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You Asked: Why Do I Shake During Hard Exercises?

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:50:00 -0800

Dear Fit,
I tried out a new strength training class at my gym, and it was awesome. It uses dumbbells, resistance bands, gym balls, and mat exercises to tone your whole body. There were definitely a lot of new moves I'd never done before, and during one of the exercises, where you're balancing on your bum in a V-position, and lowering your torso and legs toward the floor, I was shaking uncontrollably. It was kind of embarrassing. This happened during some other really challenging moves, and I'm wondering why this happens, if it's bad for me, and if it'll ever go away.
-Trembling and Shaking

There are two things you should know about your body shaking. One, it's completely normal, so it's nothing to be embarrassed about and I bet if you had looked around you would see your classmates trembling along with you. Learn the second bit of info about shaking when you read more.

Your body shaking during strength training isn't a bad thing. It just means that your muscles are working hard and are not used to the demands you're placing on them. Meaning they're just not strong enough yet. The trembling is caused by your muscles grabbing and releasing one another as they lengthen and shorten. Once your muscles become accustomed to doing these new exercises, that action will become smoother and your trembling will stop.

Since quivering means that your muscles are hard at work, you just want to be careful not to overdo it, since you can end up tearing a muscle. Gradually work your way up to challenging exercises. Either do modifications, less reps, or hold difficult positions for less time. Keep up with the class, and as your body becomes stronger, you'll be able to say sayonara to the shaking.

Any other shakers out there? Tell me the move that gets ya!

Fit Tip: Beat Sore Muscles with Cardio

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0700

One of the best things about lifting weights is the hurts-so-good soreness that you can get afterward; it's also one of the worst things about it. When muscles start hurting, hanging out on the couch chilling and not moving seems like a good idea, but this is one of the worst things you could do. A light aerobic workout can actually help relieve the pain, since moving around will get your blood moving and bring blood to the sore area - new blood helps promote the healing process. In fact, you may even want to think about adding quick bursts of cardio between your lifting sets to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness. So keep moving, your muscles will thank you.

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You Asked: Ouch! I Pulled My Groin

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Hey FitSugar,

I'm usually really good about warming up and stretching before a workout, but last week at the gym, I did something stupid. I excitedly hopped on a weight machine I don't usually use, and while trying to work my hamstrings, I pulled my groin. Ouch!

Now it just won't seem to get well. How can I treat it? Do I have to stop exercising all together? I hope not, because I'd hate to stop working out.
- Groaning About My Groin

Ouch is right. A strained muscle in the groin is very painful, and it's a hard one to avoid using - it can smart every time you walk. This is a very common injury, so for some tips on treating it, read more.

A pulled groin is actually a strain in the muscles known as the adductor group, which connects the pelvis to the femur. The injury occurs when you overstretch a muscle and can result in small tears in the tissue. It usually happens if you haven't warmed up properly or if you're attempting to lift more than you're accustomed to - both of which sound like culprits in your case.

To treat it, try the good, old-fashioned combination of rest and ice. Initially, you should ice the muscle for about 20 minutes at a time. Yes, that means sitting with an icepack on your crotch, but don't worry: After 48 hours, you can transition to heating pads or similar warming treatments. Anti-inflammatory medications can also help with any pain or swelling.

You don't have to stop exercising entirely, but do listen to the muscle, and don't do anything that makes it hurt more. It's especially important to avoid strength training the adductors or stretching them until the pain has subsided. When it does, probably after a week or two, don't forget to try these inner thigh stretches after your are warmed up before resuming your next activity. Hope you feel better soon!

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Dealing With DOMS

FitSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:00:59 -0700

Let me begin with a confession. While training for my recent triathlon, I skimped on my strength training, and that's an understatement. To jump back in the thick of it, I started working with my trainer Hannah at the Equinox Fitness around the corner from my office. Proximity and weekly appointments have made my efforts excuse-proof. The problem is, I am sore. Very, very sore. While I appreciate a little post-workout pain, I am dealing with serious delayed onset muscle soreness, aka DOMS.

I thought I would take this painful lesson as a chance to review the best strategies for dealing with DOMS. For a refresher course on the subject, read more.

