TakingTheWheel

I've been doing much better with my workouts as of late. Still going strong, still having fun, but I'm also still very much a beginner. However, one "issue" I've encountered has me a little puzzled. Particularly when training arms (biceps, to be exact), I frequently find that the "pump" feeling towards the middle of an exercise totally overtakes my muscles and I have trouble completing a set (while maintaining proper form) because I simply can't bend contract/flex my bicep anymore. It feels too "full" and like there's nowhere for it to physically move. It's such an odd sensation and, while I've read that this feeling means the exercise is working, it's frustrating because I often have to increase my rest periods between sets or stagger my exercises to give the blood in my biceps time to move out of the way so I can keep working out. That approach doesn't always work though and sometimes I have to decrease the weight I'm using which I'm not thrilled about. Any thoughts, comments, or advice about what I've described?

Thanks, Defining. You're probably right. Though, I think I'm pretty aware of my form on every squat (the rack is in front of a mirror) and my knees do spread wide and slightly angled outwards in line with my shins but slightly over my toes like in the above photo. Glutes are thrust backwards with a neutral spine. My knees definitely do not angle inward towards each other. That being said, I will definitely seriously consider setting up an appointment or two with a physio/trainer. Thanks again!

Thanks for the reply, Grymm. I, too, suffer from arthritis -- psoriatic arthritis. Thanks to a prescription I'm taking, the psoriasis is remarkably well managed. The impact of the arthritis on my lifestyle is also significantly lessened. I started weight training a little over two months ago as a way to reduce the load on a lot of my joints by strengthening the muscles surrounding them. I'm also lifting to maintain the mobility I still have with the hope that I'll safeguard myself for the future. So far so good. Except for my knees. As I said before, the actual squat exercises do not hurt. In fact, I feel pretty great doing them! I suppose, though, that the repetitive motion of squatting aggravates my lingering arthritis and creates some temporary joint inflammation? It does subside about a day later. However, I do notice some extra popping and grinding in my knees since starting to exercise regularly. It's also comforting to know that your body doesn't respond well to the leg extension machine. I much prefer the adaptable range of motion permitted by either the leg press or squat rack. I think my form is pretty good while squatting, too. If it wasn't, the exercise itself would be painful. It's not. Still, I'll pay extra attention to my form over the next few workouts and see if I can further minimize my post-workout knee discomfort by making minor adjustments as needed. Thanks again for chiming in!

Hello fellow Rebels! I'm two months into my fitness journey and I'm steadily making progress. Learning as I go has been exciting and motivating. Each workout is a challenge and so far, I've been able to meet that challenge head on. I'm also trying to think creatively (and smarter) when something doesn't quite go as planned. That being said, I'm coming up empty trying to work around some achy knees. Earlier in my still young quest for fitness, I did machine leg extensions. They seemed to place some excess stress on my knee caps and I didn't like the range of motion prescribed by the machine. I felt like I was locked into a position that didn't quite match my anatomy and figured that was why I felt some knee discomfort. So, I switched to machine leg presses (in the free weight section of my gym - the machine where you lay on your back and extend your legs at roughly a 45 degree angle). I liked the improved range of motion but my knees still weren't entirely happy. Finally, I adopted the tried and true, old-fashioned back squat for working my quads and glutes (among others). Not knowing how I would handle the weight, I started squatting in a Smith Machine rack and I just about fell in love. The movement felt good and I started seeing better, more consistent results. The best part, though? I felt a huge decrease in my knee cap pain. So, I moved on to squatting in a regular rack just to up the ante and keep improving. It took a few workouts to truly get the hang of things - I didn't realize how much the Smith Machine was helping me control and stabilize the weight! Now, a few weeks later, while making gains and slowly increasing the weight, I'm noticing some knee cap discomfort again. Mind you, the motion of squatting doesn't hurt. I only feel discomfort AFTER my workout. Odd, right? Sure, my thighs are sore but I also feel some tightness and discomfort behind my knee caps a few hours after I complete a round of squats. Since I'm worried squatting might be causing or will cause some long term damage to my knees, though I do love the exercise, I'm thinking I need to dial back and/or find an alternate quad/glute exercise. I've heard deadlifts can be friendlier to one's knees but also murder on the lower back if proper form slips at all. Aside from that, can anyone recommend other knee friendly quad/glute exercises? I don't want to have to skip "leg day."

