Hurt Myself

biggphatdaddy
biggphatdaddy Posts: 50
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been adding 1 maybe 2 new exercises a week to my weightlifting regiment in order to A. Keep changing up the attack on my muscles, and B. To work my way into the exercise thing slowly. Well I added squats this week, (what I thought was light weights). Everything felt ok Monday when I did it, of course there was a burn towards the end of my 3rd set, but Tuesday morning I woke and I moved like a 95 year old man with arthritis in every joint and muscle from my waist down. The hard part was going up and down, the front muscles on my upper legs were seriously on fire. If I stood still or just walked on level ground, I was OK. But even getting in the car almost made me cry it hurt so bad. It is now Friday and I still feel a little pull in my legs, but I think I am ready to get back into it....
So after setting up my situation, my question is, does anybody have any suggestions for a quicker recovery from that type of thing? Because I really dont wanna do squats again and then be out of the gym for 3 days, ya know what I mean? Also, does anybody know any exercises that hit the same muscles as squats? I kind of have a mental block and am gonna wait a few weeks before I attempt the squats again....

Replies

  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    protein and lots of it after you work out. you can try "recovery drinks" (just watch the sugar and calories) or just a plain old whey protein shake. i use pure protein from target and it works great. i'm hardly ever sore anymore.
  • Kimd1972
    Kimd1972 Posts: 45
    Well, I teach BodyPump (www.lesmills.com/bodypump) and we do weighted squats in EVERY class. My question is how heavy was the weight you used and was your form proper? My members whose form is off tend to hurt worse....Squats are very effective and they target the entire bottom half of your body if executed correctly. You can try lunges, but form with these are key too. I would suggest going for the squats again and maybe decrease the weight or use no weight at all. You may also want to try "wall sits". This is where you squat against a wall, pressing your back into the wall, and your feet out in front of you. You can google it for a picture. It will target the same muscles but also it will give you proper form and technique! Hope this helps....Good luck!
  • kristelagarcia
    kristelagarcia Posts: 28 Member
    I was like that the other day, 3 days later the pain was just getting bearable. My boyfriend suggested a hot shower and then cold water afterwards for a 2-3 minutes, he says its the minor equivalent of icing down your muscles. Also Bengay that night worked wonders.

    Good Luck!
  • gecallo
    gecallo Posts: 135
    Same thing happened to me when I first tried squats. Your body will get used to it the more you do it and you won't ache as much. I found that doing a few warm-up reps w/ light weights before doing my sets really helps. If you still feel kind of iffy w/ squats, you can do variations of the dead-lift.
  • etarre
    etarre Posts: 147 Member
    Make sure you stretch after a hard workout, too. I regularly get really painful charley horses in my calves, so I've been stretching them a lot after workouts (especially spin class) and it really seems to help.

    It also helps me when I'm sore to do some light cardio the next day-- it's when muscles stiffen up that they really start to hurt, so try to keep moving a little bit, even if you can't really do a full workout.
  • Paul76
    Paul76 Posts: 158
    Protein will help, but a good portion of it is getting your body used to recovering. Just keep at it. I sometimes find 5-10 minutes jogging on the treadmill the next day before hitting weights loosens the legs up.
  • cfischer81
    cfischer81 Posts: 111 Member
    The same thing happened to be last week when I did my 1st session with a personal trainer. Omg, did I hurt...could hard walk myself to the bathroom and back...not to mention the pain of just trying to sit down and get back up! lol
    I was also told protein helps and stretching.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    The body can adapt to almost any type of exercise or fitness routine, IF YOU ALLOW IT TO DO SO PROPERLY.

    You did not, and so you are suffering the consequences.

    If you take a more gradual approach and ramp up the intensity and duration of the squats more gradually, you should be able to include those in your routine without any ill effects. The pain and soreness you are feeling now is a result of you (unintentionally) doing more than your body was ready to do--it is not an inherent part of doing squats.

    For now, you pretty much have to ride it out. You can continue to exercise to tolerance--it won't make things any better, but it won't make them any worse, either. .

    Protein? if it will make you happy...it certainly makes the manufacturers happy to see their products touted as some magic elixir.
  • amg5157
    amg5157 Posts: 52
    Def. have to agree with some serious protein post workout! Leg night is a killer for me and if I dont get my protein shake right after and the next morning...i wont be able to sit for 3 days! hahahahaha
  • PoshTaush
    PoshTaush Posts: 1,247
    YOU HAVE TO STRETCH!!! Before and after working those muscles.

    so I suggest warming up and stretching, doing LIGHTER weights, and then stretching for a longer time for cool down.

    Stretching helps move lactic acid..(the stuff that makes us sore), out of the muscles. So.. Hope this helps some! :)
  • dore0021
    dore0021 Posts: 137
    Get back into them today!!!! I promise it will hurt less this go around, and get better and better everytime you do them.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    The same thing happened to be last week when I did my 1st session with a personal trainer. Omg, did I hurt...could hard walk myself to the bathroom and back...not to mention the pain of just trying to sit down and get back up! lol
    I was also told protein helps and stretching.

    I am having the same issue right now. I went to my first session on Wednesday and here I am 2 days later and I can barely move. I am hoping to work some of the stiffness out on the elliptical today. I just need to get better so I can keep training!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    bump
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