Soreness in Lats After Kickboxing

shakeubooty

Cathlete
Cathe -

I have Cardio Kicks and the Cross Train Series and have been doing them since January. I'd say I do a full kickbox workout (Cardio Kicks or CTX-Kickbox) about twice a month. The day following one of these tapes I always feel a lot of soreness in my lats. A tough back workout doesn't make me as sore as these workouts do. If I do another tape like 10-10-10 or Circuit Max that only has a little kickbox in it, I'm fine the next day. My guess is that it's the arm drills - especially hooks and upper cuts that cause my soreness.

I've been reading the thread on good sores vs. bad sores and I don't believe this is a bad sore. My muscles feel fine 2 days later - it's just getting through the day after when my muscles feel so sore. I've even tried doing extra stretching after the workout but I still feel sore.

Is this common? Am I punching too hard? When you say to give 100% I really do! Should I skip the arm drills or will my muscles eventually get used to this activity if I do it on a more regular basis?

I don't want to give up my kickboxing workouts. Please help.

"Sore" Sue :-(
 
Hi, Sue, I'm not Cathe. It's me, Bobbi! I just wanted to tell you I always get it in the shoulders when I do the Kickbox, but I love it and consider it a boost to my workout!
 
YOu know, I thought I was nuts! My lats were also sore last week after a kickbox day. I did back on Wed., Kickbox on Thurs, and on Fri I could really feel those lats way more than usual. I'm thinking "Why Fri and not Thurs?" Now, I bet it was partly the combination. But I was happy because I find it hard to work the back so much I am sore. Jeanne
 
The lats are definitely at work if you're doing it right---that is, if you are pulling your punches back, and using your back muscles as part of the "brakes" to keep your punches from extending too far.
 
Thanks for replying guys! I'm sooooooo glad I'm not the only one who feels this. I agree that I do kind of like the soreness a little bit because it does make me feel like I've worked my back well. I just wish it wasn't THAT sore.

I'm anxious to hear what Cathe has to say on this subject.

Sue

P.S. I couldn't resist doing CTX-Kickbox this morning because I was in a "kickbox mood". I'm going to try stretching my lats several times today to see if it makes a difference while I wait for Cathe's advice.
 
Hi Sue! Your sore sounds like a good sore since you are fine two days later. While most of us still get sore in the lats when giving 100 percent to the punching drills, the fact that you are only doing a full kickbox workout two times per month will bring on even more soreness for you. A good stretch after the workout, as well as a massage and warm bath that same day followed by some light movement to the arms the next day (to help break down the lactic acid and encourage it to flush out of the system) will help alleviate some of the post workout soreness. But in any case, a good sore is a good thing, not a bad thing. Good Luck!
 
Thanks for responding so quickly, Cathe. I'll have to see if my husband is willing to give me a massage tonight;-)

By "light movement to the arms the next day" I assume you mean no weights for the upper body. If I'm scheduled to do upper body the next day, I either substitute with cardio or just skip those body parts that are sore (e.g. back, sometimes triceps). Is this okay or should I avoid all weights for the upper body the next day in case the back is recruited for chest, bicep, and shoulder exercises? Obviously, I'm not going to do anything that hurts but I don't want to slow down my recovery either.

Sue
 

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