Muscle Soreness: NOOB Question

[beezers]

Hi everyone! I'm new to lifting (only about a month now) and I have a question on muscle soreness/joint inflammation...

I've been lifting 3-4 days/week, just starting out. I'm doing a mixture of barbells, kettlebells and crossfit (pull-ups, squats, rowing, wall balls, etc.), mostly on light weight amounts (only 25lbs for my barbells for now). I'm used to when I do other types of athletic activity, like running or yoga, getting delayed onset soreness within 48 hours, which goes away after a day or so, but with lifting I'm having effects that seem weird. Mainly, I'm not having as much actual muscle soreness as I am joint soreness and inflammation. And the onset is happening 4-5 days after I exercise, not within 48 hours. I'm experiencing swollen hands, joint pain (especially in my shoulders) which only seems to go away if I blast myself with ibuprophen.

Is this normal? I had a blood test for RA a few weeks back after the first time I flared up, which came up clean, and the doctor said this might just be my body's way of reacting to lifting since I haven't tried it before. But when I search forums I hear everyone talk about only 48 hours delay and the fact that mine is hitting almost a week later seems odd to me.

Thanks in advance for any help with my noob question

[rdferguson]

No, this isn't normal. I suspect your technique is off, since most of the issues are with your joints. If your joints hurt from training, it usually means something's going wrong. Crossfit workouts are very competitive. Competition isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but until you have the skill behind it, competition can be quite hazardous. I'd seriously recommend dialling down the intensity and completely ignoring any sense that you're in a race or that you have to get as many reps/rounds as possible, and just focus on strict technique. Also make sure that your routine is balanced. Some crossfit gyms have really considerate trainers who write up properly balanced workouts and programs, which is good for musculoskeletal health, while others have you doing a completely random list of exercises, which is bad for musculoskeletal health.