DOMS is defined as pain usually felt 12 to 48 hours after exercising, but can last as long as a week. It is a commonly held theory that the pain comes from microscopic tears in the muscles and the swelling associated with those tears. Sometimes you can actually see or feel the swelling.
In 2007, an Australian study found that stretching did not relieve the pain associated with DOMS. I feel, though, that stretching the muscles when sore helps to build more elasticity in the new muscle fibers.
The soreness should go away by itself, but do avoid any vigorous activity that makes the pain worse. Light aerobic exercise can help the healing process by bringing fresh blood to the sore muscles.
Some people find pain relief in massage, although this doesn't necessarily improve muscular function.Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) like ibuprofen can help relieve the pain, but like massage, this will not speed your recovery time.
A proper warmup can help reduce the symptoms associated with DOMS. Increasing blood flow to muscles with light cardio makes them more elastic, so they are more resistant to micro-tearing.
When you're experiencing DOMS, your muscles are actually weaker. Keep this in mind and avoid strenuous activities until the pain has subsided, because you are more likely to injure yourself.
Drinking tart cherry juice after a workout might help reduce the pain, but the jury is still out on this one.

You Asked: Muscle Twitch in My Back?

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:01 -0700

Dear Fit,
I went to a four-day cleansing yoga intensive over the weekend. It was great. I felt so relaxed by the end of the retreat. Come Monday, though, back at my desk, a muscle in my back started twitching, just below my rib cage. I will admit it was a rough adjustment after four days on a yoga mat. The muscle kept twitching off and on all day; there was no pain but it was really annoying. What would cause this to happen? Did I stretch it too hard at my retreat?
- All Twitched Out

The yoga retreat sounds lovely, but I feel you on the back twitch. To see what I think, just read more.

Muscle twitches like yours are small muscle contractions in a specific area, or they can be an uncontrollable twitching of a group of muscles served by a single nerve fiber. There are a few factors that might have contributed to your back twitching: stress, caffeine, and diet. Twitches can be brought on by stress or anxiety; while this more commonly happens around the eye, it can happen to muscles in other areas too. Coming back to work can be stressful, especially after taking time off since work can pile up. If you have dealt with the shock of being desk-bound by drinking an extra cup of joe, the additional caffeine could lead to muscle twitches as well. A twitching muscle is also a symptom of a diet low in magnesium. If you were doing lots of athletic yoga in a hot environment, excessive sweating could lead to loss of magnesium. Consider adding chard and spinach to your diet, since both are high in the mineral. Or, try sipping a sports drink that contains magnesium. My favorite is Nuun - you drop a tablet into your water bottle.

Lastly, muscle twitching can occur post-workout, generally after strenuous weight training or cardio sessions. If you were doing rigorous yoga and lots of it, this might explain the twitch.

Fit Tip: Strength Train at Least Twice a Week

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0700

You know you should be spending time strength training, but you already spend a lot of time at the gym doing cardio and don't think you can fit in toning sessions. Don't assume you have to spend hours lifting weights - it doesn't take much to start seeing results. Start with 20 to 30 minutes of strength training sessions twice a week. Lift dumbbells, do exercises that use your own body weight such as push-ups and tricep dips, experiment with a resistance band, try those weight machines. Remember to work all your muscle groups, not just your upper body. Once you fit that into your schedule, work on adding another day. You'll notice that you're body is stronger overall, your muscles have more definition, and you'll feel more powerful when running, biking, or doing other cardio.

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Core Knowledge

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Fitness types toss the term "core" around with little explanation, leaving many people confused and believing that ab work, like crunches, is strengthening their core. But this is not the case; the core is not simply the muscles on the front of your body. Nope. The core is three-dimensional, and in general terms you can think of it as your torso. One of my favorite definitions of the core is that it runs from your nipples to your knees.

Essentially, the core stabilizes your pelvis, low back, and rib cage, and it is made up of many muscle groups: all four layers of your abdominal muscles, including the obliques and transversus; the muscles on either side of the spine; the little muscles that run vertebrae to vertebrae know as the multifidi; as well as your glutes, hip flexors, and inner thighs. In Pilates, we also include the pelvic floor as part of the core; these small deep muscles help stabilize the pelvis.

