I was a little nervous putting this post up as I knew some would disagree with feeling sore being a good thing. I do have to say, being sore and OVER-working yourself can be two very different things.
Tips To Prevent Soreness:
1. Recover with Carbohydrates
2. Stretch
3. Use Gluatmine
4. Don’t over do it!
Read more about Post-Workout Recovery Here:
This is what I needed to hear today. Thanks.
I don’t mind being sore. It’s feeling nothing that should bother us. Thanks Flavia.
Interesting timing of this one Flavia. My trainer saw me at the gym this morning and he was smiling and shaking his head (he knows me well). All he had to say was, “you know you’re limping, right?”. And yes I was focusing on legs today. I was following day 1 of the Musclicious program, which I like. I tend to be the type of person who may overdo it.
Believe it or not, it’s hard for me to pull back. I’m so used to the mentality of making every workout better than the day before, i.e., heavier weights, shorter rest periods, change lifting tempo, etc. I train 6 days a week but I do need to cut back to 5 as my body is protesting. I follow your tips above (except #4 because I don’t know how to define overdoing it for me) to prevent soreness but I still feel sore … to the point of having trouble sleeping. And I know sleep is vital for muscle recovery.
Thanks for the reminder Flavia. I need to figure out when I am going to switch to training to 5 days a week and stick to it.
haha! I know that oh too well. I have the same personality and feel really guilty cause when I don’t practice what I preach!
What kind of Glutamine and how much? I get soooo sore two days after. I think they call it DOMS. (Delayed onset muslce soreness)
Hi Betina,
Here is the brand that I get and that I have heard Vince recommend: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/all/glut.html As long as it pure glutamine, unflavored, you should be good.
I take 5 grams with my greens drink before breakfast and 10 grams post workout.
Yes, just go to your nutrition store if you don’t want to buy online and ask the person working which is the best quality glutamine. There is a suggestion on the bottle. I usually do 5 grams twice a day. If I feel like I am getting sick I take 20 grams a day until I feel better.
You’re right Flavia. While I’m not a fitness pro like yourself, I feel tremendous guilt if I remove 1 day from my workout schedule. How do you address the guilt to hold yourself back?
Two scenarios since I’m not sure which your asking:
If you feel guilty about taking days off that are scheduled into your workout plan, don’t! We only experience the training effect (loosing fat, gaining muscle) by training + recovery. Your muscles, central nervous system, immune system, and metabolic system all need time to recover!
If you feel guilty about missing days that you were supposed to workout, don’t feel guilty. it already happened, feeling guilty won’t change anything. Try to do your scheduled workout whenever possible. This may mean getting up earlier, not watching tv or rearranging your day a bit, do what you have to do! Life and family will come up sometimes so as long as your doing your workouts 90% of the time, don’t sweat it!
Hey Les, for me it took me getting DOMS really bad and realizing I was doing more harm then good!
Flavia…. I workout 4-5 times a week but tend to do over 3 hours or more of grueling weights and then try to fit in a small HIIT for cardio …. some days iam fine and then i feel like iam dragging so much i can hardly fiinish and have no HEART in y workouts…. then i feel guilty because iam so drained and i skipp one (or two days) feel extremely guilty and feel like i have lost alot of tone ect… so i then restart with the over doing it (i think) what do u think… HELP!!! I would really like your input… Thanks!!
one of your BIGGEST followers and fans, Jen
Hi Jen, sounds like your weight training sessions are lasting way too long! Cortisol (stress hormone which when elevated will make you soft looking and hard to loose fat) starts to rise after 40 minutes of weight training. It is best that your workouts last no longer than 90 minutes. I would recommend getting one of Flavia’s programs, she lays out exactly what to do as your workout so you can just stick to it and not worry about overtraining, quitting, etc. Once you shorten the length of your weight training sessions you should have more energy to do HIIT.
really??? Becuase i alot of my workout dvds are like 60-70 min long and i double them…. I do full body weights one day, cardio the next, circuit, off, Cardio , Full Body wts again then cardio … that is my rotation! I got GREAT results with it at first now i am too tired to continue was doing it for like 5 mths straight… what should i do now??? And I do have Flavalicious but I had asked her to help me make out a rotation with it and well never heard back 🙁 I need that in blk and wht in front of me to see if not i dk what to do ect… Plus i have trouble veiwing it on my laptop and i like the dvds for my tv 🙁 What should i do instead of what iam doing now??? It sounds like u know alot! thanks, Anna :))
Hey Jen, the 60 – 70 minute workout DVDs are fine, but it would not be a good idea to do them twice in a row. The reason you got great results at first is because your body will adapt to over reaching, but if you keep over reaching then you will start over training and you will start feeling sluggish, not seeing results, etc. Flavia would recommend taking a week off (I know it will be hard but it’s good for you and you can do some yoga/stretching) Then start back up with your workout program. Try not to let your workouts exceed 60 minutes (this is not including warm up or cool down) One thing that more advanced athletes do is perform a CNS (central nervous system) based workout in the morning, then a metabolic workout 4 – 6 hours later. If your wanting to do cardio and weight training in the same day, if you have time it is best to do them at seperate times. Remember if you are working out more you may need to increase your calories/protein for your body to recover properly.
