Leg exercises without machines.

[SeanyTheSailor]

So I go running only run about a mile and my legs, usually my thighs hurt, not so bad that I cant run at all but it obviously isn't much fun. My theory is that the muscles in my legs are kind of weak because they aren't used to absorbing the shock and catching my weight when I run. So I'm going to try strengthen my leg muscles by lifting. Unfortunately i don't have any machines or access to a gym. I have some dumbbells, 30 lbs and 50 lbs. So if any fitness nuts/ gurus know any exercises i can do it would be appreciated. Also I always stretch before i run.

[Sy_Accursed]

Running excercises the leg muscles thats kinda the whole point?

Are you sure you're not jsut feeling the burn from pushing yourself slightly past your wall?

[Vulxai]

Squats, make sure you use proper form (coming down to 90 degrees, then back up). If you lose your form, stop.

[Gandalf14141]

You can do lunges with the dumbbells or go to a weight room and do squats, dead lifts, clean and jerk, glute hams, leg curls, or even leg extensions. Really there are a ton of things you can do to get your legs stronger.

[assassin_696]

It sounds more likely that you have particularly inflexible hamstrings which may have shortened a lot due to lots of sitting (a common problem). Stretches, like the one's shown here are probably a good way to combat that.

 

However, since you don't want to stretch a weak muscle doing a little bit of strengthening would be good too. Do squats with the heaviest dumbbells you can manage, walking lunges with weights in each hand, weighted good mornings and box jumps. Legs are hard to hit with just dumbbells but some basic conditioning should be all you need so it's not a problem. In theory you should be able to run without having to do any weight training, it's a natural movement which isn't so removed from walking that your muscles wouldn't be used to it. However clearly you're having trouble so stretches and strengthening are worth a shot.

[Myweponsg00d]

When you say "thighs" I'm not really clear on what you mean. Obviously you mean somewhere in your upper leg but is it front/back/side? Also you say you stretch, but I would like to know what stretches you are doing, how long, and how far you push your stretch.

 

Most people think that "stretching out" means to push your muscle to the point of extreme pain and "bounce" the stretch for 10 seconds. If this is your stretching technique then that could explain some things.

 

Also, I should just tell you up front, exercise isnt comfortable. If it was, everyone would do it. Your legs are going to be sore.

[SeanyTheSailor]

When you say "thighs" I'm not really clear on what you mean. Obviously you mean somewhere in your upper leg but is it front/back/side? Also you say you stretch, but I would like to know what stretches you are doing, how long, and how far you push your stretch.

 

Most people think that "stretching out" means to push your muscle to the point of extreme pain and "bounce" the stretch for 10 seconds. If this is your stretching technique then that could explain some things.

 

Also, I should just tell you up front, exercise isnt comfortable. If it was, everyone would do it. Your legs are going to be sore.

Front of the thigh, I was going to say my quad but I didn't remember if that was the right muscle. Usually i stretch the muscle till it hurts, kind of a stinging feeling, and hold it fro a couple of second, maybe 7-10? The stretches I always do are these, I put the front of my foot up against this one pole and sort of lean forward, this stretches my calves. I do the basic, pull you leg up behind you to stretch the quads. Then, just standing i spread my legs to each side and try to touch my toes on each side then down the middle. I know exercise is going to hurt I've been playing sports pretty much all of my life, I even ran cross country for a year and never had this problem. I'll admit that I have been doing a lot of sitting around this summer so i think that maybe be why my legs are "wonky". usually its my lungs that like to give me trouble, but I've just been trying to push my way through that, which seems to have worked. When I run I'm breathing heavy, but its not like I'm not getting enough air, so like I could keep it up if I wanted, Like I said it's my legs that are giving me trouble. Last year in school I'd run on the treadmill for 2 miles or more and not really have any trouble. Someone said maybe pushing past what my body is ready for, this is a possibility, as I'm not good at regulating my speed and I always feel so slow. I'm gonna try the leg exercises and hope it helps. Maybe stretching for a little longer too. if it is the leg strength problem I have put on a little weight, I've been doing upper body workouts and definitely have seen improvement in tone and probably size, also I'm kind of eating healthier becasue we have had a lot of tasty, fairly healthy food in the house. Only like 4 pounds though so nothing drastic. But who knows, my sitting around coupled with the extra upper body weight might do it? Thinking back, my abs kind hurt when I was running till I started working them, no problems since.

[assassin_696]

Don't just stretch for longer, particularly pre-workout. Stretching a cold muscle is a delicate operation, and it's easy to damage the muscle. Stretches shouldn't really hurt, and don't hold them for more than 10 seconds before a workout/run.

[Myweponsg00d]

Don't just stretch for longer, particularly pre-workout. Stretching a cold muscle is a delicate operation, and it's easy to damage the muscle. Stretches shouldn't really hurt, and don't hold them for more than 10 seconds before a workout/run.

 

No more than 10 seconds? I agree about stretches not hurting, but I have always held my stretches for about 20-30 seconds. I never used to feel limbered up after stretching and it ended up being because I held my stretches for no more than 5-10 seconds and pushed them to the point of extreme discomfort. Now I go much easier on the range of motion, for longer time, and I find it works much better. I thought that this was the common "correct" way.

 

Most of my workouts involve lifting heavy weights though, are shorter stretches more appropriate for running?

[assassin_696]

Don't just stretch for longer, particularly pre-workout. Stretching a cold muscle is a delicate operation, and it's easy to damage the muscle. Stretches shouldn't really hurt, and don't hold them for more than 10 seconds before a workout/run.

 

No more than 10 seconds? I agree about stretches not hurting, but I have always held my stretches for about 20-30 seconds. I never used to feel limbered up after stretching and it ended up being because I held my stretches for no more than 5-10 seconds and pushed them to the point of extreme discomfort. Now I go much easier on the range of motion, for longer time, and I find it works much better. I thought that this was the common "correct" way.

 

Most of my workouts involve lifting heavy weights though, are shorter stretches more appropriate for running?

 

It's approximate, but just a general rule I've always stuck to for a pre-workout stretch. Post workout I go for longer (closer to 30 seconds) and use PNF stretching when possible for hamstrings, particularly after a workout on the rowing machine but it generally requires a partner. This is quite an interesting article that describes a bit more. My auntie introduced me to PNF stretching as a way to quickly improve hamstring flexibility (she's a ballet dancer, so they do shedloads of this kind of stuff) and it's used a lot in rowing anyway.

 

I was probably a little bit too prescriptive actually when saying no more than 10 seconds, it's a lot more approximate than I made out. The main thing is not to bounce into or stretch beyond your range of motion. But as a rule of thumb with stretching, often less is more.

[RichieMcD]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/muscle/id/7/muscle/quadriceps

 

Go to the filter on the left side, deselect all equipment except dumbbells and then you'll find 7 good exercises with video tutorials on how to do them correctly.