Burning Calves and Treads... OrangeTheory Fitness

slimdownsteph
slimdownsteph Posts: 71 Member
edited November 18 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey y'all!
I started doing OrangeTheoryFitness and honestly love it - despite the price! I've never been one to want to go to the gym and I usually look forward to the workout so worth the price.

Right now, I'm what they consider a power walker when on the treadmill, so I'm usually doing 3.0-4.0 at a steep incline. However, no matter what I do my calves (and sides of calves) hurt TREMENDOUSLY and my feet/legs feel like they weigh 1000 lbs and I'm walking through sand by the end of the block on treads. Is there anything I can do to help this or is it just something that will hopefully/eventually go away after doing this more frequently?

Any advice would be much appreciated!
Steph

Replies

  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    You're likely putting more exertion on your leg muscles than they've ever experienced, so it will take them time to adjust. How long have you been at it? Also, is it like stabbing pain, or just really achy? Where in the calf are you feeling this?

    Sorry for all the questions, but one more...

    You said they consider you a power walker, but are you walking, or doing more of a jog?
  • TAsunder
    TAsunder Posts: 423 Member
    What kind of incline are you talking about here? I usually run in my treadmill class but one time I was worried about a foot injury so I walked and set the incline to max. I ended up straining my popliteus muscle because of the steep incline. Be careful of going too steep.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    Also, stretching the calves really helps. I get sore calves after skipping rope. One time I forgot to stretch and the soreness lasted over a week.
  • slimdownsteph
    slimdownsteph Posts: 71 Member
    peachyfuzzle wrote: »
    You're likely putting more exertion on your leg muscles than they've ever experienced, so it will take them time to adjust. How long have you been at it? Also, is it like stabbing pain, or just really achy? Where in the calf are you feeling this?

    Sorry for all the questions, but one more...

    You said they consider you a power walker, but are you walking, or doing more of a jog?

    Thanks for asking for clarification! I've done about 7 classes over the course of 2.5 months, so not much. Just really achey/crampy. All over the back/sides of my calves. Not the front (I would assume if it was the front it would be shin splints - but not feeling the ache there).

    I am definitely only walking - no jogging.
  • slimdownsteph
    slimdownsteph Posts: 71 Member
    TAsunder wrote: »
    What kind of incline are you talking about here? I usually run in my treadmill class but one time I was worried about a foot injury so I walked and set the incline to max. I ended up straining my popliteus muscle because of the steep incline. Be careful of going too steep.

    Well, it depends on what block we are in. When we are at base pace: 0-3%, push pace: 3-7%, all out - 8% higher. I'm usually not too steep as I have to back off because of my calves.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    As long as you're not getting stabbing pains, especially in the middle bottom of the calf, then it's probably just because you're exerting them more than they're used to. If you're not doing any other exercising, seven times in 2.5 months is simply not enough to give them a sufficient load in order to become strong enough to not cause this kind of aching.

    You can try supplementing with calf raises a few times a day until they get stronger, and see where to go from there.

    Calf raise = start from flat foot position, raise yourself up to the balls of your feet, and then set yourself back down to flat footed. Repeat a few dozen times 3x/day, and you'll start strengthening them soon enough.
  • slimdownsteph
    slimdownsteph Posts: 71 Member
    peachyfuzzle wrote: »
    As long as you're not getting stabbing pains, especially in the middle bottom of the calf, then it's probably just because you're exerting them more than they're used to. If you're not doing any other exercising, seven times in 2.5 months is simply not enough to give them a sufficient load in order to become strong enough to not cause this kind of aching.

    You can try supplementing with calf raises a few times a day until they get stronger, and see where to go from there.

    Calf raise = start from flat foot position, raise yourself up to the balls of your feet, and then set yourself back down to flat footed. Repeat a few dozen times 3x/day, and you'll start strengthening them soon enough.

    I guess all the more reason to bump up my package to 8x a month. Thanks for the calf raise exercise.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    I would think that 2x/week (8x/month) should be enough. The first couple of weeks might SUUUUUCK, and you may just feel like a cripple, but you should be good as long as you give yourself enough rest. Personally, I'd do something like separating sessions by two days, and then taking three days off doing whatever light stuff such as walking, or whatever on the off days. Try not to make your off days completely sedentary.

    You're welcome for the calf raise tip, they are what really helped me during the times I kept injuring my calves when I started c25k. Just make sure you're not bending your knees, and are therefore forcing your calves to lift your bodyweight. You can also modify this if you want, and put your heels off of a stair so that you start from more of a less-than-flat position. You can get more extension that way.
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