Went to the gym two days ago, did I over do it?

[Skyler123]

I ran a mile on the treadmill and did several abdominal exercises and lifted a bit of weights.

My abs are so sore! It hurts to even sneeze or...move my mid section for that matter. Did I over do it? I'm suppose to go back to the gym today but I am not sure whether I should go or not since I am so sore. It's been a couple of months since I have worked out.

So should I just grit and bare the pain and go to the gym today or should I wait it out another day until my muscles recuperate before hitting the gym again?

[Brando]

It's normal. Your body has "de-trained" itself and is going to be sore like a mofo for a bit longer than what it would usually take if you were in the routine. I go to the gym and work until failure, causing me to be sore for a few days afterward. That's my gauge on if I did enough :)

So yeah, you'll be fine. Go to the gym today as well if you're going to work something different. The best temporary fix for sore muscles is to start using them, they stop hurting while you use them. But I wouldn't suggest going all out on that same area of your body. Maybe do some distance on a bike and work on your arms or something. If you do work your core again, go light on the weights since you've already worked them. But even then, it's better to just baby your core and work on something else until the soreness goes away.

[WeaponZero]

Minor pain/soreness you can work out with. Major you should let it rest. You'll get used to it after a week or so of following a really strict regimen. My first time on the squat rack I was in pain for a few days after and could barely move. But did it again 3 days later with only minor soreness and problem gone!

[Skyler123]

Yeah I'm pretty sore. It hurts to even bend over or stretch. But I have been stretching a little so that I don't feel too stiff. But yeah I don't think I could do any abdominal exercises for a another day or two.

[Konnour]

Your body is like a machine and if you won't take care of it and just gonna keep forcing it in overdrive mode it will not grow stronger - it will break down!

It's very hard to explain when there's "a limit" of certain exercises.

You just gotta feel it.. having common sense.

If your muscles hurt even during the next day you should definitely not continue exercising until the pain is gone and they're at full strength.

And even if you would keep going - how well could you perform with sore muscles?

Not too well I guess.

[jimmyjkd]

if you are very sore, you probably did over do it. give your abs a rest for a week . the best thing to do is to train one body part per week. and do 15-20 sets 12-15 reps per set,on that body part, using different exercises.

and the best thing for muscle soreness is some really light training on that particular body part. don't go back and grit your teeth and do more heavy training on it because you could end up injuring yourself furtherer.

[WeaponZero]

+1 on the light weight training for that body part. One of the things I did to help alleviate soreness after doign squats on the squat rack was do bodyweight squats.

[jimmyjkd]

yes, keep doing the squats, the best exercise for overall body strength. and it will increase your muscle growth overall on the body by 10%.

[Skyler123]

I've never actually tried that method of working a different body part each week. Maybe I should try that.

[jimmyjkd]

i think that's most effective method, because you can get a lot more work done on that body part. instead training the whole body in one day. instead of training the whole body in a day. if your just training your abs, you can train them three times weeks, that really depends on the volume of training. one tip, if your looking to get a a slight six pack and you have layer of fat, that will be no good. you need to burn the fat off first through intense cardio.

[jimmyjkd]

go to this site bodybuilding.com. its got very good advice on everything on training to dieting. this is not just building huge muscles. for all training types of people. its got everything you need to know. I can't recommend a better site. good luck

[nicenthic]

I do this all the time. You have microtears in a lot of muscle groups not to mention the lactic acidosis built up from over doing it. Did you stretch before? Do you work out regularly or was this the first after a while?

Either way, you need rest now. Eat a good amount of protein so your muscles have fuel to build. Also drink plenty of fluids. Wait for a few days before going back to the gym. You should have no pain before starting again.

[Skyler123]

Yeah that's what I figured happened.I use to work out regularly up until 2 months ago. I guess I kind of did a bit too much this past Monday and am paying the price for it. I have been eating healthy as far as protein I've been eating mostly fruits like apples grapes, and bananas along with some Yogurt and poultry sandwich meats like Turkey, chicken, and beef. I haven't been drinking as much water as I should so I'll try and drink more water today and tomorrow.

[nicenthic]

yeah, drink plenty of water. It's good for your blood, kidneys, liver, brain... the list goes on.

[G-Daz]

No, I wouldn't say you overdone it. If its muscle pain and not joint pain then its a good thing. You exercise muscles by tearing down muscle fibres in order for them to become stronger, if it hurts then its a good thing. If you continue to do the same workout, it'd be likely that after a few times it will no longer hurt at all

[GymStatus]

Your body is telling on you. It is not used to working out... You go to the guy anyways. The soreness is a good thing. Blood flow eases the soreness. I work through it when I used to get sore...

[Skyler123]

Really? Well should I do just do some lite exercises for my abs then or should I just work on another body part as jimmyjkd says?

[GymStatus]

Yep do another body part. Do not do abs. Perhaps do legs and shoulders

[jimmyjkd]

everyone has a six pack, but most of the time its covered by fat. abs exercises won't burn fat

[Skyler123]

Yeah, I figure as much. So my best bet would be to go for intense cardio exercises for the time being. All I am doing right now is running. I don't really know what else to do.

[jimmyjkd]

yes just do cardio for now. I want six pack for the summer as it happens. that's I am doing is cardio and weights. I won't touch the abs exercises. because you won't get a six pack until you strip the fat. and also cut out the carbs,sugar,junk food. and just have a high protein diet. you need some carbs to keep your energy levels up, otherwise you feel weak and tired all the time.

[Lj236]

You probably over did it. I would just do a short jog to loosen things up and stretch. Its good to move a bit when your sore it help you recover faster. Then work out tomorrow if you feel better :)

[Skyler123]

So I should at least do like a lite jog for maybe 10 or 15min? I usually run at 4mph so maybe do that but at a much slower pace?

[Lj236]

A 10 to 15 min jog at that pace should be good