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    Cardio People- Heavy Legs?

    Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
    In the past month or so i've begin doing more cardio in addition to the weight lifting, walking around, training clients, etc. that's been a part of my routine for several years. I have always done SOME cardio (usually HIIT for about 20 minutes after my lifting sessions), but i'm preparing to instruct a cardio class.

    I knew i would be somewhat deconditioned when it came to cardio, but the classes i'm teaching are back to back an hour long each. So about 2 hours.

    For the first hour and maybe 15-20 minutes i'm totally fine, energy galore, going great... but then... my legs start to feel heavy. Like moving them is impossible. Like i'm much slower than expected.

    Surely others have experienced something similar! What gives, what can i do to fix this, etc. etc. etc.

    edit: p.s. i am asking here because i've gone down the rabbit hole of google and now i'm convinced i either have peripheral artery disease or Multiple Sclerosis and i'm going to be disabled for the rest of my life.

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    Replies

    • Posts: 554 Member
      You'll know waaaay more about it than I ever will, but sounds like you're hitting the wall?
      I can (and have done) cycle for Hours on a 100 mile ride, but without regular refueling, it's just not possible (for me, anyway)

      Sounds a little unlikely after that (relatively) short a time, but if you're going hard, and not that used to it... ?
    • Posts: 35,719 Member
      sounds like you just need to build up your endurance
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      Yes, as stated i figured i am hitting a wall and would need to build up my endurance. it's just.. i still have energy and feel fine... my legs just feel like they are tied to cinderblocks. It's a bizarre feeling, as if i were in a dream trying to run away from something.


      Anyways, is this a thing specifically?
    • Posts: 554 Member
      Well, yes! If you're working your legs for 4 x longer than you have previously, they're going to suffer!
      Probably a technical term for muscle fatigue, no idea what it is but it will improve as you work at it.

      It's NOT some horrific Google inspired disease, anyway!
    • Posts: 35,719 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      Yes, as stated i figured i am hitting a wall and would need to build up my endurance. it's just.. i still have energy and feel fine... my legs just feel like they are tied to cinderblocks. It's a bizarre feeling, as if i were in a dream trying to run away from something.


      Anyways, is this a thing specifically?

      you cant go from running 5k to a half marathon, even if you have the cardio fitness, your muscles and tendons will struggle to keep up... seems like its that sort of thing?
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      TavistockToad wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      you cant go from running 5k to a half marathon, even if you have the cardio fitness, your muscles and tendons will struggle to keep up... seems like its that sort of thing?

      Yes, it's possible. I guess i'll just keep going and hope it improves over time. =/
    • Posts: 35,719 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Yes, it's possible. I guess i'll just keep going and hope it improves over time. =/

      i'm sure it will, make sure you're fueling the extra exercise enough as well!
    • Posts: 4,658 Member
      Agree with the advice above. I have experienced the same when I tried a few long walks. Going from averaging 12k steps to attempting 40-50k in one day is no joke.

      Feet like lead is an apt description.
    • Posts: 602 Member
      HAHAHA those gummy bear reviews still get me when I go back to read them. That one that's like "Heavens to Murgatroyd" when talking about his farts... omg haha.
    • Posts: 4 Member
      This happened to me when I tried to just go run a 10k training run, because I had the cardio fitness from cycling 100-mile rides and such. Legs got extremely heavy to lift the last 1.5 miles or so. Just got to work your muscles back up to it. Probably need more mitochondria and glycogen stores, among other things.
    • Posts: 5,424 Member
      Stick it out until your body adapts, or evaluate the other lower body legs workouts you are doing and how you are recovering from them. Also didn't you say you were in a cut?
    • Posts: 6,338 Member
      Sounds to me like you're doing too much. And possibly not giving your muscles the time they need to recover.
    • Posts: 8,399 Member
      How's your potassium level? When I have problems with my legs I take some and it helps. Extreme fatigue means overdoing things. Gotta work up to it.
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      edited November 2016
      rybo wrote: »
      Stick it out until your body adapts, or evaluate the other lower body legs workouts you are doing and how you are recovering from them. Also didn't you say you were in a cut?

      Yes, but that's stopped, unfortunately. I haven't had the energy to keep it up so I've been eating maintenance (+800 for the cardio I've been doing).

