Q: I'm obese, and I decided to try one of your programs in an attempt to get fit again. After I did it my legs were weak, as were my arms, and somehow I got a bruise on my forearm. Is this a good or bad thing? Today I'm still a little stiff, but not too bad at all compared to what it felt like last night. Is being stiff and sore normal for someone like me who is overweight and hasn't exercised? I was also wondering what some good stretches are. There was one more thing...right - what's the differance between elevated feet pushups and normal pushups? Thanks again.

A: The bruise on the forearm is unnecessary, but everything else sounds exactly like it should be -- good job!! The weakness right after the workout indicates that you pushed yourself hard which is good and the soreness the following day is a very common phenomenon when you're just starting an exercise program (or even when you're coming back to exercising after a break). It typically sets in 24 hours after the workout and can last a day or three :) It's uncomfortable, but it does no lasting damage. The extent of soreness will get better and better with each workout and may disappear entirely with time (it's OK if it disappears -- you can make perfectly good progress without any soreness afterwards).

Elevated pushups are when you put your feet up on a chair or a sofa instead of on the floor. They put more emphasis on your shoulders (the higher your feet are, the more the shoulders work) and are harder than regular pushups. If you find regular pushups challenging enough, then you don't need to worry about elevated pushups yet.

Finally, stretches are a little difficult to describe in words and I don't (yet) have a good section on my site for them. Check out this page and click on various muscle groups on the righthand side ('shoulder', 'thigh', etc.) For each one you'll see a screen and on that screen you'll have stretches for that muscle on the righthand side. Do most of you stretching immediately after the exercise and on following days. You should stretch lightly before the exercise and then perform the exercise with light or no weight for a few reps before doing your main set of the exercise.