I've found lifting heavy, and often, to be difficult to stick to while holding down a career. Specifically because of this:

> You're always sore, but after a while you get used to it.

Being incredibly sore makes it VERY hard for me to get going in the morning (something I already struggle with). It sounds like you might naturally be a morning person if you're exercising at 5am, so maybe this isn't an issue for you. I find I'm running a lot more these days. I've lost weight as a result, but, at least I'm functional at work.

Maybe YMMV -- I'm not going to pretend I'm a professional nutritionist even though I am a certified personal trainer: but if you're consistently sore past the first 2-3 weeks of working out, then you may not be eating enough.

Now, first, we have to distinguish between static soreness and DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Static soreness means you feel pain while sitting still. DOMS means you feel pain when you move. Which one is it?

DOMS means you're working out in your acceptable range. Static soreness means you're exceeding your capabilities and you need to scale things back a little bit until you hit DOMS.

Listen, with that said, if you're experiencing consistent DOMS throughout the day so much so that it's interfering with your work, then you may not be eating enough! Eat more to recover quicker. You'll feel less sore and you'll be functional sooner.

For context, I have a heavy 6-day split routine (ping ponging between 2 weeks of 10-8-8 reps for strength and 2 weeks of 10-8-40-20 for endurance) that means I'm in the gym for 2 hours almost everyday of the week. On top of this I run 15-25 miles per week -- as if I'm training for a 5K -- to work on my cardio. So I do a lot, and I eat a lot too: 3,300 - 3,600 calories a day.

Through all of this, I experience minimal soreness maybe for 1-2 hours after a workout. Otherwise, I'm able to carry on my day normally.

Stats

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6'1"; 183lb

Bench (1RM): 225lb

Squat (1RM): 294lb

Deadlift (1RM): 300lb

Obvious room for improvement. I'm just getting back into my routine after 6 months off.

I'd add in some post workout carbs (50g) and protein (25g) and even suggest some BCAA in water during workout will all help with the DOMS. That and stretching.

Indeed, you are correct, I agree.

I was in the same wagon, but note that being sore is not the problem. Heavy lifting is very taxing to the central nervous system and this is what causes the systemic fatigue that won't let you be productive at work. A couple of recommendations that worked for me (46 years old)

1. Lower the intensity. There are a tons of ways to do this, but the simplest would be doing heavy lifting only in the first core lift of the day (squat, deadlift, bench or press). Then, increase the volume (lower the weights, increase the reps) for the rest of the exercises.

2. Periodize your workout plan. This is a science in itself, but the general idea is to adjust the intensity and volume over a period of 4-8 weeks, including a deload week every now and then.

3. Ditch the deadlift. At least for me, deadlift is too taxing.

Hope this helps.

Deadlifts and Squats are the two that REALLY make the next couple of days a challenge. And I agree that it's likely not just the fact that the muscles are sore, because, the feeling is systemic. My entire mind and body entity are functioning on a lower level (recovering) in the days following intense Deadlifts or Squats, and to a lesser degree other lifts. I already struggle a TON with "getting going" in the morning, sometimes not reaching peak mental capacity until the early after noon. Lifting only delays this further.

I've talked with "professional" body builders (not IFBB level but people who do it for a living) and most of them say they suffer from very little if any soreness / mental fatigue. It has led me to believe, as crushing to my ego as it is, that I just don't have the same recovery capability as these guys, nor the same potential for growth.

I've gone so far as to get my labs checked, just to be sure I didn't have some obvious problem. Tests all came back normal.

As such, gaining muscle seems out or reach as it requires an intense regimen, and tons of food. When that starts to take away from my work, I gotta do something else. Hence, running :(

People making a living from bodybuilding are (mostly) taking steroids. That helps recovery quite a bit.

Your comment seems rather strange to me, because my mood and alertness both improved noticeably when I started lifting weights last summer.

I know what they mean. It's sort of a calm, hazy feeling for me, but I'm probably more productive in that phase anyway.

My first month of lifting I was sore for days after every single workout. Now I don't get sore at all, even when I PR squats and deadlifts.

