Biceps Tight After Workout

I’ve had a friend of mine, and just found out my brother, have this problem. After working their biceps, both of them experience extreme tightness the next day. There is no pain or discomfort during the workout, but the next morning they wake up and usually can’t fully straighten their arms without some serious effort. Anyone know what’s going on with this?

JC

Tell them the next time they start lifting again after a layoff to lift light for awhile and give their body time to adjust… or else the tendons will get strained again. Try reving a car engine without time for the oil to to get in there and smooth out the friction.

They strained their bicep tendons in the elbow joint from going to heavy too soon.

Its called DOMS, Delayed Onset Muscle Sorness lasts for about 3 days. It’s normal for begginers and will lessen over time. Just search DOMS and you’ll find info on it.

[quote]Go heavy fool wrote:
Tell them the next time they start lifting again after a layoff to lift light for awhile and give their body time to adjust… or else the tendons will get strained again. Try reving a car engine without time for the oil to to get in there and smooth out the friction.

They strained their bicep tendons in the elbow joint from going to heavy too soon.[/quote]

GHF - you know i dont like arguing (;o) ) but surely we need a bit more info before diagnosing conditions like this.

Where is the pain (near origin/insertion or muscle belly)? is it relieved with stretching? is it affected on rowing excercises too? etc etc…

[quote]supermick wrote:
Go heavy fool wrote:
Tell them the next time they start lifting again after a layoff to lift light for awhile and give their body time to adjust… or else the tendons will get strained again. Try reving a car engine without time for the oil to to get in there and smooth out the friction.

They strained their bicep tendons in the elbow joint from going to heavy too soon.

GHF - you know i dont like arguing (;o) ) but surely we need a bit more info before diagnosing conditions like this.

Where is the pain (near origin/insertion or muscle belly)? is it relieved with stretching? is it affected on rowing excercises too? etc etc…[/quote]

Me neither Mick. What’s up by the way? Run into any Americans lately “claiming” to be Irish?

Take over doc. But 10 to 1 says I’m on the money. 100$ says he was going too heavy on curls and now he has the arm that looks like an “L” for 2 days because he didn’t warm up properly.

Over & out!

[quote]jbodzin wrote:
Its called DOMS, Delayed Onset Muscle Sorness lasts for about 3 days. It’s normal for begginers and will lessen over time. Just search DOMS and you’ll find info on it.[/quote]

This sounds about right to me. These (DOMS) are microscopic tears in the muscle due to a “layoff” or not doing something your body is used to. This is a beginner thing that is natural and something that happens when you take time off.

Should be sore for 3-7 days, those tendons and muscles need time to warm up and get used to a foreign exercise… ease into it next time. Problem solved.

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
My bet (although as someone pointed out, we could all do with more info here) would be biceps tedonitis, in the portion of the long head of the biceps, near the intertubercular groove at the shoulder.

The reason I say this is because 70% or more of male lifters have some degree of biceps tendonitis here (according to my chiro lecturer), and this is the area likely to be affected most during training.

Overextending the shoulder whilst performing biceps curls will do it, ie incline bench curls.

bushy[/quote]

Q: Where does one get a statistic like that?
A: The ass, usually.

Sore, tight muscles does not always mean tendonitis. And whoever claimed that you only get DOMS from lifting after a layoff is off the mark. You can get DOMS from simply changing to a new lift or set/rep scheme or just to changing the hand positioning on a given lift, in other words, working a muscle differently than it is used to being worked.

This isn’t exactly cutting edge here. I have to believe that anyone who has lifted for any decent amount of time has experienced DOMS at some point. For me, they’ve lasted anywhere from a few hours the next day to a week. I don’t usually get them anymore since discovering this site, but I used to get them all the time and I associated them with a good workout.

We would need more info for a diagnosis, but to me, it sounds like they overworked the muscles and need to do a better job on recovery - post w/o nutrition is key.

DB

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[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
And whoever claimed that you only get DOMS from lifting after a layoff is off the mark. You can get DOMS from simply changing to a new lift or set/rep scheme or just to changing the hand positioning on a given lift, in other words, working a muscle differently than it is used to being worked.

[/quote]

“These (DOMS) are microscopic tears in the muscle due to a “layoff” or not doing something your body is used to.”

I did!

Read the entire sentence… its only nine more words.

1 Like

[quote]Go heavy fool wrote:
dollarbill44 wrote:
And whoever claimed that you only get DOMS from lifting after a layoff is off the mark. You can get DOMS from simply changing to a new lift or set/rep scheme or just to changing the hand positioning on a given lift, in other words, working a muscle differently than it is used to being worked.

“These (DOMS) are microscopic tears in the muscle due to a “layoff” or not doing something your body is used to.”

I did!

Read the entire sentence… its only nine more words.

[/quote]

Well, I hope you can forgive me. After your first post (attached below), I guess I was a little confused at what you really think about this.

