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I'm following the Starting Strength program, and I find that I'm fine the next day, as long as I warm up each lift as he recommends.

But, I find that immediately after lifting, even though I'm not in pain, simple daily lifts, like picking up a child or reaching in to buckle a car seat, can be very painful. And, if I do it anyway, I really do get hurt. (It's mainly lifts that involve turning.)

This vulnerability goes away after a number of hours.

Does anyone else experience this? What causes it? How should I prevent it?

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Are you describing back pain or just muscle pain in general? I ask because the 2 examples you give involve bending and/or twisting. – BackInShapeBuddy May 20 '12 at 9:43
I think you are ok - especially if you are just starting and were quite out-of-shape before, your muscles simply aren't used to the stress. If the problem persists after a few weeks, I'd revisit it, but for now, just keep going. – VPeric May 20 '12 at 10:15
Seems to be limited to my back. – S. Robert James May 21 '12 at 19:19
How much are you deadlifting, and how much does your child weigh? Serious question. And how "very painful" and "really do get hurt" are we talking? Wow that's an impressive soreness that takes me to a new plane of existence! or I have pulled a muscle in my back and I am now injured? – Dave Liepmann Jun 15 '12 at 5:00
Have you gotten a form check in person or in video? You might be doing a lift wrong and screwing up your back. – Dave Liepmann Jun 15 '12 at 5:01

1 Answer

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To quote William Roberts, MD sports medicine physician at the University of Minnesota,

“Muscle fatigue takes away all your protective mechanisms and really increases your risk of all injuries.”

Granted he was referring to specifically athletes and sports-related injuries in his quote, but I feel there is enough parallel here to apply the advice to your situation.

The advice makes sense when you think about it, when your muscles are tired you are more likely to use poor form and thus more prone to injury. Make no mistake, if you are in the Starting Strength program... your muscles will be fatigued after the workout.

The solution to this is, quite obviously, to give your muscles enough time and nutrients to properly recover before you do something overly strenuous.

  • For the problem of time, it really comes down to proper planning and scheduling of activities. Have to do manual labor in the evening? Do your workout in the morning!

  • For nutrition, it comes down to feeding your muscles enough so they can recover from the workout. Have a protein drink 10-60 minutes after the workout. Have a meal 1-2 hours hours after the workout.

Taking these steps should ensure that you are properly recovered post-workout, but if you absolutely cannot avoid hard labor whole fatigued, always remember to use proper form.

Source: http://men.webmd.com/guide/seven-most-common-sports-injuries

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