How long do you stay sore for after a workout?

[Pequenita]

Muscle recovery does take longer as you get older. Other factors play a big role, too: nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress.

 

[MissySki]

Muscle recovery does take longer as you get older. Other factors play a big role, too: nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress.

The thing I've noticed most in the past few years is how quickly you can lose fitness as you age as well if you don't keep up with it, and the bounce back is harder. I've always been pretty sporadic about working out and go through periods of feast and famine you could say, for an actual gym or class or videos at home sort of thing. I blame this on not having to worry about weight for most of my life, and having an easy time feeling fit with "normal activity" versus putting in much actual time needing to work out for the activities. Now I notice the gains AND losses quite quickly in muscle tone/shape/strength when I stick to a few days per week of workouts like over the summer or when I take a couple of months off like I did most recently after all of my summer sessions changed times etc. Luckily my weight doesn't change by more then a couple of pounds in these times still but endurance sure drops massively, it's a good reminder that I do need to be more steady in my routine or it'll just get harder down the road to keep up with my normal. And potentially way more painful it seems!

 

[VickiK]

Muscle recovery does take longer as you get older. Other factors play a big role, too: nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress.

Yep. When I was younger, I'd be sore from new workouts the next morning. As I got older, I'd feel it more 2 days after a new workout, and seems like it would last an extra day or two.

 

[contesstant]

The thing I've noticed most in the past few years is how quickly you can lose fitness as you age as well if you don't keep up with it, and the bounce back is harder. I've always been pretty sporadic about working out and go through periods of feast and famine you could say, for an actual gym or class or videos at home sort of thing. I blame this on not having to worry about weight for most of my life, and having an easy time feeling fit with "normal activity" versus putting in much actual time needing to work out for the activities. Now I notice the gains AND losses quite quickly in muscle tone/shape/strength when I stick to a few days per week of workouts like over the summer or when I take a couple of months off like I did most recently after all of my summer sessions changed times etc. Luckily my weight doesn't change by more then a couple of pounds in these times still but endurance sure drops massively, it's a good reminder that I do need to be more steady in my routine or it'll just get harder down the road to keep up with my normal. And potentially way more painful it seems!

Ohhh just wait, it gets even more pronounced with age! I was the same--never gained weight per se no matter what. Then menopause hit...no matter WHAT I do, the weight just creeps up, and in places that it used to NEVER be an issue.

 

[MissySki]

Ohhh just wait, it gets even more pronounced with age! I was the same--never gained weight per se no matter what. Then menopause hit...no matter WHAT I do, the weight just creeps up, and in places that it used to NEVER be an issue.

Can I just opt out of this process???

 

[contesstant]

Can I just opt out of this process???

I wish, as I'm sure most women do! I'm just grateful to keep going, and keeping going is more important than ever. So, just keep moving!

 

[MissySki]

I wish, as I'm sure most women do! I'm just grateful to keep going, and keeping going is more important than ever. So, just keep moving!

Indeed!

 

[tinymoose]

I honestly like this feeling. I was sore so often as a kid when doing gymnastics but I was also ripped. As ripped as I'll ever be. I had at least a four pack and my upper arms and legs were so muscular. I get annoyed now when I work out and am not sore the next day. I feel like I didn't accomplish anything. lol I know that's not accurate, but....

 

[tinymoose]

Also, I could never gain a pound to save my life and since turning 37? 38? I've put on 15 lbs. Joy.

 

[nopoleskier]

@MissySki I would go in sauna in my workout clothes. I'd just tell the ladies I"m stretching before working out. I didn't stay in long. I'd sit on bench do toe touches, side twists. doubt it was even 10minutes. When done working out I'd go in towel. Some are naked, some are in bathing suits. depends on comfort level.

Unfortunately the older we get it is harder :-( UGHHHHHH

"Move it or lose it" is my motto now. Yoga is wonderful for keeping fit and it really isn't hard to
do even just doing a few poses for 15min 2-3x a day helps..

I hate getting old.. Until I was about 50 I was always ripped, never gained weight, now I look at chocolate and gain lbs and getting rid of it is 100x harder!!

 

[Gloria]

Yes to this. So, either keep pushing until you adapt, or push a little less until you adapt. Your body is adapting to the stress of the new exercise, which is not a bad thing as that's what you want it to do, but there certainly IS a threshold that can be considered "too much" and yes, it does get lower as you get older. I don't know that DOMS gets worse as we get old, but your joints and soft tissues that support them definitely suffer more as we get older. The tendons and ligaments lose their elasticity and just don't support like they used to. It's why keeping the muscles strong is SO important as we age!

When I was in college, I was taught the 48/96 hour rule. If you do the same activity (that pushes hard, this was specifically in regards to weight training) then it was too frequently, if you wait 96 hours between doing the same activity, then you would lose the benefits. I don't know that I 100% subscribe to this, but as a general rule, it's not a bad one to apply, PARTICULARLY in regards to strength training. I'd never tell anyone OR myself that I can't ski every day ;) BUT just like biking in the summer, it's wise to vary up the intensity and duration of the time on skis or the bike, and have a straight up rest day in there, even if I go for a hike or walk. Change it up. There are a lot of other factors (intensity of the exercise, for one) that play into the 48/96 hour rule.

