Thigh pain from squats and leg work outs :-( Help!!

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Jesslynn3282
Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is there any way to relieve pain from doing leg work outs /squats/lunges etc. ? I know I hate feeling the pain the next few days after but sometimes it discourages me. I'm doing a walking video/aerobics video and I was given a schedule for a complete month to do these videos....I am in a lot of pain today and I have to do the walking part to the dvds later today but after doing the lunges and squats a lot yesterday from the same dvds my legs are super sore and I'm dreading going home to do the 2 mile walk dvd after work :-(
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Replies

  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Is the pain sore muscles or joint pain? a dull ache or a sharp pain? - need more information - Eastcoast Jim
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,161 Member
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    I find that the soreness goes away after a week or two of doing my program. Usually for me things like walking help decrease the soreness. The problem is when I don't continue doing my program the number of times a week I am supposed to. Then the soreness does not go away.

    Having said that, there is a difference between soreness and pain. True pain could be an indication of injury.
  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    it is soreness...like when I bend down my thighs feel tight and sore. Getting up after sitting for awhile at my desk is brutal. Sitting down on a chair or a toilet for that matter is pretty intense soreness....My thighs and calves seem to be the only soreness/ ache that I have. No real sharp pain.
  • CristalSCarter
    CristalSCarter Posts: 28 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I'm having the same problem. I trained with someone that works at the gym I go to for my leg day and I don't know if it was the intensity of the workout was too much and my legs aren't strong as I thought, or because I didn't stretch before the workout besides lunges (which I had never done and wore me out)but I've felt pain for almost a week now. I think doing normal walking is helping instead of straight forward stretching but if you completely don't move much your muscles may tighten up even worse. My legs feel like they've recovered enough to stretch finally though but sitting on a toilet the other day resulted in a sharp, pulling pain as if I pulled something. Warm water has helped relieve some of the soreness. Personally I think I'll do my own leg day from now on at my own pace. I'll listen to my body but good luck and hope you recover.
  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    Thanks Cristal! I hope your pain gets better as well ! I'm hoping that the more often I do these the stronger my legs will get and there will be less pain...but I see a lot of people who have done leg work outs faithfully and still feel the pain boo :-(
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Please take the time to look up DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and how to "treat" and cope with it. This is what you are experiencing and everyone has their own method of dealing with it. As stated above, it lessens and goes away as you continue the same program. It usually only presents with the introduction of new programs or movements that stress muscles in a way that you are not normally used to.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Are you working out every single day or allowing yourself at least one rest day each week?

    I don't get much soreness from lifting or running anymore but when I was younger and doing gymnastics and karate regularly I was regularly finding myself sore the next day and even more sore the day after. The third day it would be gone. I found that doing some light stretching immediately after the activity and then again on the next day really helped to alleviate some of it. There's also nothing wrong with taking some ibuprofen which really helps with muscle aches.
  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    BecomingBane wrote: »
    Please take the time to look up DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and how to "treat" and cope with it. This is what you are experiencing and everyone has their own method of dealing with it. As stated above, it lessens and goes away as you continue the same program. It usually only presents with the introduction of new programs or movements that stress muscles in a way that you are not normally used to.

    Thanks for advice! I'll look that up!
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited October 2015
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    Are you working out every single day or allowing yourself at least one rest day each week?

    I don't get much soreness from lifting or running anymore but when I was younger and doing gymnastics and karate regularly I was regularly finding myself sore the next day and even more sore the day after. The third day it would be gone. I found that doing some light stretching immediately after the activity and then again on the next day really helped to alleviate some of it. There's also nothing wrong with taking some ibuprofen which really helps with muscle aches.

    Ibuprofen isn't really recommended for relief of DOMS. DOMS is caused by tears in the muscle tissue, which is the natural process of getting stronger and building muscle. Inflammation is the body's natural healing response. Taking an anti-inflammatory interferes with this process and can be detrimental to the time it takes the healing to occur.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23013520

    "Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are routinely prescribed post-exercise to alleviate these symptoms and restore normal physical function. Of potential concern for those who use NSAIDs to treat EIMD is the possibility that they may impair the adaptive response to exercise. Specifically, there is emerging evidence that the action of cyclo-oxygenase (COX) enzymes, and COX-2 in particular, are important and even necessary to achieve maximal skeletal muscle hypertrophy in response to functional overload. Given that NSAIDs exert their actions by blocking COX and thus suppressing prostaglandin production, a theoretical rationale exists whereby these drugs may have detrimental effects on muscle regeneration and supercompensation."

    and

    http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EULAR/33193

    "Overall, the findings imply "that the inflammatory reaction following muscle injury is essential for recovery," Rother and colleagues indicated in their poster presentation.
    "Since the effect of celecoxib ... was only modest, usage of NSAIDs for the treatment of exercise induced muscle soreness cannot be supported," they concluded."
  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    Are you working out every single day or allowing yourself at least one rest day each week?

