I haven’t been too consistent in working out. I just started doing Whitney Simmons ‘Alive’ program. I had one leg day… O N E… and it has taken me 2 days to stop being in so much pain. Perhaps I over did it, but I want to make my legs stronger. Not just my legs. My knees as well. Any advice?? 38F, 165lbs, 5’. Trying to reverse diet as well, currently at 1700 calories. (Gained weight since starting.. which is why working out is more important now. ). TIA
@nikki225 Easing into a new workout regimen will help prevent DOMS. Active recovery will also help. If I remember correctly, DOMS isn't really indicative of gaining strength, just using your muscles in a way that they are not accustomed.
@nikki225 I’ve found that this is less of an issue as I continue working out. I very infrequently get DOMS now but when I first started it was pretty common.
When you say you not only want stronger legs but stronger knees...aren’t knees a part of your legs? Knees are joints and they are held together by tendons and ligaments that will get stronger with most leg workouts as most leg workouts involve using your knees.
@nikki225 I know many suggest taking it slow.. I prefer the other way when I'm starting a new program. I go really hard and am unable to move for the first week, but I find that after that the DOMS is pretty minimal. Getting through that first workout and recovery for each muscle group is the hardest part for me - it gets easier after that.
@nikki225 I find that anytime I start doing a something new or significantly increase my workout load this happens because my muscles aren’t used to it, unless I do a very minimal amount of the new thing to ease into it.
My biggest advice is to be consistent and start slow. Push yourself a little, but don’t overdo it. You can start pushing harder once you’ve built a bit of a routine.
This way you’re also less likely to quit and less likely to injure yourself as your body will be more prepared for the workload.
Remember that building strength isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
@nikki225 Be consistent, if you add consistency you will lose the "dom" effect. Typically you will get severe DOMS when you don't workout much and then it's a sudden shock to the system when you go hard in the gym.
Or just... you can't. They'll come out of no where at any point, even when you're well adjusted to lifting. I still get struck two days later every so often. Power through
). TIA
