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Hey guys, So two days ago I tried doing the NF semi advanced bodyweight routine. I got through it, but as I had a party to attend imediatly afterwards, I don't think my stretches were all that they could be. My question is, should I be working out today? I feel the pain is mostly muscle soreness, and not an injury. I'm pretty sure I can workout if it's not due to injury, but I thought I'd ask experts. (Y'all say you're not experts, but you're a lot smarter about these things then me.

My squats is hurting my knees. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. Halp!

Disclaimer: I won't be doing a "traditional" challenge this go around. This challenge is more directed towards "Life Goals" rather than "Fitness Goals". Feel free to scroll on by if it's not your thing. I cried the first time I read the script. I knew that it was a play I HAD to be part of. I cried a bit the next day when I was telling my boyfriend about how beautiful it was (much to his confusion until he realized that the emotions were from sheer passion for the play). I went to auditions on Monday, Jan 29th and was asked by the director to come back Tuesday, Jan 30th for the second night of auditions. I waited for the cast list for what seemed like an eternity. It was Thursday afternoon (Feb 1st), just about 15 minutes before the end of my work day when I saw that the cast list had been posted on Facebook. My stomach dropped and I took a deep breath before clicking on the link. I near screamed when I saw my name! I landed the only female part in the show! I came running out of my office in absolute hysterical joy, and my boss asked me to sit down because she thought I was going to faint! I have not acted (or been involved in theatre in any way) for over 5 years, but I miss it every day. Acting is probably my number one passion in life, but these types of shows don't come along very often. Most audiences prefer musicals and comedies, but I prefer dramas....plays that challenge me...let me stretch my acting wings. I cannot wait for rehearsals to begin! This will be, by far, the biggest role I've ever had! I pray for health, energy, and pain management so that I can enjoy this experience to the fullest. That being said, I had an appointment with my Naturopath this morning and we're adjusting my thyroid meds again (dropping one prescription altogether and increasing the dose of the other one). In 8 weeks, if my TSH goes down and I'm still in this much pain, she wants to run a Rheumatoid Panel. **Fingers crossed that the pain goes away before that happens** My goals are going to be VERY lax this challenge. My Naturopath gave me a free pass for diet for now. She said with all the eliminations I've tried over the last couple years, she doubts I'm having any specific food triggers. She said that food triggers are not subtle and I should know for sure if something was triggering the pain at this point. Since I avoided potatoes so well in January and was still in pain most the month, she doubts potatoes are the source of my pain. So YAY POTATOES!!! Not that I'm going to binge on them or anything, but I'm just glad I don't have to feel guilty if I eat them for now. Obviously, my diet has room for improvement (because pizza and cheeseburgers happen!), but in general, I feel I eat fairly healthy. But I've been so hard on myself because the scale keeps slowly creeping up, but she told me that was probably thyroid related and not to worry about it for now. Exercise has to stay pretty mild in the meantime. If the pain starts to subside, I can adjust accordingly (with being extra careful not to overdo it on the good days). Mostly, my goals for next month are to continue my tracking spreadsheet with how I feel each day as far as fatigue and pain. I'll track my workouts, and keep that the same as far as only walking or doing some light yoga. My #1 goal is going to begin memorizing the daunting amount of lines I have for the play. GOALS 1 - Memorization! 30 minutes every single day of studying the script. I'd really like to be off book before the director's deadline. 2 - Tracking spreadsheet Track pain levels, fatigue, etc every day Track workouts (aim for 3 a week, with forgiveness for not working out on rehearsal nights or days when the pain gets the better of me) So that's it. I'm starting now.

Anyone have experience with the Quell Pain Relief Device? https://www.quellrelief.com/ I happened upon it when I was looking for replacement adhesive gel pads for my Advil Backpain Electric Stim. I'd go out on a limb and try it out, but the price point is a little more than i want to spend on something I've never heard of before. Mike