For sure! I think part of my problem, too, was attempting to lift too heavy too soon. Adding more weight before you're ready for it doesn't necessarily equal more muscle. It just increases the odds for poor form and injury. Being relatively new to the gym, I'm learning when I can push myself a little harder and by how much to increase the weight. It's always better to add pounds in smaller increments, I've found. I guess what I'm trying to say is: know your limits. And then err on the side of caution. This fitness game is a marathon not a sprint. Gains will come by working out consistently over a period of time. Trust the process and stay the course. I know self-diagnosis isn't always a good thing to do, but I'm at least trying to train smarter and really listen to my body. We only get one in this life. Why not make it the best it can be?

Thanks for chiming in! I've done a boatload of research recently and have since severely modified my workouts to avoid any known pain causing exercises. For example, I'm doing floor presses as opposed to bench presses - and only once a week or so. The difference between the two is night and day for me. I have no pain whatsoever with the floor presses and I can actually feel my chest and triceps activating as opposed to my shoulders. I think my form is infinitely better with the floor presses, too. I'm also working with specific lightweight resistance band exercises to correct my posture and gain better shoulder joint centration. All these measures are supposed to address the specific issues I'm having and will help me avoid placing any unnecessary stress on my rotator cuffs. So far, the warm "burning" has subsided in my right shoulder and all I feel now is a bit of front impingement discomfort in certain movement patterns. But again, if something hurts or is uncomfortable, I'm searching for alternate exercises that work the same muscle I'm trying to target but don't hurt my shoulder. I'll see how I feel in a month or so after following this course of action to the letter.

Thanks for the reply, Gainsdalf. I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with something much more serious than I am. However, it's comforting to know that my shoulder issue is fairly common. It's still troubling, though. I'm going to lay off the flat and incline bench presses for a while and search for alternative chest exercises that don't put nearly as much strain on my shoulders/rotator cuffs. From what I found so far, though, there aren't many. What's frustrating to me is, I wasn't training all that long or hard with those exercises. But this problem became most apparent when I started incorporating the incline bench press into my routine. Perhaps that move just isn't for me? As I mentioned in my initial post, I'm also going to do some light resistance work targeting my rotator cuff muscles specifically to see if that helps (or hurts) matters. Wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of gains when you return to your regularly scheduled workout program. Heal quick! -Peter

Salutations, fellow warriors! I'm roughly six weeks into my weight lifting journey and lately, my right shoulder (the one I assumed was stronger - it's my dominant arm) seems a little grumpy - specifically during chest exercises (flat and incline bench presses). I mentioned elsewhere in these forums that while training my chest, my arms seem to tire and fatigue long before my pecs do. Well, during (and after) my last two workouts, I noticed a general warm "burning" sensation in the front of my right shoulder. It isn't pain, but rather mild discomfort. I still have the full range of motion in that arm/shoulder despite these recent developments and my normal activities (besides working out) seem all but completely unaffected, meaning I can function normally in 99% of my daily life. However, I'm concerned that something is brewing and I'd like to put a stop to it before it becomes anything severe. I've done some research online and determined that I either have a touch of rotator cuff tendonitis or impingement. I don't think it's full blown impingement, though, because there's no sharp or activity limiting pain. However, unless I do something about this issue, I'm worried it could become just that and completely take me out of the gym. I'm prepared to try to rehab this myself by doing some light rotator cuff exercises using rubber resistance tubing/bands. Do you think that will help ease the symptoms and, in a short amount of time, heal whatever is going on with my shoulder? Or, would I simply be making matters worse by continuing to work the joint, even with minimal resistance? Should I just rest my shoulder and lay off my workouts for a few days or a full week and see how I feel? And when I do start feeling better, what are some alternative chest exercises that are shoulder friendly? I'm fairly certain my form (based on my anatomy) is 100% to blame for these early stage shoulder issues. I've already tried modifying my workouts by using lighter weights and/or changing my grip and elbow positions. It's helped quite a bit, but I'm not out of the woods...yet. I'd appreciate some advice on how to not have this minor setback permanently sideline me or my progress. Please help! -Peter

I will stay put, plan-wise, and have faith in my chosen path. Thanks for clearing up my concerns. Seriously, I can't thank you enough.

Thanks a lot, Defining! Once again, your insights are absolutely indispensable. So, based on your personal research and experience, do my calorie counts seem within the realm of "correct" for my goals (clean/lean bulk)? I guess I'm just looking for some external confirmation that I'm on a good path, which will help me stay the course. You know what I mean? This whole process of getting fit is a "slow and steady wins the race" kind of thing. Any sort of motivation is incredibly welcome. Best of luck on your own journey!

