When jogging or exercising in the gym, legs often hurt. Why does this happen if the load was not very strong? The thing is that before classes, many novice athletes or ordinary people did not warm up enough or decided to rest and sit, after which their muscles ached.
It is necessary to change running tactics or warm up every time before training. Otherwise, the muscles will not only hurt, but also swell.
Why do my legs hurt after a run?
Muscle pain after running or exercising is often caused by lactic acid. It is released due to the burning of glucose during exercise. Strength training forces the muscle to work intensely, preventing it from receiving oxygen. The process of glucose breakdown occurs anaerobically.
Lactic acid builds up in mice, causing pain. After the blood flow flushes it out of the muscles, the pain goes away.
How to eliminate muscle pain:
- we relax muscles by stretching;
- we do massage;
- take a warm shower;
- we drink a couple of glasses of water.
After the pain is gone, it is advisable to warm up your legs to increase blood flow, so warm pants or knee-highs will help. Most often, the calf muscles hurt, and very rarely the hips.
What to do if your legs hurt after a workout?
First of all, you need to warm up the muscles to it. To do this, you need to do several bends, squats, leg swings. When muscles are flexed, they contract much better. In addition, exercise on a stationary bike, a warm bath, and massage help.
Warm up after a run
After a run, in no case should you sit or lie down. You can do a little exercise, take a walk. Sometimes those who go for a run alternate between brisk walking and running. This makes the load more even.
Healthy sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential. It is difficult for the body to rest and recuperate if there is not enough sleep. Weight will not go away, and this is an additional load on the muscles and spine.
Sometimes the whole body may ache, as if it was beaten. Don't try to get fit if sleep isn't enough.
Sufficient amount of water
Always drink plenty of water as it comes out with sweat during exercise. If there is not enough water, then there will be not only muscle pains, but also night cramps.
To make the water more pleasant to drink, you can add a little lemon juice there.
Foods with sufficient amounts of potassium and calcium
To prevent muscle pain after exercise, proper nutrition must be observed. It should contain potassium, calcium and magnesium. These substances are found in dried apricots and cottage cheese, bananas and fish.
Muscle aches and cramps are often associated with dehydration. Therefore, after training, it is recommended to drink at least a glass or two of water.
Warm bath
If your muscles are bothering you frequently, a warm bath will help. It will help you relax and speed up the blood flow.
If your shins hurt, then rub them with a washcloth or knead them with your hands under water. The most important thing is not to fall asleep in the water after running, so be on the lookout.
Cold and hot shower
For those who love cheerfulness and good mood, a contrast shower will help. We first turn on warm water and gradually bring it to cool.
It is not worth changing the water drastically, a heated body does not like such drops, especially since it can affect the heart. Usually, the pain in cold water lasts longer, which means we disperse the blood at first hot.
Massage
Massage helps in all circumstances. You can do self-massage or ask a partner. You need to do it vigorously, if we knead the shin, then we start from the ankle, and not vice versa. A warming cream or gel helps a lot.
If other muscles hurt, then you need to be extremely careful. It is better to knead the thigh muscle, buttocks with a massager, and rub the back muscles with a regular brush for washing the body. Massage is done on dry body until redness. It is not recommended to soak the brush.
It is not recommended to massage the abdominal muscles on your own. You can only stroke your belly clockwise.
The benefits of massage:
- accelerates blood;
- accelerates the flow of lymph;
- carries oxygen to the tissues;
- allows you to relax your muscles.
Massage is a great way to warm up after running. It is recommended to do it for a clean body.
Comfortable shoes, clothes
Be sure to use the correct sports shoes. Some sneakers are sold for the gym, completely different for street running. Be sure to check which option you are buying, otherwise your legs may not only hurt, but also get tired.
How to select running shoes:
- we take only our size. No sizes larger or smaller, the leg will get tired, and the athlete will stumble;
- the top of the sneaker should fit snugly against the foot;
- lace your shoes correctly, sneakers should not rub or crush;
- sufficient width inside. The foot should not be squeezed at the sides. In the process of running, the legs swell a little, they should be comfortable;
- testing the fold. The shoe should bend easily as you run where your foot is bent. Otherwise, with the rigid form of the sneaker, you may notice that your legs hurt;
- if you have flat feet, then buy and use special insoles. They will help you run and not get tired;
- a tight sock sits tighter on the leg, so when choosing sneakers for different seasons, you should take this into account
Test your shoes at home before going for a run. Dress up and run from room to room. If your feet aren't comfortable, it's not too late to return your shoes to the store.
Don't forget about the right running clothes. It should be comfortable and comfortable. A person should not get cold in it or sweat a lot on the street.
The pain can be belated, manifest itself one day after training or muscle stress. It's okay, you can just repeat all of the above procedures. The causes of such pain are no longer lactic acid; muscle microtrauma appears.
Micro tears are more troubling, which is why many refuse to exercise. You don't need to do this, just reduce the load. The tissue will heal and the muscle will slightly increase in volume.
Treatment of microtraumas:
- we use a warming ointment that can be bought at the pharmacy. For example, Finalgon will do;
- you can do a light massage of the sore spot;
- physical activity, but in moderation.
Don't quit your workout if your muscles ache a little. Gradually, the body will get used to it and everything will return to normal.
If you experience pain not in the muscles, but in the joints, you must temporarily stop jogging and contact for examination. It so happens that after running, old leg injuries, dislocated joints or patella begin to bother. Do not try to run, overcoming pain and bandaging your leg, this can only make it worse.
Running is always a joy, a benefit for the body, but you need to remember that your legs can hurt from varicose veins and other problems with blood vessels, for example, diabetes. Such people are advised to walk briskly, use exercise bikes.
Before classes, it is better to be examined by a doctor, to clarify if there are any contraindications, so that later you do not wonder where the pain came from and how to relieve it. Do not take pain relieving pills. This is no longer the healing of the body, but simply torment. If running brings discomfort, does not make you happy, then you can easily find an alternative sport that will bring benefits and good mood.
