Muscles "twitch" when training...

[Crimson Ghost]

Asking this question for a friend of mine.

While lifting, the muscle will start to twitch like crazy, kind of like those annoying twitches you can get in your eye lids and any other muscles.

Anyone every experience this or hear about this? Supposedly while he is not lifting this twitching doesn't happen.

I'm trying to get more info on his diet and training and such, but wanted to throw this out to all of you.

Below is how he described his situation:

"It's something that started back when I was in the army. I'd get muscle twitching during ab work. Then it started with the legs. I don't remember having the problem after I got out of the army but I've been finally getting back into the gym and actually enjoying working out. I was on the thyroid hormone after I got out of the army until just over a year ago. The problem now is that when I do resistance training I get the twitching, more like jerking actually. I can do situps out here at the house or pushups and since the house isn't on concrete it vibrates through the floors. The only things I could find that might be the problem would be nerve degeneration due to Parkinsons disease but there is no family history of that or lack of thyroid hormone. I have the lack of thyroid but I could only find one reference to it and that one was extremely vague. I assume that it was about much older people that aren't necessarily active. I'll probably have to bite the bullet and get to a doctor and get back on the thyroid but I've been extremely disappointed with the lack of expertise or information that doctors have on the subject. It's just a bit embarassing in the gym to be working out and twitching like that. It doesn't seem to affect strength any though, just fine muscle control."

 

[md2b]

Hmm. This could be from a number of things, some compeletly benign and some a little more worrisome. How old is he? Does he notice the symptoms all the time, or only with exercise?

The exercise itself could be causing it, but personally I only note that after exercise, not during. Stress and anxiety play a role in this, but ususally subside eventually. Also, like he eluded to, it could be an endocrine problem, most likely the thyroid. The more worrisome are things like Lou Gehrig's. He should definitely consider seeing someone about this, especially since it's persistant. The problem with fine motor coordination makes me lean toward either the endocrine or neurologic problem. I would talk to an endocrinologist or neurologist, and try to go from there. Hope everything works out for him.

 

[Entity]

Yeah, I agree with md2b, have him check it out with a specialist.

However, when I train it can get so intense that I start getting dizzy and nauseous and my muscles, sometimes my whole body starts to twitch and tremor a little. It goes a away on the whole when I cool down but my hands sometimes keep shaking for an hour or more after the workout. I think this is totally normal when training to absolute failure so make sure that this is not what he's experiencing