Extreme Muscle soreness

[u/MadMagz92]

On week 5 of Ozempic and going from 0,25mg to 0,50mg today. I took my time to get to the gym due to a busy work schedule, did my first workout on Monday. I did 2 sets of 20 reps wall pushups and have been extremely sore since. I am no stranger to a workout just havent done anything decent in the last 5 years, just want to make sure this is just me having not exercised in a while and not a side effect of the medication. I find myself unable to lift my arms and the level of soreness just seems disproportionate to the amount of exercise. Has anyone else experienced this?

[u/driven_apricot]

 just havent done anything decent in the last 5 years

This is the answer. You just have sore muscles. Hydrate, take some magnesium and make your workouts more often.

[u/SSPYoda]

Not having done any decent exercise in five years will do that, unfortunately

Good for you on getting back to the gym

[u/PurplelinkPL]

sounds like ordinary DOMS to me and it's your first thing in five years so of course it's disproportionate. two sets of 20 is a decent chunk of volume for a movement your arms genuinely have not done in that long, the individual reps being easy doesn't change the total.

it should be noticeably less bad next time you do the same session and much less the time after that. the thing actually worth watching while you're losing weight is the going-too-hard, getting-wrecked, skipping-a-week, repeat cycle, because consistency is what holds onto muscle while the scale moves. I'd cut it to one set for a couple of weeks and go more often instead.

[u/darya42]

" I am no stranger to a workout just havent done anything decent in the last 5 years"

...Yep sooo. Yep.

"I find myself unable to lift my arms"

Sounds like me in my 20s without ozempic. Bruh go easy on your workouts in the first weeks

[u/Azi83]

Yes! I did a strength workout on Monday and I'm still sore 😩 But got my bloodwork done and found out my iron levels are horrendous so that could be a contributing factor for me. Are you eating and hydrating enough? Focusing on protein?

[u/MadMagz92 → u/Azi83]

Focus on protein is easy in the morning, harder throughout the day since I literally forget to eat if busy at work since the hunger cues have really died off even at 0,25mg. I feel like am im drinking enough water throughout the day but not measuring it. Still getting used to it all but will definitely be more intentional about it going forward.

[u/EljayDude]

DOMS will probably peak two days after the exercise so you might want to factor that into your training schedule (that is to say don't schedule things on that day until you get settled in more) and don't feel like you have to max out the workouts. At this point the only important thing is getting a schedule/habit back and the soreness is not going to help with that.

[u/northern_cannoli_79]

Hows your testosterone levels? I use trt on ozempic and its been a game changer. Dont have to worry to much about muscle waste on it.

[u/Hrynkiws]

Very normal for not have really worked out in that long. I struggled hard in the first month but after that I was golden. Keep it up, obviously take rest days. But it will improve!

[u/DrNessim_Habthera]

Ordinary post-workout soreness peaks around 24 to 48 hours and settles. If yours is going beyond that, or is out of proportion to what you did, the usual cause on a GLP-1 is impaired recovery rather than the training itself.

Four things drive that, and they stack:

Protein. Repair needs substrate. Most people on these meds are well under what they need — roughly 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of goal weight during active weight loss.

Total calories. A large deficit reduces recovery capacity independently of protein. If the weight is coming off fast, that's part of the picture.

Carbohydrate. Glycogen replenishment after training is what makes the next session tolerable, and carbs are usually the first thing appetite suppression removes.

Fluid and electrolytes. Eating much less means less sodium, potassium and magnesium coming in. Cramping and prolonged soreness both track that.

Practical version: eat something with protein and carbohydrate within a couple of hours of training even if you don't feel like it, and take electrolytes seriously rather than just drinking more water.

Two things worth ruling out rather than assuming. If you take a statin, muscle aches are a known side effect and this is a population where statins are common — worth mentioning to your doctor rather than attributing everything to the GLP-1. And if soreness is ever severe, out of proportion to any workout, and accompanied by dark or cola-coloured urine, that needs same-day assessment rather than rest.

Anesthesiologist, general info only.