To see how these muscles work together read more.

All these muscles work together to maintain torso stability, but I feel a working core is easiest to feel if you imagine sandwiching your spine with your deep abs and deep spinal muscles, like when holding plank. When you add leg movement to a plank, like a donkey kick, you are challenging your core even more. You should feel your core working during squats as well as boat pose in yoga. And if you don't feel your back and abs working together, imagine that sandwiching sensation and know that if you pull your abs toward your spine without moving the vertebrae, the muscles in your back will be working too.

Looking for more exercise to strengthen your core, now that you know crunches are not targeting all the elements of your core? Check out these core exercises.

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You Asked: Muscles, Muscles, Muscles

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:45:00 -0800

You're asking and I'm answering.

Hey Fit!
I'd LOVE if you'd do a post about muscle. How long/how much work it takes to build, how long before it atrophies, how many calories it ACTUALLY burns?
I'm really curious and eager for some plain English answers!
Love ya Fit!
– Wanting More on Muscles

So many questions about muscle and all of them great. First off, there are many factors at play when building muscle like diet (what you eat), metabolism (how quickly your body turns what you eat into energy) and age (around age 35 both men and women start to lose muscle mass and have to work harder to keep it and build it). A study performed on overweight men who were new to weight lifting might help explain how long it takes to build muscle. The men performed strength training 3 days a week, along with endurance exercise (aka cardio). After 14 weeks, the men averaged a weight loss of 16.3 pounds of fat and gained 9.5 pounds of muscle.

To build muscle you need to challenge it. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing strength training at least twice a week, but not on back to back days. You should do 8-10 exercises working the major muscle groups: legs, arms, back, abs, and glutes. You should perform 8-12 repetitions of each exercise using a weight that exhausts the muscle. If you can try for two sets of each exercise.

Want to hear the good news about atrophy? Well then, you are just going to have to read more.

Muscle atrophy is usually associated with injury or disease. However, disuse atrophy happens when you don't work your muscle and is unfortunately, common in our sedentary lives. However, when you stop training it takes longer to lose muscular strength than to lose cardiovascular fitness. In a study involving athletes, after taking 14 days off from training, none of the athletes lost any muscular strength.

Lastly, a pound of muscle burns about 35 to 50 calories a day where a pound of fat only burns about two calories per day. Talk about a reason to start adding strength training to your exercise routine!

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You Asked: Does Heat Make Sore Muscles Feel Worse?

FitSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

Dear Fit,
When I have a tough workout at the gym or an intense bike ride, my muscles are so tight and sore. I love to get into a hot shower to relieve my pain, but I read somewhere that heat can make the pain worse. Is this true? Should I take a cool shower instead?
- Sore Savannah

Ahh the age-old question about whether to use heat and ice, that confounds many fitness fanatics. To see what I have to say about this issue read more.

If you have an injury, like a pulled muscle or a sprained ankle, ice is needed to reduce swelling. However, sore muscles indicate that you have microscopic tears in the fibers. This is normal and means you challenged your muscles. Yay! As the fibers heal they become stronger, making you stronger. When you heat your muscles either with a hot bath, heating pad, or warm compress, it helps to bring blood to the area, which aids in healing. So go ahead and step into your steamy shower after a workout. Massage will also soothe your tight muscles, so it's a great excuse to make an appointment for a little pampering. The next day or two, if you're still sore, do some low-impact exercise, or work other muscle groups - the circulation will ease your discomfort.

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Samantha Harris: A New Mom With Rock Hard Abs

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Samantha Harris, co-host of Dancing With the Stars, just gave birth a year ago, and now she's the cover girl of the latest edition of Muscle & Fitness Hers flaunting her lean and toned body. She told People magazine, "I really wanted to show moms out there that you really could get that body back." Holy rock-hard six-pack abs! It's amazing that she was pregnant 12 months ago.

How did she do it? To find out, read more.

Samantha wears baby daughter Josselyn in a BabyBjörn during her workouts while doing squats and lunges up steep stairs. Not only does it give them bonding time together, but the extra weight builds muscle and makes regular exercises even more difficult. To hear more about Samantha's routines, check out the November/December 2008 issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers.

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