Dan and I started a new workout on Sunday, it was a great workout but I knew when it was done that I would be paying for it the next day. And sure enough, like always (ok, maybe not always) I was right. But it was a slow downward spiral.
I got up just fine, I was tight but nothing crazy, as the day went on my quads were so freaking sore, even to the touch. I was hoping that when I got up this morning they would be better but with each step I took getting up this morning my legs were telling me loud and clear how sore they still are.
I don’t know about you, but I actually love this initial pain from a new workout. It means I am hitting my muscles in a different way, and stresses that it was time to start a new program. I also know I need to drink more water, I have been slacking on this a bit and if I was completely hydrated I would probably feel a lot better.
So did I workout today with sore legs?
I am stubborn so yes I sure did! It’s fine if you want to take another day off if you’re sore to wait to feel better, but working out with minorly sore muscles isn’t harmful either. But to make sure that I give my legs plenty of time to recover I kept my lower body workout really light, and instead of BB squats like I did Sunday, I opted for Sumo squats with little weight. I of course went normal on my upper body though, after all why does it deserve another day off?
Here’s What Made My Legs So Freaking Sore!
- Barbell Squats (going till thighs are parallel to ground)
- Pull-ups (wide-grip)
- Dumbbell Bench Press
- Dumbbell Bent-over Bench Rows
- Cable Chops
- Squat Jumps
It was definitely the combination of the squats and the jumps that did it… that’s for sure. It doesn’t help that whenever I do jumps of any kind Dan is beside me pushing me to jump higher and higher… Damn you Dan, Damn you. (I still love you though).
These exercises were paired up in supersets, with 3 sets of 8 reps, with the exception of the jumps which I did for 12 reps.
Make The Muscle Pain Go Away
- Drink plenty of water. Sounds like a lot, but if you’re working out hard and eating your 4-6 meals a day, aim for 3 liters of water. Staying hydrated keeps your muscles hydrated and helps in recovery.
- Stretch. Stretching after your workout is great for a few things. It promotes the muscle recovery and building process to begin and it lessens the degree of soreness you may feel tomorrow.
- Rest. Your muscles recovery from workouts during rest. So if you’re really sore just take it easy. No need to go crazy. Let them fully recover before pushing hard again to help results show.
- Ibuprofen. I love Motrin, Ibuprofen is a good choice if you need meds because it’s good for pain and it’s an anti-inflammatory. Just check with your doctor to make sure you’re able to take it.
Keep your fingers crossed that I start to feel better today, I like the first day of soreness, not continued days. Right now it hurts when I go to sit down, stand up, walk, touch my legs… well you get the idea!
Get Help With The Workout:
How To Do A Squat… and squat variations
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I tried out this workout today and loved it. But I’m not sure if I’m doing the whole superset thing right. I did each move 8 times without resting between moves (i.e. no rest between squats and (assisted) pull-ups). Then after I did everything once, I took a minute rest then did it all again. I did each cycle 3 times. Is that what you meant by supersets?
Glad you liked it Cathy! You got it right… supersets are two exercises done back to back with little or no rest. The two exercises make up the set. So you do a set of squats, straight into set of pull-ups… and then rest. Then you do this again for 2 more times before hitting the next superset group.