DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please settle an argument my wife and I have regarding weight training. I was using a resistance device to strengthen my forearms while my 5-year-old daughter was watching. I do as many repetitions as I can until the muscle is exhausted. At the completion, the muscle is very tight and painful. Then I shake the muscle to relieve the sensation. At the completion of the exercise, I was saying, “Ouch, ouch,” and my daughter laughed at me. I told her, “No pain, no gain.” My wife takes exception to those words. She says there should be no pain involved in weightlifting. Is the phrase acceptable? – S.T.

ANSWER: In exercise of short duration and high intensity, such as weightlifting and sprinting, muscles use stored sugar for energy production in a way that generates lactic acid. Lactic acid provides a less-than-pleasurable sensation. The pain, however, is transient and quickly dissipates in a matter of minutes.

If that is what you mean by “pain,” then I side with you. It’s an inevitable consequence of high-intensity training. In fact, the intensity of exercise is sometimes gauged by the amount of lactic acid produced.

On the other hand, if you are talking about pain that lingers well after the lift has been completed, then you are talking about pain that is counterproductive. That kind of pain is an indication that the exercise intensity has gone beyond the bounds of muscle building and that serious muscle damage has occurred.

If that’s the kind of pain you mean, then I side with your wife.

I imagine some of your “ouch, ouch” reaction was done to amuse your daughter.

There is another kind of pain that comes with exercise. It’s the pain and stiffness a person feels the day after beginning a new exercise program or after an increase in the strenuousness of a program. That soreness represents some muscle damage, but new muscle is built quickly, and the soreness should not last more than one or two days. This kind of muscle soreness is the reason why it is not wise to exercise the same muscles day after day. A day of rest should intervene.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a grandson, 16 years old, who wrestles on his high-school team. He concentrates on keeping his weight down in order to wrestle in the 103-pound class. I believe he should at least be five to 10 pounds heavier. Is this a good idea? He doesn’t look well and is about 5 feet 5 inches tall. – R.H.

ANSWER: If your grandson diets to keep his weight low or if he’s using some unnatural method, like taking water pills, then he should knock it off and eat what he wants.

For his age, your grandson is a bit on the low side for height and on the very low side for weight. If his genes have destined this body size for him, then no one should worry. What size are his parents, and what size were they when they were his age? If they were of the same build, it would indicate that he is programmed to be this height and weight.

However, wrestlers often keep themselves unnaturally slim in order to wrestle in a low weight class. That’s a pernicious ploy, and no coach should allow it to happen, let alone encourage it. It is unhealthy and not in the tradition of true sportsmanship.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Three weeks ago I took my grandkids bowling. That was the first time I had been bowling in 20 years.

I bowled three games, which took one and a half hours. The next day my right hand – my bowling hand – hurt, and the fingers were swollen. The pain lasted two weeks. Why would this be so hard on me? – S.S.

ANSWER: A single bout of intense exercise causes havoc in muscles and joints. You used muscles in a way they had not been used in 20 years. It would be strange if you had not been sore the following day.

Two weeks is a long time for muscle soreness, but I believe that’s what you had. Check with your doctor if you want to be sure.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I recently saw an article of yours about washing dry eyes with a diluted solution of baby shampoo using a cotton swab. Could you tell me the dilution ratio and some hints about the best way to do this? I tried it and found that even baby shampoo will burn your eyes if applied without enough dilution. – D.W.

ANSWER: D.W., put the baby shampoo away.

Diluted baby shampoo is used for treatment of blepharitis, a lid condition. The lids are irritated and a crust builds up on them. Baby shampoo is diluted by using an ounce of water for every ounce of shampoo – a 1-to-1 ratio. Then a cotton-tipped applicator soaked in the solution is used to gently wash the crust off the lids. Never is this intended for use on the eyes – no matter how greatly the baby shampoo is diluted.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

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