    I don't get much soreness from lifting or running anymore but when I was younger and doing gymnastics and karate regularly I was regularly finding myself sore the next day and even more sore the day after. The third day it would be gone. I found that doing some light stretching immediately after the activity and then again on the next day really helped to alleviate some of it. There's also nothing wrong with taking some ibuprofen which really helps with muscle aches.

    this is a new program , so I am pretty sure it's because I am not use to it yet. I just know in the past I've had the same thing happen with a personal trainer and I didn't work out for a week straight because the pain was so bad. I just hate to do all that hard work then fall off the work out plan because of pain from the hard work out.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Day One: Warm up, exercise, cool down, stretch;
    Day Two: Rest, (maybe light walking, stretching);
    Repeat
  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    Thanks Pondee! Lucky for me today says to just do a 2 mile walk....hopefully the DVD program I'm on makes it a light walk lol
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Jesslynn3282 wrote: »
    it is soreness...like when I bend down my thighs feel tight and sore. Getting up after sitting for awhile at my desk is brutal. Sitting down on a chair or a toilet for that matter is pretty intense soreness....My thighs and calves seem to be the only soreness/ ache that I have. No real sharp pain.

    That's fine - just sore muscles - a good squat session should make it difficult to walk up the stairs or get up out of chair. Things that will help -eat breakfast on squat day - eat a good protein/carb meal after - this is a good time to stuff your self or have dessert. Get a good nights sleep - The next day walk, go for a easy bicycle ride or run - you just want to get the blood moving in your legs. If you are a runner ease up on that- If you squat 2x a week make 1 heavy & 1 high rep. for 3x a week just alternate or make 1 light one - & Squat first each training session - warm up thoroughly - start with body weight or an empty bar and go from there. Have fun - Thou Shalt Squat !! - Eastcoast Jim
  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    ecjim wrote: »
    Jesslynn3282 wrote: »
    it is soreness...like when I bend down my thighs feel tight and sore. Getting up after sitting for awhile at my desk is brutal. Sitting down on a chair or a toilet for that matter is pretty intense soreness....My thighs and calves seem to be the only soreness/ ache that I have. No real sharp pain.

    That's fine - just sore muscles - a good squat session should make it difficult to walk up the stairs or get up out of chair. Things that will help -eat breakfast on squat day - eat a good protein/carb meal after - this is a good time to stuff your self or have dessert. Get a good nights sleep - The next day walk, go for a easy bicycle ride or run - you just want to get the blood moving in your legs. If you are a runner ease up on that- If you squat 2x a week make 1 heavy & 1 high rep. for 3x a week just alternate or make 1 light one - & Squat first each training session - warm up thoroughly - start with body weight or an empty bar and go from there. Have fun - Thou Shalt Squat !! - Eastcoast Jim
    Thanks Jim!

  • sarab920
    sarab920 Posts: 68 Member
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    You did it right!! Congrats. ;)
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
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    +1-ing what everyone else said about it taking some time to not be so sore the next day, and adding the following small thing: if your quads (front of thigh) are what hurt after doing squats, it means you didn't have proper form. Your hams (back of thigh) should be what's sore! The trick to this is to keep your weight in your heels rather than the balls of your feet. I've been doing squats for years and I still occasionally get a day here or there when I didn't pay proper attention, and learned as much the next day.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I experienced that when I started lunges and squats. I hurt for days and my glutes/hamstrings were screaming too. For me, keeping moving was best because the longer I would sit the more tight I would get. That was about a month ago and it doesn't happen anymore. I still get sore, but nothing like it was.
  • crewbprice
    crewbprice Posts: 38 Member
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    Ditto the warming up for at least 5min and stretching afterwards, that's what works best for me.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Jesslynn3282 wrote: »
    ecjim wrote: »
    Jesslynn3282 wrote: »
    it is soreness...like when I bend down my thighs feel tight and sore. Getting up after sitting for awhile at my desk is brutal. Sitting down on a chair or a toilet for that matter is pretty intense soreness....My thighs and calves seem to be the only soreness/ ache that I have. No real sharp pain.

    That's fine - just sore muscles - a good squat session should make it difficult to walk up the stairs or get up out of chair. Things that will help -eat breakfast on squat day - eat a good protein/carb meal after - this is a good time to stuff your self or have dessert. Get a good nights sleep - The next day walk, go for a easy bicycle ride or run - you just want to get the blood moving in your legs. If you are a runner ease up on that- If you squat 2x a week make 1 heavy & 1 high rep. for 3x a week just alternate or make 1 light one - & Squat first each training session - warm up thoroughly - start with body weight or an empty bar and go from there. Have fun - Thou Shalt Squat !! - Eastcoast Jim
    Thanks Jim!
    You are welcome Jess - If you are just starting out squatting keep it up and gradually add weight & reps. What program are you using? sets/reps/ weight? How often? Squats should be the #1 exercise in a program - Eastcoast Jim

  • Jesslynn3282
    Jesslynn3282 Posts: 53 Member
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    [/quote]
    You are welcome Jess - If you are just starting out squatting keep it up and gradually add weight & reps. What program are you using? sets/reps/ weight? How often? Squats should be the #1 exercise in a program - Eastcoast Jim

    [/quote]

    I'm using the Leslie Sansone walk it off in 30 day program. They have 3 DVDs the first 2 days the dvds focused on Burning .....then yesterday I did the firming video which was lunges and squats with dumbbell's in each hand. It was a good work out. Not all just walking like I thought :-) but I definitely am loving it! every 7 days I get a rest day. They seem to mix things up with 2 mile -5 mile walks then the Burn and Firm DVDs to change up from just walking. ~Jess

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