Exercisers - question for you

[IwannabeinNarnia]

I just joined a gym and had my first session with a personal trainer on Tuesday. since then the front top of BOTH legs are killing me. Hurts when I go to stand and when I go to sit. Hurts to step up onto things. I've tried stretching like he told me to do but they seem to be getting worse. The legs are even tender to the touch. Is this normal after hard exercise? or could I have injured them? He had me doing circuit stuff.. squats, lunges, jumping jacks, then stepping on and off of a weight bench (which was quite high for me I had to pull myself up onto it) and also elliptical machine. Half hour total session. And should I continue exercising to keep the muscles working? or give it a rest. I have a 5k to run on Saturday AND another session with the Personal trainer on Tuesday.

[cer]

Don't let the muscle soreness be a 'stopper'. You will hurt for a while. There were times when I had to hang on to the wall to get off the toilet. (too much info, I'm sure, but you need to know the reality). Your body will be sore. It will fight you, (give you pain) because it is learning something new. It will not be too long and it will realize that "Hey, I need to do something different because the excerise thing is not going away." and then it will grow and adjust to what you are calling on it to do.

There is big difference between muscle soreness and injury. What you have described sounds like your quads are just responding this new activity - It is alarming, because you might not have pushed yourself in this way before.

I think you will be fine for your 5K -you might not be completely pain free, but there is no way I would give that up.

I encourage you to continue to go to the trainer. Talk to them about your experiences, if you are still in extreme pain, they might work a different muscle group, but just to give you an idea, I have a leg workout weekly. - With the circuit training, you are not only getting a good leg/quad workout, you are also getting a good cardio workout as well.

It will get better (maybe not as soon as you'd like), but I promise as you get stronger, it will get better.

Hang in there. Change is hard.

[DizneyRox]

Lactic acid... It's normal, and hurts if you're not used to it. Hurts even if you are, but worse when you're not.

It's part of working out...

[stephicakes]

Yep - pretty normal for new exercise movements. Sounds like it's your quads, or when you say "top" of your legs it may also be your hip flexors.

I am a recreational athlete - I (weight) train at the gym up to 2.5 hours a day, belong to CrossFit, and I am also studying to be a personal trainer. I will however caution against pushing yourself too much if you are in a lot of pain (intolerable).

Give your legs time to heal approx. 48 hours before continuing with any strenuous leg exercises to prevent actual injury. Our bodies give us "pain" messages for a reason - pushing yourself through severe pain can lead to further setbacks. Since only you know the location of the pain and the severity, you are the best judge on when to continue your exercise routine (5K), however you should be fine by Tuesday. If you continue to be in pain, please see your doctor to make sure there isn't anything else going on (bursitis in hips, pulled tendon, etc). An anti inflammatory and a hot bath always help me on leg days.

Good luck! And know you will have many "sore" days ahead of you. Your body is changing, adapting, and getting stronger.

[BrerGnat]

Take some Aleve and a warm soak in a tub. Gentle stretching will help as well. What you describe is totally normal, no need to worry. The fact that your pain is present in the same spot on BOTH legs at the same time definitely points to muscle soreness and nothing more.

[IwannabeinNarnia]

thanks everyone! I took it easy and they are feeling better. I too was having to hang onto the wall, or the handicap rails in bathrooms. I completed the 5k saturday and it wasn't the best time, but I did not come in last. There were several hills to tackle and those were killer but I did it! I have another 5k this Saturday so I am postponing beginning more personal training sessions until next week. Then I'll have 5 weeks of one session per week. I will have 6 weeks until my next 5k. I did use Ben Gay also. And that helped. But thanks for all the comments and help! It's great knowing that this is 'normal' and I get to look forward to even more pain and misery as I continue this exercise journey.

[Cinderelley]

A lot of the soreness is from inflammation and lactic acid build up. Take some NSAIDS (such as ibuprofen) if you are able to (It also helps if you take a couple prior to working out) and drink A LOT of water to help flush out that lactic acid. A good massage can help also.

[garymacd]

An Omni Massager would be an excellent tool for you, It's like a billiard ball in a handle that allows it to roll freely. Just roll it on your legs and concentrate on the sore points. Look for it on the web or possibly at your chiropractor's office.

Barring this, you can try a foam roller, available at just about any sports equipment store. Follow the directions and roll over all major muscle groups and again focus on the sore spots. Try getting a soft one to start. The hard ones just hurt.