      And yes, I definitely can't do any sort of lower body workout within 3 days of this cardio or I can't even remotely sustain it.


      Edit: by the way, thank you for saying this. I do have roughly 6 more pounds I want to cut. <3 I certainly don't want to lose focus of that.
    • Posts: 733 Member
      I'm experiencing this on Couch to 5K. This is new to me but I am now 52 years old. Never had these issues in my 30s/40s. I got myself WAY out of shape, I have a sedentary lifestyle, and now age going against me. My lungs seem raring to go. My legs, feel like cinderblocks slogging through molasses. It is getting better. For instance, I can do week 1 of C25K with no problem (legs no longer feel like cement on short distances), but I'm on Week 6 and they are just as hard to move as ever for any length of time! I probably need some strength training and maybe that would work for you too.
    • Posts: 388 Member
      Just a guess, but your leg muscles may be converting from quick twitch to slow twitch fibers, which may require energy and rest to do.
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      mgalovic01 wrote: »
      Just a guess, but your leg muscles may be converting from quick twitch to slow twitch fibers, which may require energy and rest to do.

      I don't think they can "convert", but I'm certain I have a lot more fast twitch. I am pretty muscular and very conditioned for weight lifting and sprinting.

      It's just the first time I've ever done serious endurance work.
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      CMNVA wrote: »
      I'm experiencing this on Couch to 5K. This is new to me but I am now 52 years old. Never had these issues in my 30s/40s. I got myself WAY out of shape, I have a sedentary lifestyle, and now age going against me. My lungs seem raring to go. My legs, feel like cinderblocks slogging through molasses. It is getting better. For instance, I can do week 1 of C25K with no problem (legs no longer feel like cement on short distances), but I'm on Week 6 and they are just as hard to move as ever for any length of time! I probably need some strength training and maybe that would work for you too.

      Thanks for your experience! Good to know!

      As stated I've never experienced this before and was more so concerned that something was actually WRONG with me. Now that I pretty much know it's just something I need to work on I feel much better.

      I do suffer with being cold all the time (especially hands and feet) and I was putting all of these scenarios together that I might be dying. :lol:
    • Posts: 388 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      I don't think they can "convert", but I'm certain I have a lot more fast twitch. I am pretty muscular and very conditioned for weight lifting and sprinting.

      It's just the first time I've ever done serious endurance work.

      If you're going from HIIT training to cardio training, your muscles will adjust to suit the event. How much specific fibers change is debatable.
    • Posts: 9,248 Member
      When you say "some weight lifting" how frequently are you squatting?

      I started on Stronglifts 5 x 5 earlier this year and found I had dead legs with squatting 3 x weekly & running 4 x weekly (especially as my runs were getting longer in the latter parts of my training plan) Perhaps you need more recovery time? (Are you getting enough sleep & carbs?)
    • Posts: 388 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Thanks for your experience! Good to know!

      As stated I've never experienced this before and was more so concerned that something was actually WRONG with me. Now that I pretty much know it's just something I need to work on I feel much better.

      I do suffer with being cold all the time (especially hands and feet) and I was putting all of these scenarios together that I might be dying. :lol:

      If you have anxiety and trouble sleeping, you may be over training. If so, backing off is the best way to recover. It can be hard to understand how you could be over training if you're doing less than you even used to do before, but if you've been going steady for a while without taking a break, you could be worn out. Your heart is a muscle too. If it is accustomed to HIIT training, it may be having difficulty adapting to cardio without ample rest to adjust. Your muscles only repair when you're calm and resting. It's like you have to be in a lower wavelength. That's why people go into comas, to divert all resources to recovery.
    • Posts: 19,809 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      I don't think they can "convert", but I'm certain I have a lot more fast twitch. I am pretty muscular and very conditioned for weight lifting and sprinting.

      It's just the first time I've ever done serious endurance work.

      Conditioned for weight lifting and sprinting but not endurance....
      A very different beast!

      By nature I'm a sprinter (60m was my best distance and I used to think 400m run was an endurance event....) but I've changed into mostly an endurance cyclist. But it's taken time and a lot of training, I used to work on increasing distance 10% a week - mostly long steady rides with some long duration intervals. You seem to have gone rather faster than that!
      Heavy legs? Yep - most of the summer cycling season and it's only the taper week before an event my legs feel fresh.