Anna… what would u reccommend me to do for a rotation of exercise ?? Like which days do i work most parts and how can i fit in my cardio??? Could u maybe give me an example rotation I can go by… Something maybe you do that has brought u results??? I would really appreciate it so much!! IAM LOST 🙁 Thanks again for always replying means SO SO MUCH:)
Jen
Hey Jen, Do you have one of Flavia’s programs? She lays it out for you exactly. They really are great!
I have done both of Flavia’s programs with great results and am now following Vince’s program Hypertrophy MAX. Right now (in fat loss mode) I am doing 20 min of HIIT on the spin bike or eliptical Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (at 10 am) Tuesday I do 40 minutes of steady state cardio or 90 minutes of yoga. I weight train on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday (4 pm) I vary my splits from month to month but it is important to always work each group equally. On my off days I will usually do an hour of stretching. If your trying to design your own workout program, check out Vince’s site livelargetv.com He shares all kinds of wonderful information and in season 3 he teaches you exactly how to design your own workout program!
hi anna… i would LOVE to do the vince thing but NO money 🙁 Its been hard!! I like the concept of your working out, I wish I could split it like you do but i cannot when i workout i have to do it all at once or i will not finish… Thats me!! … And Yes i have flavalicious but i cannot see the videos very well on my laptop (trouble veiwing) and I REALLy Need the Dvds so i can do them but no option to buy:( Anyway… Idk what iam going to do now regarding my workouts… iam at a loss., I have rested two days now and feel EXTREMELY GUILTY NOW!! Iam afraid I will get too LAZY now and not go back, it frightens me and if i don’t have a rotation to go by or something to look forawrd to IDK what to do and will Give up and ID want tht to happen!! Ughhh! Thanks though For Everything…. Really!!!
Jen
What is “Musclicious Program”?
It is a program Flavia offered for purchase as a bonus to Curvalicious. If you want it you can probably e-mail the helpdesk and get the link to purchase.
I feel sore! 😀 Good sore. 🙂
Mary, I bought ‘Musclicious’ as part of the ‘Curvalicous’ program. I don’t know if it is available as a stand alone program?
Whatever program you get from Flavia, it’s gonna’ be good! 🙂
All the best.
Hi girls…. Even though some soreness is good, i really dont like too much. Like i really try to have the proper recovery foods to reduce muscle soreness….Cause its a major turn off. I like to feel the burn, and soooome soreness after..
ok, thanks girls! I agree her programs are awesome!
This is a great tip Flavia! I love feeling sore the day after a great workout!
I think it fair to say everyone has their own threshold of muscle soreness. Personally, I like some soreness so I know I did something, but being so sore that I am uncomfortable getting up from a chair or squatting down to retrieve something from the floor 2-3 days after my leg workout is not for me. Strength training increases my precision and endurance to perform my job, specifically manual techniques (massage, joint mobilizations, etc.). When I am too sore I find it harder to assess how much pressure I am applying, fatigue much quicker, and don’t feel that I am able to give my patients the best that I could. Ultimately, every woman must first know themselves and adjust accordingly.
For those that tend to overdo, I would encourage you to remember that it is consistency not perfection that yields change. Sometimes, going through the motions and/or simply replicating the workout we did the week before is what our body needs as a whole.
Stay awesome ladies!
I do not know if Flavia would agree with this practice but I have known a number of people to swear by increasing green juices and also taking some Bic of soda in water first thing in the morning and then after a work out.
Personally I do not tend to get DOMS however after all my workouts I then spend at least 1/2 hour doing Physique 57 DVD which I believe counteracts any sore/stiffness I could possible have had.
My recipe for avoiding soreness and putting in all you’ve got and then some to a workout?
-proper warmup ….gradually bring my heart rate up over a period of 15 minutes. Walk, then a little faster until the blood is circulating through all my muscles and they are ‘warmed up and well feed’.
-workout hard but smart….don’t try things that are too hard right now….they will come as you increase fitness. give it all you’ve got but at a weight level you are able to do with good form.
-proper cool down…..gradually bring the heart rate down again over a period of 15 minutes….this is tricky, you need to stay focused.
I have used this strategy to work hard, make significant progress and not be sore the next day.
Great tips Carrie!
Stretching is important to avoid soreness but be sure to stretch AFTER you work out not before hand. Stretching before you work out stresses your muscles beyond its normal range of motion leaving it vulnerable to injury.