4
votes
Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
This is week 5! I think by month 3 I might talk to the coaches for thoughts on starting the muay thai classes - or maybe I'll wait for month 4? It feels a lot more dependent on what my post-move schedule looks like (read: whether my willpower can handle showing up consistently when I'm not splitting household responsibilities lol).
I have a harder time remembering the names of the exercises we do in the Monday sessions since they aren't written down on the board... here are the ones I do remember:
I got a $50 mountain bike from FB marketplace! Seller said it belonged to his now-college aged son when he was in his teens. Getting into biking has been in my mind for a bit, because my new apartment is close to a few places I'd like to go to regularly that feel a waste to drive to (<5 min drive) that are too far to walk to, especially if I'm hauling anything at all (laptop/textbooks for library, groceries from the nearby Mexican market). There's also bike trails on both sides of the river nearby, but I'm less interested in biking for exercise - perhaps that might change? And of course, I didn't really want to spend money on something "good" because I tend to fall into that sort of Reddit-new-hobby consumerist trap often: research what I need to get into a new activity, overthink getting best return for my money, etc. well before I even know if I can get into that new activity on the regular. So... I wanted cheap and used in good condition, that I won't be too upset about if I end up not biking at all, or if it got stolen.
The helmet I got for it costs more than the bike itself :)
I understand there are many variables, schools of thought, complex matters, etc, etc... Still!
I'm very much a beginner, and my goal is mostly to keep going to the gym 2-3 times/week. While there I would prefer to make progress, but most importantly to not get hurt.
I have two questions about weight-lifting (machine-assisted, not free weights, but it shouldn't matter).
How much "delayed onset muscle soreness"[0] is OK to have when exercising the same thing?
What is a "good enough" sets×reps system? I'm doing 3 sets with up to 12 reps and go heavier next time if I manage all 36, no lower limit. Is this reasonable?
[0] this is what was proposed as a translation from my language for the pain you have in your muscles if you have worked (out) hard.
For weight training, what actually matters is that a) you get close to failure (or get to failure, if you can do so safely) and b) that you progressively overload
There have been research studies that show normal muscle growth under training regimes with only 1 rep per set. That rep just needs to be near a person's 1 rep max.
In practice, anywhere between 5 to 30 reps in a set is fine. Its personal preference.
For DOMS, the main thing to worry about is if the pain is sufficient that your form because bad, as that raises the risks of injury. Otherwise, you can power through if you want. Not really a particular limit. The DOMS will lessen as you train more.
Generally, exercise regimes focus on one muscle group (e.g, a pull day, a push day) or the other so that DOMS doesn't interfere. Although supersets are also a thing.
Thanks, this is enough information for me.
Seconding what @stu2b50 said. DOMS will lessen as you train more. And the science is pretty clear that anywhere from 1-30+ reps, so long as you're getting to just shy of failure each set, are basically equally effective for hypertrophy (muscle growth). Lower reps generally increases strength gains more effectively (which is why powerlifters tend to train using 1-3 rep max sets), and higher reps increases endurance more. Higher reps takes more time to accomplish, but low reps increases injury risk.... so that's where the typical "8-12 reps" recommendation comes from, since it's a decent middle ground between the two extremes.
p.s. I personally always shoot for around 6-8 reps before failure, and once I can start doing 12+ reps of a particular weight, that's my cue to increase it for the next set/session to get back down to 6-8 reps. Doing that provides a nice progressive overload cycle, and has also helped me track my progress more easily.
If you are going to the gym frequently DOMS subsides fairly quickly. When I first started it was a real pain but it all went away within maybe 1-2 weeks, surprisingly.
Caffeine can also help to reduce DOMS if you take it around when you do your workout. It’s one of two reasons why pre workout powders use it. You need a moderately large dose though.
Things are going pretty great, i have been eating a lot of candy but also exercising a ton so i think my body is just freaking out and coming up with cravings that are pretty hard to resist.
Im house sitting so im away from my climbing gym but i have a membership to a closer gym for the month as a sweetener for staying here. I got my first v5 and almost my second there, though the first one felt a bit light tbh. Though climbing routes are odd and really play into strengths so i can maybe see it? The second one will be sent tonight when i go again, though i had a pretty stark reminder of the danger when pushing yourself. It was at the top of a very high wall and reaching for the last hold i slipped and came down in a weird way with my arm under my body and i heard it crunch a bit but thankfully it wasnt in the right position to break. That would have really sucked. Oh well, v5's are on the menu now! Also, im just flashing v4's which is crazy progress imo.