Why does my legs hurt after exercising?

Question

I'm trying really hard to lose weight.

At the moment I'm trying YouTube Chloe Ting exercise.

Last week I did a few of her 10min workouts and got shin splints in both legs.

So I gave it a 4 day rest. I tried again yesterday and now my foot is throbbing with shooting pains.

I want to lose belly fat cause my stomach looks like I'm 5 months pregnant.

Is walking 10000 steps a day enough cause these cardio exercises are giving me pain.

b_lova · Accepted Answer

Sounds like you're pushing to hard. Ease into it so you don't strain anything.

Don't push your cardio so hard. It's better to do a quick pace walk and and even better to put a little weight in a backpack 10-30lbs while walking than to do strenuous cardio initially. Your body needs to build up to that or you will injure yourself and have to give up. Besides if the goal is to burn calories lengthening the time is better than having a quick pace. More calories get burned with time.

I bought a Fitbit Charge to track my pace and calories. Initially I just went walking for an hour but built up my walk to burn ~1200 calories 4 times a week and then only consumed 1500 calories a day. I dropped 3.5 lbs a week doing that. And eventually dropped 60 lbs over an 8 month period.

Finally, diet is more important than exercise for weight loss. For me I increased protein with a vegan based protein shake mixed with 8oz of fruit and 8-12 oz water ~350 calories, at lean meat, jerky or tuna for a snack with a fruit (banana), ~350 cal then had sensible dinner ~700. And drank 0 calorie drinks. Track your caloric intake.

Drink plenty of water and also, talk with a doctor, especially if you are on medications.

TommyMountainFigure · Accepted Answer

Woah woah woah a second. You should not be doing ANY intense workouts when you first start losing weight if you are carrying around a fair bit of extra surplus.

Nothing more than light walking with a healthy diet, otherwise you are putting excessive strain on your heart etc.

Once the weight comes off on a regular basis, you can start to increase the types of workout you do, (Not go mad with high impact stuff) but gradually.

As for why your legs hurt, the obvious is because you are using muscles you've not used properly before, and it will take time before those kinds of workouts feel natural to you.

A personal trainer will tell you that for your age and weight, do not do ANY exercises which takes your pulse rate over 125 bpm!

I hope that helps, and I apologise if any of that sounded condescending. I was just a bit concerned you may have decided, ok lets lose weight without thinking of the potential ramifications of jumping in at the deep end!

As for fasting? Bad idea as it will make you more hungry and cause you to binge eat..

Take in food little and often. but drink plenty of water to stop yourself becoming dehydrated!

SeriouslyNotSerious · Accepted Answer

Please don't be so hard on yourself. Your muscles naturally hurt after working out, it's good that you took rest after that. ❤ Although having a proper diet, exercise, and calorie intake is very much effective than an intense work out. Slower, but surely. 👍

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I hadThe same issue. I tightened up my stomach by good old-fashioned setups. It took me about 5 months and I have a tight stomach now

The_Sexpert · Answer

1) You will feel pain in body parts when your work them out/ put strain on them which the body part is not used to... so the long lasting pain on the muscles are a workout is common when you are a newbie to the exercise

2) You don't need any "Specific" exercise to lost fat.. you CAN"T target fat loss.. meaning you can't lose the fat in a specific part of your body with an exercise

You just need to make sure that you burn more calories in a day than you intake (Eat) ... and this will cause your body to burn fat (1 pound of fat is approx. 3500 calories) .. and eventually you will lose a lot of fat after weeks

mistermike · Answer

Maybe it's something simple like a vitamin or mineral deficiency? Try eating more bananas and avocados as they have a lot of potassium in it and see if it helps. You can also buy electrolyte or mineral water at any grocery store and drink more of that.

ThatRandomBoy · Answer

So it depends on the pain I do swimming and with that you have to let your muscles heal a little bit maybe that's why I'm not too sure also swimming is a good way to lose weight apparently I've never been big so I am not too sure. But when you swim you work out pretty much everything

JacobJordan · Answer

Firstly do not do intense exercise if overweight you will actually lose weight slower. Adjust your diet, do less intense exercises and break regularly. This will be more beneficial. Once weight starts to come off increase the intensity but continue with regular breaks so you aren't over exerting yourself.

SotiCoto · Answer

If you're not used to exercising and you dive right into hard exercise... it will hurt. It will hurt a lot.
If you keep at it on a regular basis for long enough, the pain will largely go away.

That said, exercises to reduce your stomach shouldn't be making your shins hurt. That is weird. Maybe you're doing the wrong exercises. It should probably be sit-ups, squats and the like for your stomach.

lightbulb27 · Answer

you are overdoing it. over 40 and over 50... things change. you must adapt, extra rest. for breakfast, do some stretching and light exercise... skip food. drink water instead. then eat less lunch/dinner

exitseven · Answer

I do not know what the Cloe Ting workout is. Evidently there is some reason it causes you pain. Try other forms of aerobic exercise. A stationary bike or a stair climber can give you good workout , burn calories and improve muscle tone.

DrPepper12 · Answer

Lactic acid build up and inflammation. If you're aiming to lose the belly fat, diet along with targeted crunches and torso twists would be more efficient and using an elliptical will reduce wear and tear on your legs.

Anonymous · Answer

I would speak with a medical professional for things like this especially when people online don’t know you or what’s going on.

I will say drink plenty of water, get a massage, and maybe get a personal trainer.

Rangers · Answer

I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're going to go through pain after any workout that does any good

AngryCarl · Answer

It's possible you have heart disease, leading to poor circulation. You should get it checked out, but don't stop exercising. At this point it's probably the only thing keeping you alive.

noohair · Answer

Losing weight is more about what you eat than exercise. I dropped 60 pounds by changing what I eat without exercise.

IWILLPLEASEYOU · Answer

Best to go at your own pace YOUR USEING MUSLES THAT YOU DON'T USE THEY ARE GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT THE F__K.

justabuddy · Answer

It's natural, congrats on being healthier and I wish you luck on your journey.

Gabriel-Chicanito · Answer

Keep it up. You're "progressinG". No pain no gain. Rest at least, 2 days a week.

Anonymous · Answer

It's more to do with what foods you eat than exercise

Anonymous · Answer

You lost me along the way. Are you just trying to flatten out your stomach or just looking to lose weight In general

jahaims · Answer

They are repairing themselves.

RedInnocent69 · Answer

Stop and take an arm day.

driven159 · Answer

not used to it

OddBeMe · Answer

The devil.

war_daddy · Answer

just fast

Why does my legs hurt after exercising?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Why does my legs hurt after exercising?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

We're glad to see you liked this post.