DB

[quote]Go heavy fool wrote:
Tell them the next time they start lifting again after a layoff to lift light for awhile and give their body time to adjust… or else the tendons will get strained again. Try reving a car engine without time for the oil to to get in there and smooth out the friction.

They strained their bicep tendons in the elbow joint from going to heavy too soon.[/quote]

[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:

Well, I hope you can forgive me. After your first post (attached below), I guess I was a little confused at what you really think about this.

DB

[/quote]

It’s cool… my first post had no mention of (DOMS).

What I really think about this, is this… he has what I have had at least a dozen times. He simply used a weight too heavy for something that elbow joint wasn’t used to doing. His elbow will straighten out in a couple of days. Even when I couldn’t bend it, I used to lift with it anyway, I just wrapped an ACE bandage around it real tight and seem to remedy the problem.

Will you two stop fighting! I’m sorry I ever brought up DOM’S!

=) lol

[quote]jbodzin wrote:
Will you two stop fighting! I’m sorry I ever brought up DOM’S!

=) lol [/quote]

hehehe

jb, this is the fun part… gotta argue about nothing. If we were actually arguing about something, then we wouldn’t even bother.

Now, who wants to argue that George Bush doesn’t make his wife blow him. I say Geroge gets head. Any takers?

[quote]Go heavy fool wrote:
jbodzin wrote:
Will you two stop fighting! I’m sorry I ever brought up DOM’S!

=) lol

hehehe

jb, this is the fun part… gotta argue about nothing. If we were actually arguing about something, then we wouldn’t even bother.

Now, who wants to argue that George Bush doesn’t make his wife blow him. I say Geroge gets head. Any takers?[/quote]

I sure hope he does. He IS the President of the U.S. after all. If he can’t get head when he wants it, there’s no hope for the rest of us.

DB

I get DOMS some times usually after doing some high intensity pyramid training. I never really thought of it as any thing accept a sign of hard work… but this is prompting me to research what DOMS is.

[quote]PO64336Whiskey wrote:
I get DOMS some times usually after doing some high intensity pyramid training. I never really thought of it as any thing accept a sign of hard work… but this is prompting me to research what DOMS is.[/quote]

I thought that DOMS was due to lactic acid and not tears?

The tearing down of muscles is what creates muscle growth.

I’ll look it up.

Below is some info on DOMS…

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (D.O.M.S.)
Pain after exercise
What Is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after a workout is quite common and quite annoying, particularly if you are just beginning an exercise program or changing activities. For the new exerciser who wakes up one day and goes a three mile walk, followed by push-ups and sit-ups, there is bound to be some muscle pain and soreness the next day or two. This is a normal response to unusual exertion and is part of an adaptation process that leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover and build. The soreness is generally at its worst within the first 2 days following the activity and subsides over the next few days.
Delayed onset muscle soreness occurs hours after the exercise is over. This is much different than the acute pain of a pulled or strained muscle. A muscle tear, is felt as an abrupt, sudden, acute pain that occurs during activity, that is often accompanied by swelling or bruises.

What Causes Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

DOMS is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers. The amount of tearing (and soreness) depends on how hard and how long you exercise and what type of exercise you do. Activities that require muscles to forcefully contract while they are lengthening, (eccentric contractions), seem to cause the most soreness. You use eccentric contractions when you descend stairs, run downhill, lower a weight, or perform the downward motion of squats and push-ups. In addition to muscle tearing, swelling can occur in and around a muscle, which can also cause soreness hours later.

What Is the Treatment for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

Wait. Soreness will go away in 3 to 7 days with no special treatment.
Avoid any vigorous activity that increases pain.
Do some easy low-impact aerobic exercise - this will increase blood flow to the affected muscles, which may help diminish soreness.
Use the R.I.C.E. treatment plan
Use gentle stretching on the affected area
Gently massage the affected muscles,
Try using a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the soreness temporarily, though they won’t actually speed healing.
There is some evidence that performing Yoga may reduce DOMS.
Allow the soreness to subside thoroughly before performing any vigorous exercise.
Don’t forget to stretch and warm up before your targeted activity.
** If your pain persists longer than about 7 days or increases despite these measures, consult your physician.
Learn something from the experience! Use prevention first.

Can I Prevent Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

While DOMS is common and annoying, it is not a necessary part of getting into shape. There are many things you can do to prevent, avoid and shorten DOMS. Here are a few tips:
Warm up thoroughly before activity
Cool down completely after exercise
Perform easy stretching before
Perform thorough flexibility exercises after exercise, while the muscles are warm
Start with easy to moderate activity and build up your intensity over time
Avoid making sudden major changes in the type of exercise you do
Avoid making sudden major changes in the amount of time that you exercise - Elizabeth Quinn

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i almost came in here and posted a “no shit, biceps sore the day after a biceps workout?!” response, but it seems you guys have it covered.

oh wait, i guess i did it anyway.