      Although this article is cycling focussed it has some interesting comparisons for time-pressed people in choosing large volume/duration and low intensity or shorter duration / higher intensity.
      https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/should-you-do-high-intensity-training-rather-than-base-training-during-winter.html
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      BrianSharpe wrote: »
      When you say "some weight lifting" how frequently are you squatting?

      I started on Stronglifts 5 x 5 earlier this year and found I had dead legs with squatting 3 x weekly & running 4 x weekly (especially as my runs were getting longer in the latter parts of my training plan) Perhaps you need more recovery time? (Are you getting enough sleep & carbs?)

      By someweight lifting I mean I've been lifting weights 4 days per week for almost 5 years. I do lower body twice per week (one push one pull).

      ;)
    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      Thanks everyone I just wanted to know of this was normal or not. I can handle it from here now that I know I'm not dying. :smile:

      Thanks again for all the responses
    • Posts: 235 Member
      FWIW... I used to run about 60 miles a week. I started also coaching cross country, so I suddenly added about 15 more miles per week from running workouts with the kids. That was ok, but when the season started I was standing on my feet or walking around for whole meets on Saturdays (like 5 hours, after a 14 mile long run in the AM). It was too much for my legs, and they were just like you describe --- heavy and dead. I could run the next day, but it sucked and I ended up getting injured. I'd be careful.
    • Posts: 26,184 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      Yes, as stated i figured i am hitting a wall and would need to build up my endurance. it's just.. i still have energy and feel fine... my legs just feel like they are tied to cinderblocks. It's a bizarre feeling, as if i were in a dream trying to run away from something.


      Anyways, is this a thing specifically?

      Yes, it can be a thing.

      What is your hydration and fueling like? Specifically, when do you eat and drink in relation to doing your 2 hours of cardio? And what do you eat and drink?

    • Posts: 7,490 Member
      Machka9 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Yes, it can be a thing.

      What is your hydration and fueling like? Specifically, when do you eat and drink in relation to doing your 2 hours of cardio? And what do you eat and drink?
      Machka9 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Yes, it can be a thing.

      What is your hydration and fueling like? Specifically, when do you eat and drink in relation to doing your 2 hours of cardio? And what do you eat and drink?

      I drink water throughout the day, and i usually eat atleast one big meal around 2PM. I am teaching from 6-8 and eat dinner afterwards.

      It's jumping up and down, so i've found if i drink too much too close to the time i get a lot of really loud stomach sloshing and if i eat too close i feel nausea.
    • Posts: 26,184 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      show previous quotes
      show previous quotes

      I drink water throughout the day, and i usually eat atleast one big meal around 2PM. I am teaching from 6-8 and eat dinner afterwards.

      It's jumping up and down, so i've found if i drink too much too close to the time i get a lot of really loud stomach sloshing and if i eat too close i feel nausea.

      Personally, I couldn't go from 2 pm to 8 pm without eating something ... especially if I were exercising for 2 hours of that.

      I can understand the nausea, but what about having something small like a granola bar or banana about 5 pm to give yourself an hour to digest it? I'd be tempted to have half a dozen jelly beans or something in between the two classes, as well. Nothing large ... just something small and fairly quickly digested. I'm a cyclist so my first thought was gels, but I'm not sure you'd even want something that large unless you went for half a packet about 15 minutes before the first class and the other half packet in between the two. Might take some experimenting.
    • Posts: 10,556 Member
      rainbowbow wrote: »
      Yes, as stated i figured i am hitting a wall and would need to build up my endurance. it's just.. i still have energy and feel fine... my legs just feel like they are tied to cinderblocks. It's a bizarre feeling, as if i were in a dream trying to run away from something.


      Anyways, is this a thing specifically?

      Maybe get some blood works done. I get completely heavy legs when I'm low on iron. Might be worth doing a blood count and ferritin, maybe also a few other things like Vitamin B12 and D3, thyroid. And be very wary if a doctor tells you everything is fine but you're at the lower end of the reference range. You're not healthy when you're within the range and suddenly get sick once you go below it. It's very gradual. For an example (I know, I fairly extreme). My GPs practice has a lower reference range for ferritin of 15. I get sick when I go below 28, and feel miserable already before that.
    • Posts: 11,463 Member
      You're working too hard as an instructor! Most of my instructors cue us along but don't do the entire routine with us.
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