This would be applicable to bodypart split style training where the goal is to fatigue specific muscles individually for hypertrophy like in bodybuilding. Flyers and bicep curls to failure would be an example. Multi-limb strength training using larger muscle groups such as squats can be done more often though. Running, skiing, that kind of thing can be done daily.

@MissySki I would imagine age can be a contributing factor but I don’t know for sure.

 

[contesstant]

This would be applicable to bodypart split style training where the goal is to fatigue specific muscles individually for hypertrophy like in bodybuilding. Flyers and bicep curls to failure would be an example. Multi-limb strength training using larger muscle groups such as squats can be done more often though. Running, skiing, that kind of thing can be done daily.

@MissySki I would imagine age can be a contributing factor but I don’t know for sure.

Yes, that makes sense! It's been a looooong time since college. I've learned to take the "listen to my body" approach (most days) and sometimes I ignore it anyway "Oh, I did a really hard ride yesterday, but you want to do X ride today that is also really hard? Oh, sure, why not?!" Then I rest for 2 days after instead of 1.

 

[Pequenita]

I get annoyed now when I work out and am not sore the next day. I feel like I didn't accomplish anything. lol I know that's not accurate, but....

It could be that you're not doing things that cause soreness - eccentric contractions (using the muscle while it's lengthening) stress muscles in a different way than concentric contractions, and result in more soreness. For instance, they say that soreness from bicep curls isn't so much from lifting the weight but rather from lowering it with control. The muscles still get tired from contractions, but they're less sore.

 

[Pequenita]

As much as we all want to be invincible, I thought this was a lovely read:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2374356/body-says-no

 

[MissySki]

As much as we all want to be invincible, I thought this was a lovely read:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2374356/body-says-no

This is a good read, though a little depressing. We do all take for granted that we can do what we want to physically and our bodies will comply or become able to with some training/healing/coaxing/etc. Can't imagine if that were not the case.

 

[marzNC]

As much as we all want to be invincible, I thought this was a lovely read:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2374356/body-says-no

Good read. Family context matters. Got me thinking . . .

My mother was not sporty. However, she was very aware of the need to stay healthy. She was never overweight. She stayed in shape by continuing to walk and do a little Tai Chi a few times a week on her own as she reached her 80s, and then 90s. She stopped driving in the dark around age 80, stopped driving completely well before 90. Paid attention to supplements and diet so that she never broke a hip even after a couple hard falls after 90. Wanted a stepper in her apartment when walking in the hallways of the retirement community wasn't of interest any more. She did 100 steps every day. Was sharp mentally until the day she died at 95 under Hospice care in her own apartment after a short illness.

My father was sporty. Had a slightly different approach to staying fit than my mother. But long walks outdoors was part of what he did after age 90. Also was is good shape physically and mentally until he passed at age 95 after a short illness.

Over the past 50 years or so, I've participated in assorted sports. Some only on a basic rec level for a few years--often more for social reasons than physical--a few more seriously. Some team sports, some activities that can also be done solo. I have no regrets about the sports that I stopped playing years ago. I found new interests. I am thoroughly enjoying working at becoming a better skier even though I'm over 60 at this point. I take the longer view. Taking it a little easier for a day or a week or two in order to be in better shape for a planned ski trip is not a sacrifice but an investment in a better life going forward.

 

[VickiK]

I found new interests. I am thoroughly enjoying working at becoming a better skier even though I'm over 60 at this point. I take the longer view. Taking it a little easier for a day or a week or two in order to be in better shape for a planned ski trip is not a sacrifice but an investment in a better life going forward.

Being open to new interests, changing one's approach, and taking the long view shows resilience and adaptability.

 

[marzNC]

Being open to new interests, changing one's approach, and taking the long view shows resilience and adaptability.

That reminds me of a topic at a workshop for managers at my company back in the 1990s. The concept was how to prepare to deal with the unexpected, because being flexible is a valuable job skill. That was especially true at the time because the company was in the process of going from being a private start up with less than 50 people in one office to a publicly traded global corporation with almost 20,000 employees with large and small offices on three continents.

The ideas covered in the workshop were similar to those in this article:
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/rhubarb/dealing-with-unexpected-at-work.html

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I have DOMS, which is weird. Delayed onset muscle soreness. If it's something I haven't done in awhile (first day skiing, first day of new workout), I'm fine the next day. But the day AFTER....

CBD lotion to the rescue. Stuff works (for me).

 

[Jenny]

I have DOMS, which is weird. Delayed onset muscle soreness. If it's something I haven't done in awhile (first day skiing, first day of new workout), I'm fine the next day. But the day AFTER....

CBD lotion to the rescue. Stuff works (for me).

I’ve just started looking into CBD oil/lotion. Coworker has used both hemp-based and marijuana-based and says she and her mom both find the marijuana-based more effective. Do you have one you like better than others?