No Muscle Pain?

[Satsui_No_Hadou]

Hey I just started weight training recently and do have Weight Training for Dummies, but haven't read it yet :P

For me this is a first, I have weight trained in the past but not in an organised way. I started with a small 7.5kg on each dumbell doing 3x12 chest fly and bench press and did feel some pain in my pecs for the next couple of days.

I felt it was a little too easy to moved on to 12.5kg dumbells and did the same sets but I am not feeling any muscular pain at all. Should I be feeling muscular pain for a few days after each session? How else will I know my muscles have had enough time to recover? Perhaps I need more weight? As it stands it was quite difficult for me to lift the weights after about 9 reps.

[fifthchamber]

Muscle pain (D.O.M.S./Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) doesn't have to be present to indicate that you've trained hard..If the weights you push are hard for you to push up around 10-12 (or so) times, then you've done well in training...If it hurts after it's generally a good indicator, but not always a reliable one to follow..

Actually, I drink a lot of green tea after training because it has high levels of Epigallocatechin Gallate, which has been shown to reduce DOMS...It works very well for me, and means I can move the next day after training with no worries in general..

Work hard, as hard you can, and if it hurts, it hurts, if not, then be happy...If you truly aren't working as hard as you can, you'd know while training...If you are, then DOMS is insignificant for the most part..

I wouldn't worry about it...Just train as hard as you can..

Regards.

[Satsui_No_Hadou]

Thanks for the help! I was under the impression that I should be feeling the muscle pain for a few days after each session. It was just strange that I would feel it so much after the first session then not at all :S But it was definately hard to life those weights after around 10 reps.

[Gary]

Ignore muscle training by dummies, by the sound of it it's the established/outdated stuff of high rep isolations.

Try low rep, compounds as advised by "Map H&F training for Noobies"™ in our assorted stickies.

edit: slightly misread your post, but the advice is still good. Use it as a resource and not a be all and end all of training.

[Satsui_No_Hadou]

Can you link one of the stickies? having trouble finding the one you are referring to :D

I assume compounds are lifts which incorporate numerous muscle groups in one motion? I thought that with the 10kg increase in overall weight that I would feel some kind of discomfort the day after which is why I assume I am doing something wrong :(.

[Gary]

This is a good place to start!

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71400

Compuond lifts are ones that involve more than one joint, the classic examples are squat, deadlifts and bench press.

Train every other day or 3 days a week with at least a day between and you'll get the rest you need. If it's DOMS then it will lessen over time, allowing time is the best way to know if your muscles have recovered, muscular pain is a poor indicator. Always try to progress your lift, your body will adapt to what you do, whether it's adapting to extra stimuli or adapting to make the same exercise easier and give you less benefit each time you do it.

[Satsui_No_Hadou]

Well it's early days yet so I don't reckon I'll need to increase the weight for a bit. My brother also lifts weights and he told me you should only work on them once a week, not sure where he got that from, you heard that from anywhere before?

[Gary]

Well it's early days yet so I don't reckon I'll need to increase the weight for a bit. My brother also lifts weights and he told me you should only work on them once a week, not sure where he got that from, you heard that from anywhere before?
It sounds a little like the old BB protocol of training each bodypart once a week, nowadays it's usually agreed that 3 days is enough. The only people who should be training once a week are either injured people or older people who will obviously take longer to recover or have a higher risk of injury. For martial arts or any sport really a 3 day a week, strength based, total body training (TBT) style using heavy compounds will reap the best results, particularly for a beginner.

[Satsui_No_Hadou]

Thanks a lot for the help! I will start putting together a 3 day a week routine! I was already doing bench press and some squats, will need to add deadlift and research some more compounds! I've been sticking to 3 sets of 12 reps for each lift, is that too many lifts if I'm going for heavier but fewer rep sets? A poster I have says I should struggle on 8 out of a 1-10 scale of difficulty when I reach the 9th rep in a set.

[Gary]

Ideally you want to be lifting so that the last rep is the last you can do, any further lifts would fail. If you're not at that point and easily completing it with a rep or two in the bank add a little weight, if you don't manage the set drop the weight a little. Judging it as 8/10 or 73% or any measure of intensity or effort is a little skewed since it depends on the lifters own perception. I've been lifting properly for at least 3 years now, with some assorted stuff before that and I'm not sure I could accurately judge 8/10 for difficulty!

It's kind of like surfing a wave, too far forward on the wave and you wont go anywhere, too far back and you wipeout. It's a case of finding the sweet spot for maximum progress. It may take a while but stick with, it's satisfying when you start to build the relationship with your own body that allows you to know what you're capable of.

[Yohan]

A good place to start for a total body workout is:

Bench press
Pullup
Deadlift

[Satsui_No_Hadou]

can i just clarify exactly ehaty they are? Deadlift is just lifting without bending arms from the floor? and a pull up being the bodyweight exercise involving a bar?

[Gary]

Yes, though it's important to read up on deadlift form first, along with the squat it's possibly got the most potential for injury. If you start early you'll get into good habits which will make life a lot easier as your lifting progresses.

[blessed_samurai]

exrx.net will have exercise descriptions. If you look on youtube under Joe Defranco, he has a lot of movements that he demonstrates.

Start with picking one horizontal upper movement (bench press, push press, db shoulder press), 1 pulling upper body motion (barbell row, db row, chin up,etc), and a squat or deadlift. After a few weeks or a month, start throwing in a couple more movements in.