Silly question - push through or rest it out?

Happyoceangirl

In the past couple of weeks, my legs have have been feeling unusually stiff - but my activity level hasn't really had any recent increases... my running buddy suggested that "there's such a thing as too much exercise" because I also do a DVD workout after a run on somedays. I don't think that's the problem though - really, I'm not doing anything more strenuous than a regular gym workout - so what gives?

I'm wondering if I need to add more intensive stretching.... or if it might be linked to nutrition or the particular combination of movements i'm doing?

I took about a week off from everything - let my body rest up... and started back in with the 30 day shred. Now I have muscle soreness from easing into a new program. I really miss running and want to add it back in.... ( I noticed in the past couple of weeks of running that my legs were seeming more fatigued though....)

Any advice / recommendations ?

ckmama

rest rest rest

when the body feels heavy? like it is hard to move.. it needs rest. You may need to work in more rest days during your workouts.

Hope you feel better soon.

kellygirl5538

I do rest when my body hits the limit. One time I tried to push though it and had NO energy. I myself wouldn't take a week off, I would do light exercises like the the pool or just walk or bike some.

The Shred everyday is very hard on your Body. I had to take two days off within the month because I was SOAR. Its also hard on your knees. The shred may not be the right program for u.

jenners22

I agree. It seems to me you do need rest...try eating some bananas too, it may help with muscle stiffness.

thumper44

Smiles4miles
I'm going to guess that you don't stretch, or if you do, you are not stretching enough.
You should stretch your muscles before exercising, and MOST important afterwards.

ie, if your going to run. Stretch, then warmup with a walk, light jog perhaps, and maybe stretch some more before jogging.
After jogging, cool down to a walk, then after a walk, make sure you stretch.

haileyco

you really need to be sure you are getting ample water, more that 64 oz daily if you are exercising. this will help flush out the lactic acid that builds up in your muscles. also making sure that you are getting enough potassium. i started taking Vitamin E 400 daily that also helps with the lactic acid breakdown in your muscles. i think that rest is good, maybe walk, jog, interval style. also, stretch, stretch, stretch.....keep your muscles limber!

Chenoachem

I was feeling like that with my running and I do yoga 6 days a week. I increased the amount of calories I was consuming in a day and increased my protein and carbs. It helped a lot.

Good Luck.

JennaM222

I had the same problem when I started to really run/hog on the treadmill. I was pounding out the work outs and my body wasnt used to this. I went to the DR and turned out i was exercising TOO much with out allowing my body to recover..I had slight hairline fractures that sat me out for a bit becasue i didnt stop when I felt the stress on my legs.

churchy

Hello there....

Dont push through - your body is telling you to rest!!
The body can generally take 3-4 weeks of intense exercise before it starts to break down. I have been a fairly serious runner for quiet a few years and there is a common saying - Dont train enough and you might not finish the race...Train to much and you might not even start it.
Its generally a good idea to structure your training so every 3-4 weeks you have a light week and bring the amount and intensity of the training down to about 50 - 70% of normal work out. This way you keep the body ticking over but allow it to rest and recuperate (ie I might run 30 miles in a normal week and cut down to 15-18 on a rest week (4x4miles at easy pace))
After a rest week you can resume training and should feel stronger and able to push for the next step.
Remember your body breaks down when you train and gets stringer when you rest. Omit the rest and the body will never get fitter.

You sound like you have mild over training symptoms. Dont stop completely but cut back until you feel rested.
If you try to push through, you could end up injured, mentally fatigued and you might need to stop completely to recover.

As far as running dont increase mileage by more than about 10% per week. I dont know what this shred program is, but there are no shortcuts to building a solid running base.

Sorry for banging on, but love running and have fallen into the over training trap many times attempting to get fit quick.

Hope this helps you out...!!!

churchy

Also be careful doing any stretching BEFORE exercise (I would avoid this at all costs). Sorry to contradict other posters, but you should always warm those muscles first with some light running before doing any stretching. Stretching cold muscles can cause big problems.

BrendaLee

Stretching well is ridiculously important. I follow every workout with a good round of stretching. I've noticed when I'm doing something really strenuous like biking, I sometimes have to stop once in a while and stretch out my legs. Maybe try a mid-workout stretch- particularly on your runs.

katzpawz

Make sure you get enough water as well as enough rest. You may want to increase your water intake on workout days.

Happyoceangirl

Thank you so much, everyone, for the feedback... I went "ah-ha" and "ooooh, I get it" several times as I was reading through.

I am now thinking that several things have been contributing to overall fatigue.
*Not enough water. I do good until I forget and then it's totally off my radar.

*It's also quite possible that my calorie consumption is too low for the exercise I'm doing. I just go by estimates in the database of calories burned but I suspect I'm burning at a higher rate than it says. I often have to exceed the daily calorie / food goal (even with eating ALL of my exercise calories) because i feel I need more food. Webmd.com has a resource that calculated my BMR quite a bit higher than MFP's calculation... so I started upping my calorie goal and feeling better about that.

*With the stretching - I start with a 10 minute warm up walk then stretch, then jog. I admit, I don't stretch afterward. Sounds like I gotta fix that. Also I've noticed that in Jillian DVD's, she doesn't give enough time to really stretch anything well. It's more like a token stretch so we can say we did it. It doesn't feel like enough. I'm following my own lead there.

Thanks again for all of the feedback. I'm going to read through these again, and may reply to specific posts. I appreciate your help!!:flowerforyou:

jenners22

Smiles4miles
I'm going to guess that you don't stretch, or if you do, you are not stretching enough.
You should stretch your muscles before exercising, and MOST important afterwards.

I learned in my A & P class today that stretching is just as important as weight training. You can tone your muscles with stretching alone (I guess that's yoga, right?). I thought that was very interesting. I just want to take my teacher out for coffee and pick his brain!