seems like a long time. I figured I would be able to work out every other day. Am I over straining myself? Please help me.

Answer 1

What you are experiencing is called Lactic Acid build up. That's what causes the soreness in muscles. The funny thing about it is that the only way to get rid of it quickly is to actually work out again.....because working out burns it. The key is to vary the intensity of your workouts. If you have a hour long session at like a level 8, the next day you need to do 30 minutes at a level 3 or 4. In college I used to run. I would do one day of 2 miles under 11:30 and then the next day I would run a single mile at a 8 minute rate.

When trying to burn fat, it's all about heart rate and time. You don't start to burn off fat until you have reached your optimum heart rate for 15 minutes.

Also, you can increase fat loss by working out in the morning before eating. If your body doesn't have food for fuel it will begin to look for it's reserve resources AKA fat.

In the end, Rome wasn't built in a day...so don't push yourself to hard to fast. Take pictures of your progress...because it's difficult for us to see the baby steps unless you can see where you started and where you have gotten to.

Answer 2

Sounds like you are straining yourself a bit. Ease up a little, but keep at it. Work out every other day - working out with sore muscles is okay as long as you don't push it too far. Not sure how many a "bunch or crunches" are but try 3 sets of 20 for lower, upper and oblique. Same with push ups. Jump rope inbetween body parts and not all at once.

Answer 3

You should be able to and it is recommended that you work out every other day. Sounds like you may be over doing it or you may not be stretching enough before and or after you work out. I wouldnt wait until they are no longer sore but wait a day or two to go back, it gives your muscles a chance to break down so you can build them back up. The pain is an abundance of lactic acid, I know the pain as I used to run a lot. Beleive it or not chocolate milk helps rebuild the muscle (Mens Health). Also my husband is a weight lifter and he drinks Whey Protein shakes after and says this helps build the muscle as well (vanilla is the best). good luck. Oh and when you go to the gym you need to alternate what muscle groups you work, get a routine down ie. legs on Mondays, arms on Wednesdays etc.....

Answer 4

This is normal especially if you just started working out. Your body isn't use to it yet. There is an over production of lactic acid when you begin working out and your body is not adept in getting rid of it as quickly as it would if you had been working out for awhile. It is fine to workout again if you are sore. You should wait a couple days in between workouts so you don't overwork the same muscles. Massaging your muscles, stretching, and cold showers are ways to help dissipate the lactic acid that builds up in your muscles.

Answer 5

Yes, it is normal and you should continue to work out, as much as your body can handle. There is no need to take a three day vacation between workouts. It is most likely lactic acid causing a lot of your aches or you aren't strectchng enough or properly. Make sure to stretch before and after your workout and stay hydrated. The more you work out and the better shape are, the less you will ache. Good job and keep up the good work!!

Answer 6

It is definitely normal to be sore after working out, and you should leave one day in between where you let your muscles rest so you will see effects sooner. If your whole body is sore right now, maybe try a routine where you work out arms one day, legs the next, or something like that. Thats what's always worked for me.

Answer 7

you need to get your heart rate up, but try varying your exercize routine so you are not making the same muscle groups sore. try working out with a video, like tae bo or something that gives you a warm up and a cool down, you will not get as sore. what you eat matters, you need good proteins to rebuild your muscle, but watch what is in those protein shakes, you do not want depression creeping in on your good intentions. so - work out every other day or even ever day, just vary your program.

Answer 8

Soreness is normal after a strenuous workout. Modifying your diet can help, increase your protein intake a little, maybe something sugary after your workout to help refuel the muscles. Drink alot of water to help flush the lactic acid out of you body.

Make sure you are eating well. If you are not eating enough to fuel the body to exercise, the body is going to eat on itself, i.e. destroy muscle tissue, and bone calcium stores.

Answer 9

You will want to ease up on your workouts, I'm in the middle of the exact same situation and the advice I get from everyone is not to stop, but just take your intensity down a few notches until you begin to gain more muscle and endurace. Don't loose the drive you have now, but don't overdo your workout to the point you end up getting sick and give up altogether.

Answer 10

Same thing I am going thru
my instructor told me to stretch whenever I can
while I watch tv before bed when I get up
it helps
also for me it seems to help to work it out some more
like I was really sore yesterday then when I worked out last night it made me feel better