Weights class - yay or nay?

[NewToRenting]

I'm mid-40s and healthy weight though not particularly fit. I go through phases of regular exercise but don't do anything high impact (rickety joints, and just recovering from hip bursitis). I occasionally throw my back out and the doctor recommended core strengthening exercises, including weights.

So last week I did a weights class after a long time. It was tough but I felt really good afterwards...until my triceps started getting sore and stiff. This was not normal post-workout soreness (that the rest of my body did feel!), it was quite severe pain and my triceps felt rock hard, not in a good way. I was unable to extend my arms fully for 4 days, though it felt a bit better on the 5th day.

Question for you lovely MNers is, should I do this class again? Is this "my body getting stronger" and "I have to push through the pain"? Or am I potentially causing some sort of damage to my body?

Triceps are generally underused so tend to feel sore when they’re spurred into action after a long break. Can you identify which movement it was that caused it? What sort of class and what sort of rep range? I personally find little benefit in anything over 8 reps for major muscle groups ( squat, deadlift, bench, dips etc) or 15 for accessory work. On that basis, you might be better off doing your own thing rather than classes.

Hard to describe, it was a sort of combination of weights and HIIT, basically you do each exercise for 20 seconds then change. Each 20 second exercise is done 6 times. It could be cardio, squats, free weights, barbells...

I'm afraid I really like doing classes, because seeing others around me keeps me motivated. On my own, I never get round to going to the gym

As we get older, losing muscle mass is a thing so doing weights is supposed to be the best thing you can do

Sounds like you had horrific DOMs though😀😀

It sounds a bit like the weights based circuits class I do. The pain you describe sounds within normal range for a new exercise/class. I can remember struggling to lower myself onto the toilet for days after I started HIT classes as my quads hurt so much.

If I miss a few weeks then I have similar symptoms. I don't know as am on a plan which means I have to train 5 times per week.. aaargh..

As said above triceps aren't used very often so any weight training using them is going to have an effect.

Try using lighter weights - practice a bit at home too? Triceps are nice to be able to show off.

Sounds like bad DOMs. I wouldn’t worry about it at all.

Thanks everyone, I'll report back after the next class...if I am in any state to type