What the hell did I do to my legs?

**eyebeams** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 11:04am

Okay, this week was going to take me back to kung fu and MMA, something I felt good about after hitting some significant health goals around the new year. Last Sunday, I decide to kick up my bodyweight workout a notch (I do a bunch of things, since I get bored easily).

The next day, no MMA for me. By calves, which were fine hours after the workout, are on fire. I can't walk properly. Even light massage is painful. My quads were pretty bad too, but they got better after a day. My calves are *still* in pain today -- a bit better, but I'm still walking funny.

Now I obviously overdid it, but I'm kind of flabberghasted that I had this grace period from the end of my workout until I went to bed, where I didn't feel *any* unusual pain. It only happened after I woke up the next day, and it's sidelined me in a big way.

Aside from (obviously) scaling back my calf workout, how do I deal with this kind of thing? It was a hell of a piss-off for me this week.

**Buffman** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 11:12am

what exactly did you do workoutwise?

& how much more than the usual is that?

**BSDaemon** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 11:24am

What you need is "myofascial release"

Get a foam roller to do self-massage and work out the knots in your muscles.

Put the roller under your leg and stand on your hands so your weight goes onto the roller. Find the spot where the knot in your muscele is by rolling up and down or twisting your leg. The knot will try to slide around under your skin, but get on top of it so the roller is putting a lot of force onto it. Then hold that position for aproximately 15 seconds, you will feel the tension release in your muscles as the fibers are spread out. Then move on to the next knot. Sometimes the really big ones will take multiple tratments (which you shouldn't do more than once a day). Myofascial release You will boost your recovery time and increase your range of motion. I highly recommend it.

**OnceLost** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 12:42pm

Doesn't potasium help with prolonged muscle soreness? Bananas are great workout food...just remember that it is a food, not a toy...

**Hanniballistic** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 12:45pm

Originally Posted by Buffman

what exactly did you do workoutwise?

& how much more than the usual is that?

$10 says it was hindu squats

**OnceLost** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 12:51pm

AGH!! You got the hindu cramps!! They're, like, 10 times MORE effective than the normal cramps, but you have to do everything CONTRARY to popular scientific knowledge to make them go away...

**Hanniballistic** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 12:56pm

Originally Posted by OnceLost

AGH!! You got the hindu cramps!! They're, like, 10 times MORE effective than the normal cramps, but you have to do everything CONTRARY to popular scientific knowledge to make them go away...

I couldn't walk down stairs properly after my first efforts

**eyebeams** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 5:34pm

Originally Posted by Hannibal MAP

$10 says it was hindu squats

No, I did 100 somewhat ballistic, bodyweight calf raises hanging from a step. This was a mistake.

I don't trust hindu squats on my knees as I had arthroscopy late last year, but I do go low on occasion for flexibility.

**eyebeams** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 5:36pm

Originally Posted by Bud Shi Dist

What you need is "myofascial release"

Get a foam roller to do self-massage and work out the knots in your muscles.

Put the roller under your leg and stand on your hands so your weight goes onto the roller. Find the spot where the knot in your muscele is by rolling up and down or twisting your leg. The knot will try to slide around under your skin, but get on top of it so the roller is putting a lot of force onto it. Then hold that position for aproximately 15 seconds, you will feel the tension release in your muscles as the fibers are spread out. Then move on to the next knot. Sometimes the really big ones will take multiple tratments (which you shouldn't do more than once a day). Myofascial release You will boost your recovery time and increase your range of motion. I highly recommend it.

Thanks. I definitely overdid it, but at the same time it shouldn't have been *that* bad.

**jill666** · Posted On: 1/11/2007 6:06pm

Haven't had that experience for quite a while, but it sucks hard. Did it recently in a much lesser degree with the pecs. But at least I don't walk on my tits.

I second the using a roller- and flush your system out with plenty of water. It will not only help the lactic acid leave your body, it will help your healing. Make sure not to work the muscles until the knots are gone, then ease back in.