Question about soreness/stretching

[Artfully Martial]

I've started TKD but I've got a familiar problem from the other striking arts I've done years ago. My legs are well conditioned and I can run, etc, but whenever I'm throwing high roundhouses or high kicks in general, my legs get extremely sore. I'm pretty flexible by 25 year old man standards (NOT by TKD standards) so it's no big deal for me to nail a high roundhouse. But again, I'm sore for a week afterwards. I'm almost certain that the pain is related to the stretching, not to the work out--my last workout was very light and I barely broke a sweat.

Anyway, I took Thursday and Friday off last week, and there's no practice on the weekend. I'm still mildly sore today.

What I want to know is whether or not I should wait until I'm completely back to normal before I return to TKD, which I estimate would be Wednes, in which case I'll have missed a week.

I suspect that the reason I made so little flexibility progress in the past is that I just worked through the soreness everyday and kept my stretching regiment up no matter what. But that's just a guess.

Anyway, any advice would be welcome.

 

[bluekey88]

Is it sore...a dul ache, like you've worked the muscle out. Or is it a sharper pain?

I fit is the former, you may need to alter your stretching routine to incorporate a mix of active and passive stretching as well as a better cool-down/recovery regimen.

It is the latter, you might have an injury 9or perhpas the fallout from a very old ijury) which would need the help fo a dr. of physical therapist to deal with.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Artfully Martial]

It's just the normal muscle soreness, like I just ran 5 miles or something. The first couple days after working out, it's just normal running/cycling soreness, but around the third and fourth days (like today) I only feel any soreness at all during a stretch or kick. The pain isn't bad, I can definitely handle it, I just don't want to hurt my ability to gain flexibility by not giving my legs proper time to heal--if such a thing actually happens. I really want to get back and keep practicing.

I do both static & dynamic for maybe 5 minutes. I have experience from past training that dynamic stretching alone can cause me to be a little sore the next day. Perhaps I'm using parts of the muscle that are very weak to me due to the fact that they're just not utilized in running, swimming or cycling.

 

[granfire]

Well, I have heard that running and TKD does not exactly complement each other in muscle usage. Running and cycling is pretty straightforward and linear in movement, TKD is anything but.

Unless you are really HURT, I would not skip a week, I don't think that gives you a lot of progression (then again, I am not 25 anymore, back then I was able to skip a week or 2 with no ill effects) If at all possible, try for 2-3 times a week, if at all possible with one day in between for TKD training.

You are using muscles you never use otherwise.

 

[bluekey88]

What's you diet like? What do you do to cool down/prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)? What other types of excercise are you doing....any resistance training?

For me, at 38, I've found that a good weight training regimen with associated diet in conjunctino iwht daily dynamic (before workout) and stativc (after workout) and the liberal use of massage, contrast showers, the occassional muscle rub when I really overdo it. Seems to limit muscle soreness.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Artfully Martial]

Currently I'm in law school, so my workout consists of totally nothing for the month and a half I've been here. Over the last summer, however, I ran a few miles a day and biked 20 miles a day (very hilly), I also hiked mountains in Vietnam and road bicycles in Saigon as well. I lost about 20 lbs. I did a lot of basic calisthenics too, nothing fancy. I'm still at the appropriate weight, 155 lbs 5'10.

My cardio is still holding up well and my stamina wasn't challenged at all (granted, it was a light work out, but it was reassuring. A lot of the other people had to catch their breath). So I feel I'm still in reasonably good shape.

My diet ranges from complete fast food one week to nothing but rice and light asian foods the next.

As per warm downs, I do some basic static stretching, nothing particularly impressive or special.

As per my pain, I'm fine, I could fight the next day. Once I work through the soreness for maybe 15 minutes it doesn't hurt much anymore. But a few years ago I trained TKD for a year or so and I was basically never not-sore, I just worked through it every day. But my flexibility progress was not very good, despite a hardcore stretching regiment of static and dynamic stretching almost every day. So I've always been curious if I would have developed faster if I had given my legs a break.

 

[ATC]

Running and TKD are two different things. The soreness you have is normal and you should not take anytime off from it. If you do then you will only keep repeating the sore then off cycle. You muscels are doing something totally different than you are use to and and will take some time to adapt. In the begining for me I felt like was alway sore and thought that the pain would never go away, but it did. Now anytime I take off for more than a week I am sore once I return again.

If sore then I suggest getting right back on the mat and donig some stretch or ax kicks to help losen up the hamstrings. These are dymanic stretches and is what you need to develope for the strikeing arts. Static stretching is good but dynamic stretching is best.

Hope this helps.

 

[Artfully Martial]

awesome, I'll try and find time to go tonight. I think I'll be able to. Time is tight in law school....sadly...

 

[ATC]

awesome, I'll try and find time to go tonight. I think I'll be able to. Time is tight in law school....sadly...

Yeah, time won't get any looser after school either. Have fun.

 

[Artfully Martial]

In my experience, a job is WAYYY less work than law school. Obviously, I haven't been a lawyer yet, but I was a rad tech while I was getting my second degree. 1st year of law school is probably about an 80 hour a week commitment if you want to perform well. Second semester is supposed to be harder.
I can't wait to graduate and get a job.

 

[TX_BB]

In my experience, a job is WAYYY less work than law school. Obviously, I haven't been a lawyer yet, but I was a rad tech while I was getting my second degree. 1st year of law school is probably about an 80 hour a week commitment if you want to perform well. Second semester is supposed to be harder.
I can't wait to graduate and get a job.

What makes you think a working professional puts less time in especially during the start of a career?

ATC has given good advice. If you really having problems with your legs talk to your sa bum and ask him if you can reduce the class by 1/2 until your soreness only last the next day and then go to every other class. If you can't get this to work for you, you probably need to see a doctor.