Full Blog Post here: https://airawear.com/index.php/blog/shoulder-stretches/ Hey guys, I just published this article about shoulder stretches you can do anytime (very work-friendly!) but I wanted to share a short-and-sweet version here for you. You must be either a young kid or a truly healthy person to have never gotten stiff shoulders in your entire life. Unfortunately for most of us, we don’t fit the above bill. That includes me, and probably you too. Maybe right now your shoulders are stiff. Tense. Sore. Rounded and hunched even. Or maybe yours are like mine, creaking and clicking every morning. Just like rusted joints that haven’t been greased in a while. And if you didn’t get those stiff and sore shoulders from injuries or working out… You probably have been hunching horribly while working overtime for 2 weeks straight. Meanwhile, lazy cats like me get them from lying on the bed sideways, binge watching The Walking Dead on a laptop. What happens here is that we adopt awkward (sitting) postures… Developing unnatural tension in the upper back. What truly matters here is getting rid of those aches and pains. There’s a gajillion moments where you don’t really have a convenient solution. You know, when your partner isn’t around to rub your shoulders. When you’ve hit the weights 3 days ago but the ache still lingers. Especially when you just need that dull, jaw-clenching sensation gone… Before your irritability hits the roof and you murder 7 soon-to-be ex-coworkers. Let’s work on getting rid of the stiffness and aches in the shoulders. 1. Back Scratcher | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Raise one arm above you, placing the hand behind your neck area. Use your other arm to grab your elbow, and gently pull it inward for 15 seconds. Repeat for other arm. 2. Reverse Prayer Pose | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Try to bring your hands behind your middle back. Slowly clasp your palms together, bringing in from your last finger to your thumbs. As your palms come together, push your chest out a little and squeeze your shoulder blades. 3. Standing Wall Stretch | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Find a wall and stand at an arm’s length away from it Press your palms against the wall at shoulder height Without moving your palms, lean your upper body forward as if you were making it parallel to the ground 4. Corridor Stretch | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Find a wall, corridor, or pole and be at one arm’s length away. If none are available, proceed to find another person for support (don’t forget to seek permission first). Grip one arm on the surface Turn away from the surface and hold the position 5. Cow Face Pose | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: If you aren’t flexible enough to reach for your hand, grab something elongated (e.g. ruler, towel, stick) Place both arms behind your back – one from below and one from above shoulder level As far as you can, reach for both hands to touch each other If you’re using a stick, use your free arm to grab the other end of the stick Repeat for the other side by switching your arms 6. Sitting Cat and Cow | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Adopt a upright sitting position Curve your back inwards as far as possible, with your head looking towards your belly button Your shoulders will be pulled forward at this position Arch your back outwards, with your head looking skyward or even behind Your shoulders will be pulled backward at this position 7. Dipping Stretch | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Grab the back of your chair support (or the edge of the arm support as seen in the gif) Bring you butt to the edge of the seat, or as far from the back as possible Let me know if this is useful to you guys! Would love to hear whether it helped you If you want more stretches, you can see them in my blog post here: https://airawear.com/index.php/blog/shoulder-stretches/ Cheers!

This is mostly a rant to take out my frustration, since I can't do anything to really fix my problem. Commiserating replies are very welcome. I've had pain in my arch since last June, and in mid October and my doctor diagnosed it as plantar fasciitis. I finally went to see her after the pain got so severe I could barely walk the couple hundred feet from my apartment to my car. Since last summer, every time I try pushing myself it seems like the pain gets worse, and I can do even less than before. Alternatively, if I do nothing, the pain gets worse when I get back to an activity. I'm down from doing 15 mile day hikes and 5 mile runs last spring to being in real pain after two miles of walking on level ground. Rough ground or hills are worse. I'm clinging to the hope that it will get better, and I can work back up to fun speeds and distances, but it's frustrating and depressing. It's been close to 3 months since I visited the doctor, and I've been doing the stretches she gave me daily, and the exercises several times a week. I guess it's helped. The only thing I'm sure has helped is buying more cushioned sneakers, which let me walk a mile with only moderate pain within a week of the doctor's visit. I'd worn minimalist shoes for the past 4 years, so the cushion was a change. After Christmas, I bought a pair of heavily cushioned Altra Olympus sneakers, which barely hurt at all when I walk. It's like walking on a thick yoga mat. But when I take them off, it's the same as always. Pain within a few dozen steps. I keep reading 6-12 months for it to heal, which I have no reason to disbelieve. But it's so hard to tell if there's any healing going on at all. Right now, I'm trying resting my foot as much as I can (except for the doctor's exercises), and wearing the new sneakers for any and all walking. But I'm afraid that doing this will yet again decrease what I'm able to do. On the other hand, I'm afraid that continuing pushing myself to walk 2 miles a day will make the pain worse, since that's how I got down to 2 miles in the first place. And if I'm ever going to try avoiding long walks at all, I'd rather do it in winter, when I walk less anyway. Anyone got stories of long term plantar fasciitis healing, or are you still sufferring from a case that just won't go away? I want hope that there's light at the end of this tunnel.

