Tired legs

dave13

Hey looking for advice.
After being not too active for a while(Jogging once a week) i started going to the gym in february. After really getting into it i was going bout 4 times a week for at least two hours. However lately i noticed my legs were always feeling tired. Not so noticeable during the day but they always felt wrecked when i woke up in the morning. I decides to take it easy and pretty much stopped going for the last two weeks. However my legs still feel wrecked.
Anyone have any possible solutions?

Stark

What's your diet like?

dave13

Diets fine
Since i started taking it seriously i've cut a lot of crap out of my diet(no crisps,chips, frys, fizzy drinks etc.)
Breakfast would be corn flakes or porridge.Lunch generally a roll and dinner either potatoes, pasta or rice.

Stark

Too many carbohydrates can be bad for you, eat wholewheat versions of carbohydrate foods when possible. Also, very importantly, are you getting enough protein? You should be eating protein with every meal including breakfast to help repair the muscle in your legs which gets damaged during exercise.

tunney

Too many carbohydrates can be bad for you

Obviously if someones calorie intake exceends their expenditure too many carbs are bad. Otherwise carbs are great!


As for the tired legs? Do you stretch after training? Stretching can dramatically reduce the recovery time.

Genghis

A few of the 'mad things' I do / have done in the past to reduce recovery time of legs:

1. Cold Baths (difficult to do but brilliant)
2. Stimulant Oil rubbed in before a session
3. Relaxant Oil rubbed in after a session
4. Lying on the ground with my legs elevated at about 40 degress for 15 minutes
5. Jacuzzi / Sauna / Cold dip
6. Morning 'straight out of bed' stretching


The suggestions about diet are good. Stretching after warm up and again after your work out can not be overstated.

Rest is also important - if you don't want to rest every second day, then try to vary your routine so that you don't do the same activity on consecutive days. For example, Running, cycling and swimming all use muscles differently (different muscles, different emphases on muscles) and can be quite successfully combined on consecutive days.

Also, when training becomes more routine / regular part of your life you will find the problem will diminish.

tunney

Cold Baths (difficult to do but brilliant)

In interviews Paula radcliffe swears by these - something to do with closing micro tears in muscle tissue. Personally - its just so cold.

Also, when training becomes more routine / regular part of your life you will find the problem will diminish.

You think? Perhaps I'm not resting properly then Must try that massaging oil in thingy - sounds like it could work - although I've very hairy legs so that could be a problem.

Genghis

If I think of it tunney, I will look up the recipe at home for the oils and post tomorrow. I was trying to think of it off-hand, but I can only remember the ingredient oils, not the proportions you mix them in.

Genghis

Oh, and cold baths are really brilliant, imho you get to 50%+ recovery in minutes. They are very difficult to do in Winter (when everything is a liitle colder, you the water, your muscles), not so much in Summer - I actually look forward to them in Summer. You wouldn't do them after every run / workout, more if you had used the legs for more than 2 hours.

Hot baths, with Epsom Salts are also recommended. I tried this only once, and it didn't do me any harm. My physio particularly recommends this treatment after a deep rub.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Genghis

Originally posted by daveirl
Ah but being female she has certain advantages when it comes to cold water.

Ah, are you man or mouse. Just get in!

(Funny enough, I find getting in to a cold bath easier than a hot bath - it takes me ages to get used to the hot water).