Leg Day?

BiancaMarie819
BiancaMarie819 Posts: 67 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So after a ton of different memes, and jokes from people who go to the gym! Leg day is supposed be hard to walk the next day or day after, but I never feel that way, once in a blue moon my quads will be sore, but not all the time. Am I not pushing myself hard enough or using enough weights?

What's your leg day workout?

Replies

  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I don't mind feeling a little soreness after a workout, but if it hurts to walk, it ends up taking longer to recover, and it cuts into other workouts.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    So after a ton of different memes, and jokes from people who go to the gym! Leg day is supposed be hard to walk the next day or day after, but I never feel that way, once in a blue moon my quads will be sore, but not all the time. Am I not pushing myself hard enough or using enough weights?

    What's your leg day workout?

    are you squatting?

    if yes, then you should be sore. if you're not sore, then you're not squatting enough weight and/or sets/reps.

    if no, then you should be squatting.

    proper lifting for strength and muscle growth is to stress your muscles to failure. that's what causes the soreness. if you don't have soreness, you're not working your muscles to failure and forcing your muscles to adapt.
  • ChiManLifts
    ChiManLifts Posts: 97
    After a proper leg day you should be hobbling (from soreness, not injury).


    Some people on mfp can do cardio after leg day. You're doing it wrong.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
    I'm a beginner doing full body, don't have a leg day. My legs feel it a little the next day but nowhere near not being able to walk. I'm happy about that since I work on my feet and do a lot of bending and squatting at work.

    I make sure to warm up and stretch out afterwards, maybe that has something to do with it.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    I've found I can have a good leg workout and still be able to function the next day. I have to, I bike commute and I work on my feet all day. High reps and low weight helps. Also, drinking lots of water and getting at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass helps speed healing.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    I'm a beginner doing full body, don't have a leg day. My legs feel it a little the next day but nowhere near not being able to walk. I'm happy about that since I work on my feet and do a lot of bending and squatting at work.

    I make sure to warm up and stretch out afterwards, maybe that has something to do with it.

    don't think of the soreness as an inconvenience.

    think of it as your body telling you that you did your workout correctly.

    if you don't have soreness, then you didn't get the benefit from your workout session that you should have.
  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
    DOMS or soreness isn't really correlated with workout effectiveness. Some people get it more than others, but it doesn't necessarily mean your workout was not effective.

    I pretty much only get soreness from doing something I've not done before - different muscle, more range of movement, or from going near maximal, like a 1RM, even then it's pretty mild.
  • BiancaMarie819
    BiancaMarie819 Posts: 67 Member

    are you squatting?

    if yes, then you should be sore. if you're not sore, then you're not squatting enough weight and/or sets/reps.

    if no, then you should be squatting.

    proper lifting for strength and muscle growth is to stress your muscles to failure. that's what causes the soreness. if you don't have soreness, you're not working your muscles to failure and forcing your muscles to adapt.


    Yes! I do squat and only on occasions I will be sore, I'll do 5 setsof 20 reps, and I'll use 30 pounds not including the bar.

    So should I be increasing the weight? Or squatting deeper?

    When I work on legs I do leg extensions( lbs ranges by machine) 5 sets 12 reps, leg press 180lbs 5 sets 15 reps

    I used to do 3 sets until someone suggested to increase to 5.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    If you aren't progressing, and getting stronger (or adding mass, if that is your goal), then your body is telling you that your workouts are not effective.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member

    are you squatting?

    if yes, then you should be sore. if you're not sore, then you're not squatting enough weight and/or sets/reps.

    if no, then you should be squatting.

    proper lifting for strength and muscle growth is to stress your muscles to failure. that's what causes the soreness. if you don't have soreness, you're not working your muscles to failure and forcing your muscles to adapt.


    Yes! I do squat and only on occasions I will be sore, I'll do 5 setsof 20 reps, and I'll use 30 pounds not including the bar.

    So should I be increasing the weight? Or squatting deeper?

    When I work on legs I do leg extensions( lbs ranges by machine) 5 sets 12 reps, leg press 180lbs 5 sets 15 reps

    I used to do 3 sets until someone suggested to increase to 5.

    if you are doing the same thing with the same amount of weight each time you workout, then you aren't progressing and i'm not surprised you aren't experiencing soreness. the fundamental principle of progressive resistance training is to increase your reps or your weight or both from session to session. that's the goal and that keeps your muscles progressing.

    are you following any training regimens such as NROL4W? those should spell out in detail how/when to progressively increase the load you are putting on your muscles from session to session.
  • Troublemonster
    Troublemonster Posts: 223 Member
    DOMS or soreness isn't really correlated with workout effectiveness. Some people get it more than others, but it doesn't necessarily mean your workout was not effective.

    I pretty much only get soreness from doing something I've not done before - different muscle, more range of movement, or from going near maximal, like a 1RM, even then it's pretty mild.

    Pretty much this for me too. I do two leg days per week and I rarely get sore anymore. I don't think anyone would accuse me of not working hard enough either as I do my sets of squats, then box squats, then leg accessory stuff including standing calf raises with as much as I can stand under on the bar.
  • BiancaMarie819
    BiancaMarie819 Posts: 67 Member
    I'll look up the NROL4W? But not really, I don't have any training regimine I've kinda been winging it for the past month increasing when its getting to easy, but not hard enough where I can't complete a full set. But I'll definitely check that out! I didn't start with the weights I've posted, I've been increasing them
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    I'll look up the NROL4W? But not really, I don't have any training regimine I've kinda been winging it for the past month increasing when its getting to easy, but not hard enough where I can't complete a full set. But I'll definitely check that out! I didn't start with the weights I've posted, I've been increasing them

    New Rules of Lifting For Women is a book. but i think there are a couple of private groups on here dedicated to that regimen. those are groups you should probably seek out and join.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Being sore after a workout means nothing. Generally when you learn a new movement, you will be sore, or after a layoff, you will be sore, but the body responds and adapts quickly to new movements and will become efficient at recovering.

    I took 6 months off of lifting due to a shoulder injury. My first time back under the bar squatting I was sore as hell. Haven't been sore since, and I've set several PR's and boosted my 1RM by about 50 pounds since then. My legs feel like jello for about 20 minutes after the session due to extreme fatigue, but sore the next day? Nah, never.
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    After a GOOD leg workout, I can't walk properly for about 2 days.

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