What do you do about heavy legs? I don't know any other way to describe it..

Question

Well I've been running like 3 miles everyday for the last few weeks. I started off weak while my body adapted to it and got much stronger by week 2. For some reason now in the third week my legs just feel so drained and heavy all the time. I've been eating healthy food and drinking a ton of water. I don't understand why my legs never feel rested. Does anybody who is really into cardio or running know what's going on? It's almost like I'm going downhill instead of getting stronger the past few days.

I would like not to take a day off because I'm an overzealous and impatient person by nature. I tried taking a day off a couple days ago but it didn't change that heaviness and weakness in my legs especially my calf muscles. I would be completely open to any advice you guys/girls can give me. Thank you in advance.

Butterfly1002 · Accepted Answer

Ok so I was just checking this out to see if anyone had some good tips cause I used to be a runner (it's been 2 years since my last marathon and I haven't "trained" since just runs to clear my mind so I'm not sure if I can still consider my self a runner) and I am sooooooo shocked that absolutely no one has suggested an ice bath to you yet! or that you haven't read of one online in your research yet! They are so vital and AMAZING to recharge your legs. Professional athletes take them all the time. I admit an ice bath is not fun in itself, but it will really bring some life back to your tired legs.

So here is what you do: run a bath with cold water if you have access to ice throw some in so that it is bobbing around (you don't want it to be all ice because ice can't reach all the important nooks and cranies (aka your knees) as well as water can. If you don't have ice cold water should be fine to do the trick. Sit in the ice bath for as long as you can stand but no more then 5 minutes (don't worry you won't want to anyway). Then shower/bath as normal

Other than that follow the rest of the advice everyone here has posted (I don't think I have seen anything bad yet) and definitely give yourself at least one day's rest a week so your body has time to repair the micro-tears in your body (two days is optimal, but you need at least one or else you become extremely prone to an overuse injury)

abluerwhite · Accepted Answer

There is such thing as exercising too much. You're overworking your body and your muscles need time to recuperate. Eat lean protein. And remember protein doesn't mean more meat! You can eat almonds, almond butter, and eggs for a good source of protein. If you want to do protein shakes, look at the nutrition before buying. Do some weight training too and you'll notice a difference.

Personally, I like to do three days of weight training/some cardio and then I'll do two days that are heavier on cardio and a short pilates work out.

Hope that helped :)

Levin · Accepted Answer

what's the reasoning behind running each and every day?

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Non-use leads to use. You need to rest. Basic daoist philosophy.

How many calories per day are you eating?

How many glasses of fluid are you drinking per day? I don't think there's any evidence that drinking a lot is healthy.

If you stand on one leg, how long can you balance?

Building up muscle via the typical western way of exercising as much as possible can still result in fundamentally weak legs. In fact, muscle bulk has not one iota to do with health, if that's what you're aiming for.

MrMarK · Accepted Answer

Have any of these guys/ladies run 300 miles in their entire life? run two marathons? no?

Firstly need to stretch before and after, it's imperative!

Secondly calorie intake turkey, brocoli, rice, oats and water are needed to refuel your body, if your running for more than 20-30 minutes, take some gels( you can get them in shops) and take some lucosade if you only running short distances, don't bother!

The trick is, keep hydrated.

Oh and get some proper running shoes, they will do you good but try a lot of them.

You will thank me later.

Theguyoverthere · Answer

You do need to rest. The first person to ever run a marathon died shortly afterward. You can actually damage your heart doing too much.

The other thing is that running involves a lot of "stomping" which I notice myself in my calves they get beat up for a few days.

lace1228 · Answer

Strech for at least 10min before and same afterward. When running your heel should never touch the ground. It might feel weird at first but it will be better in the end. You might be doing too much too soon. Like others have said take a rest day. Try doing weight training inbetween and give yourself one or two days off or make those days super light like walking.

TimB -1-2-3 · Answer

Probably because you're running every single day.. Ever heard of rest days? ;p Well, now you know why the pros take one xD

As overzealous and impatient you may be, you're still only human. Take a rest day every once in a while, and/or switch things around (like doing weight training on one day, and cardio on another, etc).

WoIIie · Answer

You need more protein and carbohydrates. Take a few days off or lessen the distance significantly. If I had to guess I'd say your body is in a catabolic state and your muscles are depleted and breaking down because of a lack of adequate rest and insufficient nutrition. Taking a few days off will improve your overall performance in the long run.

So you can avoid having to take a few days off, have a regular rest day and mix in a few short runs.

MaskofInsanity · Answer

Ooohh look at us getting our lives in order, Ty! :D

Your body is probably just catching up with all the strain. Gotta build up that strength again and hopefully the pain will lessen. Or you can run harder and faster and keep that pain going :P

You are probably in need of a bit of a rest. Maybe switch to a different type of cardio or some weights? Alternate!

Anonymous · Answer

You need to be stretching a lot. Before you start running you need to stretch, and after you finish running you need to stretch. It doesn't hurt to stop in between and stretch also. Make sure you aren't running flat-footed, that'll give you shin splints. In addition, if you want to build muscle, sprints are a good idea. Jogging is nice but it's mostly just cardio stuff, every few days run as fast as you can for 30 seconds about 5-6 times.

Anonymous · Answer

I used to run cross country in high school and the first month or so of school, I literally had to drag myself up the stairs to go to class everyday just because it was too hard too pick my feet up. In a few weeks, you'll probably start noticing how much easier it is to run/move around.

Plus, doing the same thing everyday isn't good for you. If you have to run everyday, I'd recommend cutting back to at least one mile on one day so you don't get fatigued.

1995girl · Answer

it just means that you've been running a lot and your muscles are still working after the run. Wait some more days and the heaviness will be gone. but it's a good thing since it means that you've exersiced well

kereru · Answer

I do lots of running,

Do you stretch properly afterwards? I find if I don't spend 15-20 minutes stretching out everything my legs always feel like lead.

and you definitely need a few rest days for your body to recover, 4 or 5 days a week is enough, one my rest days I usually go for a bike ride or something to curb my impatience, it's a good alternate to running.

Uliya · Answer

I used to be a professional runner and had the same problem, I guess its just lactic acid in your muscles, try massage it helps

Anonymous · Answer

Just don't crush me with them and we'll be good

JohnnySS · Answer

it means your doing too much

What do you do about heavy legs? I don't know any other way to describe it..

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