"Dead" Legs

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by tommodonahue

I wouldn't take 'hip strengthening exercises' from Runner's world.

That soreness in the joints goes away, just need to deload and start over again [citing boxus]. Those hip strengthening exercises may work for runner's that never lift weights, but not someone that squats and pulls often.

If you bother to read the link, the exercises are actually from a Univ of Calgary prof of kinesiology. Anyway joint soreness w/o muscle soreness is to me an indicator that something is off track. Maybe the soreness "goes away," or maybe he ends up as another statistic who ends up having to go under the knife.

[stoutboy]

Try some lower impact activities: elliptical, spinning classes, power walking, water activities.

[td333]

Originally Posted by wutitiz

If you bother to read the link, the exercises are actually from a Univ of Calgary prof of kinesiology. Anyway joint soreness w/o muscle soreness is to me an indicator that something is off track. Maybe the soreness "goes away," or maybe he ends up as another statistic who ends up having to go under the knife.

I did read the link and the study, I may have miscommunicated the fact that it isn't relevant to the OP.

[edit] Long story short - he isn't a runner and applying a runner's remedy to a person that is strength training makes no sense.

Anyways.

Here is the study:

Suspected Mechanisms in the Cause of Overuse Running Injuries

Suspected Mechanisms in the Cause of Overuse Running Injuries
ContextThe question then becomes, are there common mechanisms related to overuse running injuries?
Conclusion
In contrast, a large and growing body of literature suggests that weakness of hip-stabilizing muscles leads to atypical lower extremity mechanics and increased forces within the lower extremity while running.

The article states that runner's suffer from overuse injuries, which must be supplemented by strength training. The OP writes that he is primarily weight lifting and jumping rope, not running. The target is not an overuse-running issue, therefore the remedy should not be something that fixes an overuse-running issue.

The target is an overuse-weightlifting issue. Consider Pauala Radcliffe, British Marathon runner that used squats and deadlifts to rehabilitate (Strength Training for Distance Running | Muscle Finesse). Strength training is commonly understood to build strength, increase bone density and soft tissue density (Effects of resistance training on regional ... [J Bone Miner Res. 1995] - PubMed - NCBI). Running does not increase strength, bone or soft tissue density.

If we suggest the runners world hip exercises to 'fix' his issue (a) we are suggesting the problem is too much running; (b) we are taking a step backwards and in the wrong direction. The remedy for overuse in weightlifting is primarily rest for beginners or deloading for intermediate to advanced individuals.

Joint pain without muscle soreness doesn't always mean something is 'off-track'. If we are to consider Reed Ferber's article, anywhere between 30-70% of recreational to competitive runner's experience some sort of overuse injury in a one year period. Approximately 50% of injuries to runners occur at the knee; patellofemoral pain syndrome is the most common, followed by iliotibial band syndrome, meniscal injuries and pateller tendinitis. Foot, ankle and lower leg injuries account for 40%. These overuse injuries (to the joint) are those common to most people; as such they train through these overuse injuries as the rehabilitate. Treatment of patellar tendinitis usually involves stretching and strengthening of muscles around the knee.

So, the remedy? Rest. Most people can't start squatting and pulling 3x a week and be okay with it. I however, trained a female to squat and pull 2x a week for five weeks before squatting and pulling 3-4 times (at 65-90% 1rm) a week with no soreness (joint or muscle).

[shortnblack]

Separate your workouts and remember to stretch in between. You need to pattern your diets and pay attention to what you eat on a workout regimen. Your food energy is what sustains you through the workout and helps the muscles recover.

I like to stretch on every different type of workout day and apply the BDA principle. Before, During, After!!!

When I'm lifting weights, I'm always stretching between each machine and always at cool down.

For the days when no weights are involved, stretching is even more important. Cardio training and any kind of floor/mat-training goes hand in hand with stretching. Tight, crampy muscles around the bones with put pressure on the joints.

[Sciameriken]

I'd reemphasize what one person already said about making sure you are not vitamin D deficient. Take 2000IU/day for a week or two straight and you'll see right away if that was the issue or not.