Yesterday, i did like 6 reps of 12 push ups.  i want to keep working out. should i wait until i'm not sore?
491910
you should keep going, your muscles will soon become relaxed as time go on. If you stop now you may not start back. So keep up the good work.As the saying go no pain no gain.
195031
Absolutely!!! What's recommended is that you start off slowly to build up the PC muscle. Usually squeeze and hold for 3-5 seconds and let got for 10 seconds. Start off with doing sets of 10 reps. Once you feel comfy, you can do more, more often. The ideal time is holding a flex for 15-30 seconds. Try and get it to where you can do 3-5 sets of 15 reps. \n\nMy man has noticed a huge change since he started them.
591791
Try mixing your routine up just a bit with a new exercise, sometimes your body just gets used to the same thing. Other words your not using any new muscle groups and hence the ones that are working are used to whatever workout you are doing. Also don't eat 2-3 hours before bed, but I'm sure you know that as your not doing anything but breathing :) As for the push-ups try doing anything that gives you a resistance on your arms. this may sound silly, but stand facing the wall and lean forward, try not to put too much pressure on your ankles and just push back like a standing push up. The further back your feet are from the wall the more resistance you will have.
415920
wow!! don't listen to that guy that answered before me.  First of all you don't get sore from working out if you don't stretch. Stretching has nothing to do with it!!  The reason you are sore is because when you do excersises you are "tearing" the muscles.  That is what makes them sore!  But its good for them to tear, that is what you want to happen.  The reason is that when your body repairs those torn muscle fibers they repair them even stronger than before.  Thats why people get stronger when they lift weights and exercise. The more you tear them the stronger you will be.  \nAnd yes the harder you workout the sorer you will be but thats not necessarily a bad thing.  Its good if thats all your doing is "tearing" the muscles.  Now if you pull something on the other hand then that is bad.  But from your question I don't think thats what happened.  \nAnd yes its fine to workout 2 days after your last one.  Its best to leave at least a day of rest before you work that same muscle group again so that it will have time to repair completely.  Actually today just work out a different set of muscles and then go back to your back tomorrow or the next day.  \nYou should stretch but thats just to get your muscles warmed up so that when you put strain on them you won't seriously injure anything!\nAlso if your a beginner and thats why you have a trainer then I would recommend getting a book instead.  You will learn more and its way cheaper. If you are a male then I would recommend buying a book put out by Men's Health. They have a really good one called the "hard-body plan".  Its worth it.  Buy it at amazon and get it used for cheap!
965775
They will if you over do it and you have only just started exercising.  Ask the gym for a plan of exercises.  You will ache until you get fitter and then you won't ache so much.  Also, make sure you warm up and cool down stretch that way you will avoid getting yourself an injury.
493911
Absolutely.  In fact it is normal to be sore if you work out hard for the first time in a while.  Next time you work out, I would suggest working out your legs (leg press, squats etc.) and doing only a light arm workout to get the soreness out.  If you keep up the workouts you will get sore less and less.\n\nBut remember to alternate your workouts (i.e. upper body one time, lower body the next).  You get stronger because your muscles actually break down and regenerate stronger to accommodate the heavier loads, and if you don't give them time to heal, then you won't get any stronger and you won't have as much energy.
236547
depends on your age. If you exercise regularly the pain, weakness and soreness will be gone. don't lift heavy stuff. practice regularly.
950862
Do not push yourself this hard everyday because you will burn out.  Do hard days mixed in with lighter days.  Your body needs to recuperate after you go max like that and if you do not get the needed rest then you will not progress.  On lighter days run a bit slower but for a longer period of time and do about 75% of your max situps and pushups but do 2 sets.  Keep track of what you do.  On your lighter days slowly ramp up what you do, meaning increase your pushups and situps by 1 rep each workout.  Never go all out more than once per week like when you are tested in the Guard.  This should help you.  By doing these light days and by slowing ramping up what you do on your light days you will blow your previous bests that you had attained on your hard day when they test you.  It works awesome for me.
778178
Are you talking about shoulder pain?  Yes.  If you injured yourself up there and are continuing to do your usual routine of pushups, you may be aggrevating the injury -- making it worse.  Hold off on the push ups for a while or at least cut down on their number.
273697
Yeah if you did all of that and you still don't feel the burn then maybe you should go and do it double the amount tonight. But then again why do you want to feel pain??? \nJust b/c you are not hurting doesn't necessarily mean that you need more just gradually increase your amount of squats and pushups everynight. But don't go over board with it you don't want to hurt yourself!!!!
326235
I have heard so much stuff just like that in my 12 years of training.  You will hear one person say, do very heavy for 3-4 reps and you will also hear people talking about doing 30 reps like the lady who offered you (probably unsolicited) advice.  In the world of bodybuilding, sometimes the info we get on the street is more valuable that what is in the books.  \n\nI don't really recommend what that lady said.  I would stick with the 15 reps.  If you are going to build muscle, build muscle.  If you are doing cardio, do cardio.  Don't try to combine them. \n\nI truly think after all these years is that it is very important to FEEL the muscle contracting.  This is more important that pushing the weight.  The weight is only a tool to build the muscle, not the final goal.  You are training the muscle not moving the weight.  This is the concept.\n\nI think that with too many reps like 30, it is hard to "feel" it.
264250
Do it every other day so the muscles have time to rest in beween days. This is the time they grow. Yes your muscles will grow larger and stronger.
920771
yes this is fine - but it is preferable that you are spreading your exercise out and not doing 4 days straight of exercise and then 3 days of nothing. It is good to have a good workout 1 day and a rest the next and then another good workout the 3rd day and so on.
810571
LOL are your arms the only thing you work out then???\n\nFor the most part I keep my rest between sets to a minimum, basically enough to catch my breath, drink a bit of water, change the weight or grab different dumbbells, etc. I do a lot of supersets too, with no rest whatsoever between exercises (rest only between the seperate supersets). If I'm totally smoked or if I'm going heavier and need a bit longer to rest between sets, say >1 minute, I will go shoot the breeze with some buddies.\n\nAnd I am going to have to disagree with the comments that say to stretch. While some VERY mild, light stretching is okay, if you are actually trying to build strength & go heavier, you should NOT stretch between sets. That will actually reduce your muscles' ability to lift more weight, which is why you should NOT stretch before a workout (do warm-up sets instead), but AFTER a workout.
795690
If you are just feeling sore and your muscles are somewhat tight, then what you need to do is stretch, for a good 20-30 minutes, two to three times a day. Your muscles aren't used to exerting themselves so much, and for the first 2-3 weeks, your body is going to be sore because it is re-adjusting to the new you-congratulations by the way! You should be working through the sore muscles, and this will only be for the first 2-3 weeks. Unless this pain is real pain, like keeping you from being able to move, etc. because then you may have torn a muscle, in which case you should go to the doctor. But soreness is a good sign when starting to exercise, b/c that means it's working! Keep up the hard work! :)
1055577
do as many pushups and sit ups as you physicaly can before you go to bed and then after a while you while notice the numbers will go up and guess what that means you are getting stronger
319066
Try one armed push ups on the side needing the extra work out. Focus more on that side in all your work out until things even up and they will. If you can't do one arm push ups just keep at until one day you can do one. Bust muscle fibers and them repairing themselves is how muscle is built. Be careful though, don't over do it, and don't hurt yourself.