Maximum Intensity Cardio

[Beckie1001]

Hi All
I just started "Maximum Intensity Cardio" about a week ago. I've done the cardio part twice now, but I haven't even started the step portion. I haven't actually made it through the whole cardio part yet. My calves hurt when I get to the high intensity part. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this? I have to rest a day before I do the workout again because my calves hurt. I was wondering if this is normal?

Thanks.
Take care,
Beckie

 

[SRP]

Keep up the good work, Beckie. That one is pretty high impact. But it sounds to me like you may be experiencing more discomfort than you should. In case it's been a while since you bought good aerobic shoes, I would check that option - get a good set of aerobic or cross training shoes with plenty of support. Also, make sure you stretch thoroughly after you're done, no matter how far you decide to go into the workout. That usually helps me to reduce any soreness the next day. One other suggestion - possibly your calves are not quite strong enough yet. You might try doing calf raises and also walking up hills.

Of course, I'm saying this not really knowing your fitness level. If you consider yourself fit and you're still having problems, I'd take a break and possibly visit a doctor about any persistent pain. Please note that I'm not a fitness trainer - this is just based on my own experience over the years.

Good luck!

 

[Conni]

This one fits the title completely, "Maximum intensity"!

I would second the shoe suggestion, and modify!!!! You should not be in pain, and there is no need to drive yourself to injury. Take your time and give yourself a learning curve on this one, your calves will strengthen gradually, the way they should.
One thing I have learned is that the most complete goals are the ones earned slowly...

Have fun!

 

[saia11]

I would also recommend that you concentrate on landing toe-ball-heel and making sure that you are using your whole foot to push off from, not just staying on your toes the whole time. This can put extra stress/effort on the calves and cause them to fatigue too early, especially as in the MIC hi/lo there are many moves that tire the calves. I think that somewhere in there Cathe reminds us to do this and I always had to catch myself and use the whole foot, as she says, this will make the workout harder overall, but, for me at least, easier on the extreme calve burn. Also, if you have GS Legs do that calve routine twice a week on nonconsecutive days and you'll notice strength and endurance gains quickly!

Now if I could just figure out a way to keep my internal organs from jiggling during MIC!
Mattea

 

[Maximus]

Oh I definitely feel it in my calves. In fact this is the only workout that makes my calve muscles sore--I hardly feel it when I do my actual calve workout in the gym.

I start getting the calve burn before she even goes into the high impact stuff. Sometimes just working through it helps, but if you're in that much pain maybe you could skip the floor routine for a while & go right into the step. The step section is basic, fun & high intensity.

This is actually my time saver workout--if I oversleep I'll do one section or the other rather than the entire workout. Both sections together are exhausting!

 

[Beckie1001]

Thank you for the suggestions.

I forgot to mention that since I was doing it on carpet that I wasn't wearing any shoes. So, today I wore shoes and my calves didn't hurt at all. So it must have been the fact that I wasn't wearing shoes. I almost made it all the way through this time but I have about 2-3 weeks of repetition before I will be able to get through without stopping.

Thanks!
Take care,
Beckie

 

[jillybean]

Yes, it's normal. Lots of hopping around on the ball of the foot. Just stick with this one. I used to do it split up - hi/lo one day, step another. And I had to modify, modify, modify the heck out of the hi/lo. I did this workout every Saturday for quite awhile. Now, when I do MIC, I take no breaks between the hi/lo and step and I do the step on a 10" board. Just stick with it, and have fun!