Ow, my hammys

XianC
XianC Posts: 93
in Fitness and Exercise
So I am just starting here at MFP and up until now have led a very sedentary life. With all of the extra weight I have on me, even walking long distances is tiring.

I started at my gym a couple weeks ago but have only been four times. Day 1, I did 16 minutes on the treadmill before giving in. Day 2, 30 minutes on the treadmill and felt great the whole time. The last time I went in, I hit about 12 minutes and my hamstrings were just burning like crazy. So much to where I had to reduce the time from 30 minutes to 15 minutes. I went and did the other 15 minutes on the stationary bike.

Couple questions. Why would my hamstrings burn that much after I had already done more time on the treadmill previously? Are there stretches I need to be doing before the treadmill? (Stretching to walk sounds silly to me but I admit I know nothing about anatomy or fitness) Is there a way to prevent that burning sensation? I'm okay with pain and with the idea of workouts making you tired and things hurting a bit. But this was more like ... I felt like little gnomes were taking each end of my hamstrings and pulling them apart as hard as possible. Yes, gnomes.

Thanks for any advice.

Replies

  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
    Maybe you were going too fast or had the incline up too high.
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    You are exercising after not having done so for your WHOLE LIFE. There are muscles in there getting a wake up call, that's why it's burning a bit.

    I would say don't overdo it and allow your body rest days. Maybe try exercising every second day for now?

    I personally do a fair bit of weight training aimed at straining my muscles to grow them, and I get a burn for the next 24~48 hours while they are healing. I would say that you are having the same experience as I am (and most people doing proper weights training), however from walking uphill, as this is not something you do regularly. I used to get the same thing after doing uphill jogging for the first month as my body adjusted.

    Just take things easy and make sure you get plenty of rest :) It isn't a sign the incline is 'too high', it's a sign that you need to give your body time to adjust! :flowerforyou:

    edit: you may not have the burn whilst you are resting, but if you don't allow time for healing, it will burn once you use those muscles again. Like weight lifting, your arms may not hurt, but there's certainty that it'll burn the next day if you do try lifting again!
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
    neil-degrasse-tyson-badass.gif
  • XianC
    XianC Posts: 93
    You are exercising after not having done so for your WHOLE LIFE. There are muscles in there getting a wake up call, that's why it's burning a bit.

    I would say don't overdo it and allow your body rest days. Maybe try exercising every second day for now?

    I personally do a fair bit of weight training aimed at straining my muscles to grow them, and I get a burn for the next 24~48 hours while they are healing. I would say that you are having the same experience as I am (and most people doing proper weights training), however from walking uphill, as this is not something you do regularly. I used to get the same thing after doing uphill jogging for the first month as my body adjusted.

    Just take things easy and make sure you get plenty of rest :) It isn't a sign the incline is 'too high', it's a sign that you need to give your body time to adjust! :flowerforyou:

    edit: you may not have the burn whilst you are resting, but if you don't allow time for healing, it will burn once you use those muscles again. Like weight lifting, your arms may not hurt, but there's certainty that it'll burn the next day if you do try lifting again!

    See and that post-burn is what I'm familiar with in the past when I've worked out. Do some stuff and it hurts/burns the next day. I'm cool with that. That kind of pain feels good. Perhaps the incline contributed. I had it on a pre-set that adjusted throughout the workout. Not drastically but still.

    Thanks for the feedback.
  • Tiznonay
    Tiznonay Posts: 124 Member
    I had the same problem when I first started (I also started with walking). My hamstrings would hurt, also my ankles and knees - it sucked. For the hammy's, stretching is super-important. What worked for me was stretching before and after. Walk for like 5 minutes, then stretch. And then do it again after you're done. Made a big difference for me
  • XianC
    XianC Posts: 93
    I'll definitely start doing that. Thanks for the advice.

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