Eat a lot and well, and your body will adapt.

There's no shame in deadlifting light.

I've been doing 5x5 consistently for about 1.5 years (until I achieved my target goals, then I scaled back), without being a morning person. The soreness essentially disappears after the first month and the biggest challenge was actually eating enough calories not to negate the progress.

Instead of exercising in the morning I did it after work, ~7pm. A cup of coffee and an energy bar made you good to go.

Slight difficulties falling asleep sometimes, but other than that, a massive increase in overall health and energy levels, despite having a respiratory condition.

You know, maybe I just haven't stuck to a 100% consistent routine long enough. By week 3, I tend to have reached a "fuck this" mentality. I hold my productivity at work to be more-or-less sacred, as that's what puts food on the table. Anything that messes with that, even in the short term, tends to get quickly removed (if possible).

Maybe I should give a month a try though, if for no other reason, than to see if the soreness and mental fatigue goes away.

Halve the intensity for the next 6 months - you are probably just very unfit.

Or alternatively you are under a lot of stress - again cut back on the intensity and volume.

Anecdotal to me of course, but I felt much better after I started getting adequate protein. I am still sore if I go really hard in the gym, but most days I feel very good after lifting if I take enough whey protein. Previously to my extra protein consumption I felt like I was recovering from the flu for a couple days after I had worked out.

That might be worth giving a try. I've always just tried to eat whole foods (and lots of them) but never noticed much of a difference between eating just enough, and eating a TON. Always would feel sapped of energy for the next day(s).

I do a heavy full-body routine once a week, and then typically low weight and body weight exercises twice a week mixed into sprinting sessions. Eating a lot is definitely crucial. I force myself to eat as much as possible the first 36 hours after a heavier lifting session. I typically just take a walk and stretch the day after, and then the next day I sprint (waiting too long to return to exercising again can also increase soreness for me after lifting).

For anyone interested in lifting, it doesn't need to be as complicated as people make it. I do cleans, squats, deadlift, bench, rows, overhead press, and a few curls occasionally. Those alone will strengthen your entire body, and add in some sprinting, jumping, spring lunges, push-ups and pull-ups, and other plyometric / body-weight training and you'll quickly lose weight and become more athletic.

I began doing that around February this year, and really nailed it as part of my routine since two months ago.

I wake up at 6 AM. Have breakfast, meditate for about 10 min, and go swimming on Tue/Thu, or to lift some weights on Mon/Wed/Fri.

As you say, I haven't felt better. It took a lot of trial and error to get this routine working for me, but it's paying off. My immune system is working like a charm and haven't been under the weather even with people around me getting the flu.

Next step is to reduce my waist.. lot of visceral fat. Just yesterday I bought one of those scales to measure it, which I'll receive next week.

I think tracking progress helps a lot. I got one of those apps that build habits and put this along with others. It really helped me be conscious about the goal of being healthy long term.

Those scales to measure visceral fat are scams. You need calipers and measuring tape to get an accurate measurement of your body fat.

Good to know. However, I'll use it as a relative measure. Whatever number it gives me, I'll work on improving it.

Oh man, I'm in the same boat right now, working on changing that. "Pencil neck" teenager, now a flabby-tabby. Starting at 20% over ideal thanks to fork-to-mouth habits and a medication which increases hunger.

Got a fitbit and a bicycle, riding a 1-2 hours a day.

Using the free Bikemap app on iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bikemap-map-your-bike-route-...

Just have to stay heart-rate/exertion-limited due to Marfan syndrome.

With age, it's good to increase care for rotator cuff, trapezius and shoulder muscles/ligaments unless one enjoys expensive/painful surgery to reattach separations.

I do a variation of 5x5! It's awesome, and their iPhone app is great for tracking progress.

Highly recommend stronglifts as well + the book: burn the fat, feed the muscle ( content is really good, the website of Tom Venuto is awfull though)

Anaerobic exercise is probably good for you too, but for what it's worth, the article was talking about specifically aerobic exercise.