sore calves and shins

newCourtney

Hey All,
I have really tight calves and have a hard time stretching them enough, so when I walk for my cardio (I usually do 60 mins and live in an area with a lot of hills, so I'm up and down a lot) my calves usually end up getting sore and hurt all the way through it. My shins also hurt. I walked two days this week, then took yesterday off from walking (yoga/pilates instead), but they still hurt this morning. I don't know if this is from bad shoes or not enough stretching. Any ideas?

gj4man

Get a foam roller from Amazon (they're pretty cheap) and look up how to use it on your calves on YouTube (it's not hard).

The soreness in your shins could well be from having tight calves, so sort that out and see if the problem goes away. If not, get some new shoes, fitted properly, from a proper sports store.

HTH

jsteffen80

Your shin soreness could be shin splints. Terribly painful and difficult to cure. It's possible that you are putting too much stress on your legs before they are ready.

marycmeadows

foam rolling works wonders for me..... for six months i had trainers four days a week (m-th) and I worked out on my own the other days -- I was sore all the time..... foam rolling works.... I got mine from powersports.com.

MattGetsMad

It's the impact.

When I started my "journey" I weighed 401lbs. I could walk and was pretty athletic for a guy that size, but my legs constantly bothered me. Whether a tricky knee, sore foot, or any other ailment something always bugged me.

I ride a bike to exercise now, and I'm been doing so since 401lbs. Only way I can get a really good workout and not have the terrible impact on my legs.

Good luck to you.

eayal002

Rolling is an excellent idea, further stretching helps don't wait too long after you are done if they cool down it will be more painful. I will also suggest to check the shoes you are wearing, they might not be providing the best support of could be the wrong shoe all together for what type of exercise you are doing.. There are few places you can have your foot matched to the best shoe or even try new soles.

jensterk

"Your shin soreness could be shin splints. Terribly painful and difficult to cure. It's possible that you are putting too much stress on your legs before they are ready. "

I agree with this 100%. I helped a student loose 200 pounds and he had shin splints all the time in the beginning. It happened when we did sprints, and sustained walking/jogging. I would recommend you do shorter workouts several times per day. So...if your goal is 60 minutes, do 20 minutes 3 times per day, etc. You could also go speak with a physical therapist to ask what stretches are good. My physical therapist (ACL reconstruction) was AMAZING!

newCourtney

Thanks everyone! I walked today and made sure I did extra stretching on my calves. I started out sore, so I stopped after a few minutes and stretched again. I also spent more time stretching after I was done. Calves feel better, and shins don't hurt at all. I will try the roller thing and better shoes.
Thanks for the advice and support!

FORIANN

I'm dealing with shin splints. This roller idea seems very popular....what in the world are you people talking about though?