My arms hurt SSSssOOOooOO BAD!! T_T

[Bastrophian]

...Ok, so they dont hurt really super bad...but im starting to worry. Ive started working out, and i know some after pain is normal, but i remember once when i was younger that i started lifting weights, and either because i was doing it wrong or i over did it, i ended up messing up my elbows...they were swollen like softballs for well over 3 weeks....i dont what to do that again... . Any tips from you muscle heads here on the forums?

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Make sure to stretch before and after every workout. Also, do a brisk walk or light jog for about 5 minutes to get everything warmed up and your heart rate up a bit. After your workout make your next meal or snack something high in protein. And of course drink some clear water. A little bit of discomfort and fatigue is normal at first, but a good way to keep it in check is do upper body one day and then lower body the next day so no one group gets overworked and has adequate time to rest.

 

[Bastrophian]

Make sure to stretch before and after every workout. Also, do a brisk walk or light job for about 5 minutes to get everything warmed up and your heart rate up a bit. After your workout make your next meal or snack something high in protein. And of course drink some clear water. A little bit of discomfort and fatigue is normal at first, but a good way to keep it in check is do upper body one day and then lower body the next day so no one group gets overworked and has adequate time to rest.

Thanks MissFishy!

Actually, i do about fifteen minutes on the treadmill, then i start doing the machines (i haven't done any dumbbells or bench presses yet but im working up to it.)....i try to do the machines every other day, unless its a different muscle group like you said. but something i think ive noticed, unless im not working the machine right, i'll be working a machine that effects my pecs or shoulders, but i feel it mostly in my arms....and mostly not at all in my pecs or shoulders. And man....its getting hard to eat right at the moment....its not that im having difficulty with "ACTUALLY" eating right...but i live with my family right now, and i dont have alot of money to buy food for myself, and all they get are these super high calorie processed foods... i really want to eat better and succeed in this.  

 

[Simon D. Aelsi]

I already told you, buddy. Too much weight too soon! You gotta pace yourself, man.   Also stretch like Goldfish said.  That will help minimize pain.

Text me or PM me, dude. We'll talk from there if you don't wanna go into specifics here.

Edit: My routine that I found works for me is that I exercise ALL parts of the body, but I keep my weight down... None of this "leg day" or "chest" day silliness yet.  Maybe someday once I've bulked out.   But for now, that, EVERY OTHER DAY. 

 

[Ms Littlefish]

I understand how that is. When I started losing weight it was very much the same way for me. My family only really ate frozen food, fast food, and the height of my mom's cooking was some cream laden casserole ordeal. I had about $30 a week, often less, to feed myself. But I promise that no one needs fancy, expensive, and over-hyped fad foods to eat healthily. Just normal every day, cheap seasonal items and some very basic culinary skills.

Do you have any say in what may get purchased during the week? Things like beans, brown rice, and eggs are very cheap and nutritious. While fresh vegetables are preferable, frozen and tinned ones are good and cheap and still have a lot of goodness in them. 

If you ever need any help coming up with better options to eat, no joke, PM what's around the house or what you might be able to pick up from the store and I'll help come up with your dinner. I'm completely serious!

 

[Wavelength]

Work your way up very gradually and, most importantly, don't "bounce" your body or limbs during the motion.  For example, if you're extending a free-weight all the way out, never extend to the point where your arm totally flattens and "bounces" back a bit.  Extend the weight slowly until your arm is nearly (but not completely) straight, then slowly bring it back.  This doesn't feel as rewarding, but it minimizes the risk of injury and actually helps you build your muscle up quicker.

 

[Simon D. Aelsi]

 
If you ever need any help coming up with better options to eat, no joke, PM what's around the house or what you might be able to pick up from the store and I'll help come up with your dinner. I'm completely serious!

Oooo! Meal planning? Count me in! Count me in!!

DS. We're here for you, dude!

 

[captainproton]

Stretching is definitely a big deal, before and after. I finally had time the other day to actually hit the weights (instead of my normal routine of bodyweight-resistance exercises) and fully expected to be functionally armless afterwards ( especially since I did more reps than usual) but, because of the almost ten total minutes of stretching, I still felt loose and comfortable.

 

[mlogan]

One thing that I've found helpful is to soak in a hot tub shortly after working out with Epsom salts added. They are pretty cheap for a big bag.

 

[Nick Nikolaev]

like you said "pain is normal" just don't get too much with it)

 

[Kaelan]

Aside from stretching, you can also do warmup sets as a quicker alternative to the treadmill. Do one or two sets of whatever exercise you're going to do at about half the weight you'd normally do it before starting the actual workout.

If you're not used to lifting (or haven't done it in a very long time), your very first couple of sessions will leave you much more sore than usual, that's normal. Just give yourself time to recover before you go back, this is mostly your body adjusting doing something hard it's not used to. Don't go back until you're fully recovered.

Also make sure you're not lifting too much your first couple of sessions - you shouldn't be trying to hit your max just yet, that will get you injured when you haven't developed the structure to support that weight. Once your body gets more used to it, you can up the weight as you go. You definitely shouldn't be getting any swelling, that's an indication you went in a little too hard. Do less weight next time, and work your way back up over several sessions. Finally, make sure you're lifting doing the correct form - if you ever have to sacrifice proper form to lift the weight, you're doing too much weight. Doing an exercise without proper form is an easy way to injure yourself. If you don't know what the proper form is, you can just look it up on youtube, there's tons of videos explaining how to do pretty much any exercise you'd care to try.

Since you mentioned machines, I'd also give this advice: when starting out, your primary goal should be to just get stronger overall, so you should try to focus on compound exercises (ones that target several muscle groups all at once, i.e.: deadlifts, squats, bench press) and avoid isolation exercises (ones that only hit a very narrow range of muscles: i.e. bicep curls). More barbells, less dumbbells in general. A small number of broad-coverage lifts will be much more effective for you than a large number of very specific ones.

Edit: If you want more specific information, this is a good starting point: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=118920551

 

[♥SOURCE♥]

No pain... no gain. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[Vox Novus]

Started getting into weight lifting awhile back after reading a muscle and fitness magazine that discussed one of bruce lee's workout routines. Anyway one thing I picked up from the magazine was that its not good to workout on a full stomach but it's also not good to work out on an empty stomach. Peanut butter and jelly is a good thing to have shortly before a workout. 

-I also used Creatine powder before and after a workout.

-Also after a workout I would drink muscle milk to get a good amount of protein to aid in recovery.

-I'd also have one protein bar earlier in the days on the days I played to workout.

Other things include making sure you perform the lift properly, having a spotter during lifts that require it and to add in routine variety allowing a day or two between targeting the same areas so as to allow healing. Also try creating variety in your workouts even when targeting the same muscles, try using different lifting techniques and methods. Also vary your routine one day focus on performing less reps but lift as much as you can (I mean number of times not weight) until you can't anymore; then another session lift less times but perform more reps.  Lastly if you work up a good sweat stay hydrated!

 

[Dalph]

No pain... no gain. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Sorry, I had to.

 

[mlogan]

I'll one-up you Dalph on workout videos.

 

[optimum45]

Holy Flashback!  The Running Man!     (runs off to watch it)

 

[Kaelan]