Adding more to this post because...the struggle is real, and the saga continues... This week marked the one month anniversary of consistently working out 3x/week at my gym. Let me just go ahead and pat myself on the back. I did it! And I want to continue moving forward. That said, I flip-flopped early on with how I wanted to handle my diet. One of my hurdles was just getting my butt in the gym, but once I did, I had to figure out how I wanted to proceed, nutritionally-speaking, so that all of my weight lifting efforts were supported outside of the gym. Early on, I tracked my calories simply to see what my "old" diet looked like. Turns out I hovered between 2,300 and 2,500 calories a day despite my sedentary office job. However, based on the TDEE Calculator, my maintenance caloric needs were closer to 1,800. Knowing that in order to build muscle, I had to eat a surplus of calories, I initially tried a body recomp diet. Hey, I was scared to bulk - what can I say? I even made a thread here regarding that decision. Well, I lasted about a week eating a calorie surplus on workout days and a slight deficit on rest days. I'm sure there was some sort of adjustment period I needed to power through first, but I felt mentally foggy and weak after a few days eating like this. I didn't like it, nor did I feel like myself. So, after reading more threads here and researching various web sites, I decided that in order to effect the most positive change to my physical appearance - in support of my time spent in the gym - I actually wanted to be operating on a lean/clean bulk. So, that's where I am today. About two weeks into my clean bulk, my calorie needs look like this: Maintenance calories (based on age, height, weight, and general - sedentary - activity aside from workouts): 1,872 Calories burned while working out (weight training only - I've yet to add in much, if any cardio...yet): 300 If I replace those 300 calories on workout days, my new total is: 2,172 And, if I increase those calories by a 10% surplus, the amount of calories I should consume daily on a lean/clean bulk is: 2,389 Great! In general, this is working for me. On average, I feel much better eating this amount of calories. No more brain fog and minimal growling stomach/hunger. However, there are still days when, despite eating meals composed of quality foods (vegetables, grains, chicken-beef-fish, etc.) I still feel (ravenously, at times) hungry. I try to combat this by snacking on something with a modest amount of calories and a decent amount of protein. But, it doesn't always work. On days like this, should I eat when I feel hungry (within reason) so I stay mostly on target with my lean/clean bulk calorie limit? See, here's what I don't understand... Don't professional bodybuilders (of which I am not, nor do I aspire to be) consume crazy amounts of calories - like upwards of 3,000+ per day? How do they manage that? Are their bodies so highly developed that their caloric needs truly are that great? Or, are they just "dirty" bulking? Perhaps my mental understanding of food/calories is severely skewed and this relationship is still in flux. I mean, I know portion sizes are out of control in most restaurants. And people tend to overeat without realizing it. A recent trip to Buffalo Wild Wings was a sobering experience when I realized that most of the entrees (even the salads) were well over 1,000 calories! By comparison, my portion sizes cooking at home are small to moderate, out of necessity based on how many calories I want to devote to any given meal. But this all feels kind of fundamentally wrong. For example, I see the modest amount of food on my plate and think, "How can this meal be 500 calories!?" LOL! Maybe I'm doing OK on 2,389 calories a day and my brain is lying to me when it says my body is still hungry? Please help. Any advice, encouragement, words of wisdom are greatly appreciated. -Peter

Hey arpeggione, welcome! Yes, I too have not found a 100% foolproof solution to this issue yet. However, like you, I've discovered that making sure I hit my protein macros daily helps a lot. So does filling up on fruits and vegetables and drinking plenty of water. I'm trying a clean/lean bulk right now, so operating in a slight calorie surplus has also helped ease my hunger a bit. But, my stomach still tends to start growling much earlier than it used to...even though I'm eating an appropriate amount of calories daily. So far it's been a little bit of trial and error for me. Some days are more successful than others. Stick with it, arpeggione, and good luck on your journey!

My suffering from "pelvic tilt" is a very real possibility for me. Darn desk-bound office job! I have dealt with bouts of lower back pain in the past. I will be mindful of my "pelvic tilt" going forward.

Hey NikolaiEL! Thanks for the advice! I will have to try that "calorie-bomb" meal. Sounds tasty!

This information is invaluable! Thank you, Alexc! Yes, I've decided that the general trend for now should be a bulking-ish cycle. I'm just not going crazy eating everything in sight. Just trying to maintain a slight calorie surplus while working out regularly. Here's hoping I make some progress!