Okay, I’ve been asked twice this week about soreness associated with weight training, so I have decided to take a quick minute and shed some light on the situation. First off, weight training and soreness come as a packaged deal, so just go ahead and swallow that fact. If you aren’t sore after you begin working out, then you aren’t breaking your muscles down properly, which is the sole focus of weight training. With that being said, there are ways to combat the soreness and pain, which are mainly to refuel yourself properly through a high protein diet, and supplementation.
A high protein diet is essential if you engage in weight training at least 2x per week. When you break down your muscles in the gym (small tears in the muscle fibers) you have to repair them in order for them to gain strength and grow. The easiest way to do this is to eat proteins like chicken breast, tuna, ground turkey/meat, or whey protein powder. If you destroy your muscles and don’t do anything to repair them, you are fighting a losing battle and will be in a continuous state of muscle hypertrophy which will actually reverse your progress. The protein should be spread throughout the day with evenly spaced meals and you should reach for a goal of about 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For example a 4 oz. chicken breast has approximately 24grams of protein so if you love chicken and you weigh 150 pounds, you could eat about 6 of 7 chicken breasts everyday and be good to go! Haha, but there are options to achieve amount of protein other than just chicken, so find what you like!
Supplementation is a good option to aid in muscle repair, thus shortening your recovery/soreness time. As stated above, whey protein powder is an option for two reasons: it is very simple and convenient to take, and is absorbed by the body very quickly after a workout, which is what you want. Protein powder is also a good way to add up the amount of protein you need a day, so that guy who likes chicken doesn’t have to eat 7 breasts a day! He can just eat 2 or 3 and add a couple protein shakes in his diet and viola, recovery is in sight! L-Glutamine is absolutely money if you have a diet high in protein, because it is an amino acid that quickly and efficiently breaks down protein into your muscles where you need it most. It is cheap and easy to take in either pill form or powder, which can be mixed with water or your favorite sports drink. (BTW, I don’t condone the sports drinks as they are high in sugar, although when competing in an endurance event or high intensity sport, it does a better job at hydrating you than water because it contains electrolytes you lose through sweat.) I would also suggest adding Creatine to your supplement regimen in order to rebuild muscle, as it is a great protein synthesizer and promotes muscle growth and strength. Take 3-5 grams twice a day, evenly spaced for an effective muscle pick me up. Unlike the other two supplements I suggested, creatine should be cycled for 4 weeks followed by 2-4 weeks off. On a side note, it has recently been found that creatine can minimize or prevent the development of Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases so if you have a family history of any of these, it might not be a bad idea to use it off and on. (This information was found in The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss) All of these supplements are safe to use and are cost efficient, and can be purchased and researched online at bodybuilding.com which is where I buy all of my supps because they have the best prices and a ton of information about anything you are interested in.
Well I hope this helps some of you that may be interested in trying out some weight training, and just remember that soreness is a good thing and states that you broke your muscles down properly. Now, you just need to repair them, so eat up and try out my supplement suggestions! See ya at the gym!
love this! so helpful!
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