So Sore

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irishis98
irishis98 Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
I understand that with any type of exercise there will be soreness, but more often than not my soreness seems to go extreme, getting worse day 3 and day 4 after workout. I started doing different exercises other than just my 30 minutes on the stationary bike and now I can hardly walk on day 2 after, workout included lunges, squats etc... using muscles I hadn't really been working before. My question is has anyone found anything that will relieve the soreness quicker, I have quit so many times because I have to wait 4-5 days between workouts because of pain, this isn't just a little sore this is really really hard to go up the stairs pain. I can't soak in a tub, we don't have one.

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  • kehuizenga
    kehuizenga Posts: 151
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    Lots and lots of stretching. Try holding your stretches for 15 seconds or longer--this helps me!
  • AMYJK7110
    AMYJK7110 Posts: 126 Member
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    Ibuprofen, heat, massage, light stretching and keep moving! That's what helps me, though I am not generally sore for as long as you seem to be.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Stretching helps a lot! Make sure every muscle group is stretched as good as you can. Hold for up to 30 seconds on the stretch.
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
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    Stretch for sure or maybe try a foam roller, I've never used one but I hear they are nice. Soon your body will get use to the soreness. Until then what i do for my extremely sore muscles,I work them with very light weights or just body weight. If that doesn't help I drink elite recoup after each workout legend has it this stuff will help prevent sore muscles, true or not I don;t really know but it has a lot of good stuff in it to help repair them anyway.
  • Brenda_1965
    Brenda_1965 Posts: 314 Member
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    Make sure you drink lots of water before, during and after exercise. If you don't drink enough, your muscles will take the water from your fat stores and cause you more pain. I'm guessing this is why you have such unusual pain. If it is joint pain, you might have inflammation. I get this and now I am on a prescription water pill... it has been a miracle.

    I am very sore today from running hills in the heat. I ran an hour and 15 minutes yesterday. I have been mulling this over and have decided to do wii fit today. Just the yoga poses and any other stretching exercises. I am like you. If I take a day off, it is extremely hard for me to get back to it again.

    Good luck!
    Brenda
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I started doing different exercises other than just my 30 minutes on the stationary bike and now I can hardly walk on day 2 after, workout included lunges, squats etc... using muscles I hadn't really been working before.
    Congrats. As you can see the stationary bike doesn't touch nearly half of your potential muscle. To your legs it's the equivalent of curling a pencil with your biceps. It's nothing. Legs are beastly strong muscles and are made for heavy work. Pushing a bike around is good for your heart and lungs but doesn't do a lot for your legs.
    My question is has anyone found anything that will relieve the soreness quicker.
    The short term solution is to take some ibuprofen and do some light cardio like the stationary bike. Warming up your muscles will help them feel better. Don't do the weighted exercises again for a few days and give your legs time to recover and heal. That's what makes them stronger.

    The long term solution is to work your legs again this next week, and again the next week, and again the week after that. Give it a month or two and you won't really even feel that sore at all.
  • Inforthelonghaul
    Inforthelonghaul Posts: 33
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    Welcome to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Accumulates as a result of the build up of lactic acid. Cooling down thoroughly and stretching will help alleviate the symptoms.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    That happened each time I started adding a new type of workout into the mix (usually hitting muscles that had been previously ignored). After a couple of weeks, you start to adapt and the soreness becomes much less severe (or goes away entirely). Just make sure you give yourself time to recover, at first. If you're limping around because your muscles sieze up all day, you're in no shape to do a strenuous workout. Do some stretching and very light exercise (walking, etc) for a few days until you feel up to giving the harder workout another shot.
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
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    i'm just adding to what everyone has said, as it's given me a revelation lol....

    protien helps me - it takes my soreness from OMG, I can't sit down / stand up one more time!!! to a nice "ooohhh, i did good yesterday" state.

    however, monday i was pressed for time & decided to (instead of taking time out beforehand to adequately stretch) just stretch a lil before ea leg workout... OH boy was that a bad idea - i am back to legs again (thankfully alternate muscles) today and i am STILL painfully sore... 10m's to warm up makes a ton of a difference.!!
  • Chrystyne226
    Chrystyne226 Posts: 14
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    I feel your pain. I exercise every day, sometimes 2x a day and the pain is so bad. :(
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    this isn't just a little sore this is really really hard to go up the stairs pain.

    I have to snicker just a bit because I have a two story house and know exactly what you're talking about. I was really lax about hitting the gym last year and when I started hitting my legs really hard in February this year. I would almost totally avoid going up stairs because I was so sore it was like climbing Mt. Everest. I had to laugh at how sore my legs were. Something as simple as getting up out of a chair was torture.

    The soreness will be less this next week, and less after the week following that. I've actually added a second leg day to my routine and I don't feel that sore at all normally. Your legs just feel a bit tired the next day. You won't even think about it most of the time. Keep working on them with that goal in mind. It gets better and better. I almost miss them being sore honestly. It's a good reminder the next day that you did a good job at the gym.
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
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    I recently discovered that, after one day of rest, cardio is my best friend in terms of alleviating soreness. After an intense lower body workout, I was incredibly sore. I took one of day of rest (soreness actually increased on rest day ). The following day (legs still sore) I did a spin class and it practically eliminated all soreness. I was very surprised (and thankful, lol).

    I also noticed that when I fail to stretch after running, I'm noticeably more sore.
  • MMMendoza007
    MMMendoza007 Posts: 157 Member
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    Make sure you drink lots of water before, during and after exercise.

    Oh, I couldn't agree more! Water, water, water! It made a BIG difference for me.
  • Vansy
    Vansy Posts: 419 Member
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    Stretching!!! Lots of it. :)

    And getting out and moving the day after a hard work-out -- so go for a 30-minute walk/jog. usually after about 5 minutes your muscles warm-up and feel great. and of course, stretch afterwards. :)
  • StormyGal8
    StormyGal8 Posts: 184 Member
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    I went to Mixed Martial Arts Fitness last night....the first night I went resulted in 4 days where I couldn't sit down to pee...I had to fall down because my legs hurt so bad. I have been to 1 class since then, and then last night I went again. Last night we worked on legs....tons of squats, leg kicks, lunges...everything that hurts legs! I did something last night that I didn't do the first night though. I got myself a protein bar (with 30g of protein in it) after my work out. I was pretty sure today would be pretty rough, but homed to keep it from being as bad as the last time we worked our legs.

    I woke up this morning, I am sore and stiff, yes, but I can move, I can bend....protein seems to have made a WORLD of difference.

    Long story short, try protein after a work out. My protein bar has 330 calories in it, but for me it's a fair trade off.
  • laurenmdaley
    laurenmdaley Posts: 40 Member
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    Agreeing with the other posters, stretching before and after is a must, lots of water and lots of protein. My after workout soreness was greatly reduced after I increased my protein. I see from your profile that your vegetarian, there are some good soy based protein powders out there, maybe give them a shot?
  • Inforthelonghaul
    Inforthelonghaul Posts: 33
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    Stretching before exercise, how many times have I seen this. Only ever stretch muscles that have been adequately warmed up.
  • beekuzz
    beekuzz Posts: 428 Member
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    Omg, this is so me today, can't bare to go to the bathroom again. Too had I didn't find this post earlier this morning.
  • bluechip777
    bluechip777 Posts: 160 Member
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    Glutamine.

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