Sore after leg day? You've come to the right place!


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Why do you get so sore after leg day?


We know that our muscles get sore when we work them hard, whether that’s through lifting heavy weights, doing tons of reps, or burning them out through long or intense cardio.


But why do legs get more sore than your other muscles?


The simple answer is that there are many muscles in your legs, and they’re quite large… which means it’s a lot harder for them to recover.


There are two different kinds of muscle soreness you should be aware of.


The first kind of muscle soreness is acute, or immediate soreness. As you challenge your muscles, they build up lactic acid, which is what causes the familiar “burning sensation” you get right before your muscles fail.


It’s this quick onset soreness that you feel in the gym, between sets, or right after you finish your workout.


It typically won’t last more than a few minutes, or at worst, a few hours after you finish working out.


The second kind of muscle soreness, and the kind that can make leg day miserable, is delayed soreness, often called DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.


DOMS is exactly what it sounds like, and it explains why your legs are so sore the next day or two after a tough leg workout.


On a physiological level, the process of lifting weights and building muscle involves causing lots of microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. When these tears are repaired through rest, nutrition, and recovery, you build new muscle and gain strength.


But in the meantime, it can hurt… a lot! The micro-tears in your muscles will swell, become inflamed, and cause you some pain while they’re recovering.


Most experts believe DOMS are worse in your legs because of the large size of the muscle groups, and the fact that you’ll lift heavier loads than you would during, say, a bicep curl.


So now that you understand a little bit of the science behind leg soreness, you know that it’s totally normal, and is often a sign of a great workout!


But what can you do to ease that soreness? Here are 5 tips that might help.
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1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate


This is a good idea on almost any day, but it counts double for recovering from leg day.


Make sure you hydrate plenty before, during, and after your workout, as well as in the days following it while you recover.


Proper hydration helps your muscles heal and delivers nutrients to the parts of your body that need it the most.


There’s no hard and fast rule for this, but you’ll sometimes see health experts recommend the 8 by 8 approach — that’s eight 8 ounce glasses of water every day.
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2. Stretch out those quads and hammies!


Most people know the importance of properly warming up, but just as important (and probably even more likely to be skipped) is a good cool-down session.


After squats or deadlifts, you’ll probably be exhausted and ready to go home. But if you’re having major leg soreness or trouble walking, it’s probably worth taking a few minutes to stretch after your leg day workout.


You don’t have to go overboard, just get a nice deep stretch on your major leg muscles before you call it a day. If it’s too late and you’re already home and feeling sore, a good stretch will still help blood flow and recovery in those muscle groups.
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3. Walk, do yoga, or hit the stationary bike


Even though you might be in pain, sitting on the couch doing nothing is probably not the right way to go.


Getting back to the gym, if possible, and doing some light work on the stationary bike is PERFECT for leg recovery. It’s low impact, easy, and will promote great circulation.


A gentle yoga class or a long walk are also great options.


It might hurt at first if your legs are really sore, but it should help alleviate the pain sooner than remaining sedentary would.
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4. Ice those legs down


If you’re having a brutal leg day hangover, it’s because you did some serious damage to your muscles on a microscopic level. (Congrats on a great workout, by the way!)


As we talked about above, those little tears and abrasions are going to swell up and feel awful in the process of healing.


So what do you do when something swells up? You ice it down!


An ice pack on your legs will actually narrow the blood vessels and reduce the blood flow to the area, which will help the swelling go down and get you back on your feet.


It’s not ideal for nutrient delivery and recovery, but it will help ease the pain.
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5. Use a foam roller


Foam rollers are a FANTASTIC accessory that can help you work out knots in your muscles, improve mobility, avoid injuries, and promote better recovery after workouts.


When all else fails and the soreness is just too deep in your muscles, and especially if you’re having trouble walking, using one of these can really help loosen you back up.


Look up a few foam rolling exercises that target your legs and pay careful attention to the technique to get the best results.