Cathe - how to rest and come back

[dlaudy]

Cathe,
I have been really concentrating on my legs since February. By last week, one of my legs was cramping when I was sitting or driving - just too sore. So I took a few rest days. How do I start up again so I won't injure or overtrain again? Should I do lighter weights and gradually increase frequency or stay heavier weights less frequently? I really don't want to lose the muscle I've worked so hard to get, but I don't want to get injured either!
Thanks - I can't wait for the new workouts!

Dlaudy

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Dlaudy! Taking a few days off is a great start. Perhaps you were pushing them a bit too hard and they just needed more recovery. The two methods you mentioned above are both good come back plans. You can do either or both. Also, provide a bit longer warm up and deeper and longer stretches for your leg workouts. And again, it's so important that you always give your legs quality recovery time after their intense workouts.

In addition to that you may also want to look at the following.
Check your diet and make sure that you are eating a nutritionally balanced diet. Leg, or even general muscle cramps, may be caused by an imbalance of the appropriate electrolytes/minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium and or vitamin E. While I don't go into nutrition on the forums I just want to point out that you should eat a balanced diet to avoid any vitamin deficiencies.

Also, when you work out hard, you lose a lot of water too. If you do not drink to replace the water, you could cramp from dehydration. So definitely make sure that you are getting ample water in your daily intake. Hope this helps!

 

[dlaudy]

Thanks Cathy! As always you are an awesome help!