G'day! A West-Aussie here, and massive metal-head (I endeavour to name each of my challenges after a metal band) and most certainly a nerd. I recently finished my Bachelor of Games Design and am looking forward to paving a career in video game development. I do love my movies (every sort) and my books (I will admit I haven't and don't read alot, but it is one of the things that I really wish I did) and table-top gaming is a big favourite of mine. I have lost about 20kg(~45lbs) over the last year, and am ultimately looking to lose that amount again over the next year, which is certainly negotiable as I would like to put some more muscle on, which would offset some of that weight. I discovered this wonderful community a couple of years ago, thanks to my sister Rachy87. Last year I was rather absent from the community, but I still pushed myself ahead and lost that 20kg. This year I want to be more involved, more focused and go that extra distance. At the age of 25 now, I have weight to lose and muscle to gain. These are my current goals and aim at getting my health in check. Later down the road I will look to strength, speed and aesthetic goals, but health is more important at the moment. I am still in Act I right now! Current Stats: H: 182cm (6"0') W: 90kg (200lbs) (I always do my best to include conversions, because I know that there are many fellow Rebels that are used to different units, but always keep in mind that these are rough conversions I do mentally) I bought a FitBit last year, and it's tracking certainly held me accountable for what I was doing, and as a gamer I was determined to keep getting better and earning those badges! I will incorporate my FitBit and it's tracking into my goals where appropriate and possible. Right now I have back issues, this is related to my pelvis tilt/spine curvature, and am fixing this with regular visits to the physio. I have mostly sorted this now, but I am still in pain everyday. The reason I mention this is because it will effect my goals and how I go about achieving them. Health is the priority, so goals will be down-tuned as necessitated. Main Quest: A Funeral Mist It feels as though years ago I cast off on a journey to escape Sodom, pass through the badlands and descend into the caverns of hell and further onwards to the cesspools of the deepest corners of Hell. A hard earned and tiresome journey it felt. And yet it was just my mind casting off and dreaming about it. As of late I have been doing some real travelling, been truly trying hard and have been looking to escape these walls. A funeral mist now lays upon those thoughts of escape, as I now realise the true journey ahead of me. My mind reborn into the present, I seek to pave the way out of here, and truly pass over the badlands, this time not some fantasy or dream. My pained back being the most likely source of contention out of here, an injury too easily sustained in this madhouse we call Sodom. But still taking the reigns for myself and trying my hand at a better existence is a true testament to my will and conviction. I think back to those dreams of the caverns and what felt like a dragon's force pushing me forward, this is what keeps me going and looking for a way out of here. This place is mayhem and I seek to escape it soon. I just need to get my footing and I will be out of here... Main Quest Objective Alpha: A Brick in the Wall I must journey through this city and find any gap in the walls, any lapse in the guard, any possible way out of here. Something I can aim for to escape. I will walk up and down these walls until I find it. Walking is the main focus of this goal. Keeping my fitness up while my back is injured is hard, but walking is good for it, and it helped me lose 20kg already. I can't walk for long periods of time, but if I aim to lots of shorter periods each day I can get there. I feel it might become complicated trying to track this intricately as I need to start and stop walking and sitting so much at the moment. So I think aiming for a step count on the FitBit is appropriate here. A: 9,000+ Average steps a day over the challenge period - the recommendation is 10,000 but I don't want to be needlessly pushing myself if it will make my back worse B: 7,000-8,999 Average steps a day - 7k is my current daily goal for my fit bit, so if I get it to go off every day, I know I will get a B on this one for sure C: 5,000-6,999 Average steps a day D: 3,500-4,999 Average steps a day - my current daily average is just below 3.5k, and I consider a D a less than average grade, so I feel this suits for making at least a small improvement F: <3,500 Average steps a day - this means I am actively doing less than I am now, which is the opposite of progress! Main Quest Objective Beta: Not the Rack My back causes me great pain throughout the days of searching for a way out, but I quarrel not, for it is not as though I had to suffer the rack, like many that live here. Although part of me wonders if a short time on it might just fix the issue, without going too extreme of course. As has been, and will continue to be, said, my back is causing me problems at the moment, and caused stagnation in my weight loss and fitness gain. It is under control and I have plenty of exercises to help with the pain, and to also help the problem. I am rather particular about making sure I get them done, but I am still a bit lax, and with going for a job interview today, there is a greater chance of me being distracted from doing them. So I want to spend this time focusing on getting all the exercises done every day. A: Don't miss a single day for my exercises AND do at least 2x the reps for each exercise - doing extra reps has been encouraged, and I generally do try to at least twice as much, so I feel confident about this one B: Don't miss more than 1 day over the whole challenge C: Don't miss any days during 3 or more weeks of the challenge (i.e. if I miss a single day, once a week for 3 of the weeks, it will count as a C) D: At least one full week, and no more than a total of 7 days missed over the whole challenge F: Anything outside of the D requirements Main Quest Objective Gamma: The Oncoming Thirst If there is one thing I know of the badlands, especially from my dreams before the funeral mist of my dream-self, is that it is hot and dry, and little water can be found out there. I must stock up if I am to travel to the obsidian gates. Dying of dehydration is a real threat, and a feeble way to go when I am trying so hard to escape this place. I have been getting lax in my water consumption, and in this Aussie heat you really notice it. I need to get back to a proper daily routine of drinking water, I won't lie you do feel better when you keep your fluids up (and when they aren't sugary fluids!). A: Average of 2.5L a day over this challenge - it is January and this is WA and I am expecting to get back into a fitness routine... ...if anything this may even be a bit low, but I think it foolish to consume too much B: Average of 2.1L a day C: Average of 1.8L a day - not quite to daily recommended average of 8 glasses, but a massive improvement and undoubtedly a great benchmark D: Average of 1.5L a day F: 3 or more days with less than 0.5L of water - this can fail me from an A. The point of this quest is consistency and habit, not just drinking big to make up the average Life Quest Objective: Knowledge is Power, Talk is Cheap If I am ever to get out of this place I am going to need the eyes and ears of others. But I will also need to ensure I know who I can talk to and when I can talk to them. I need everyone's knowledge, and to get that, conspicuously or not, I must talk to them. The more I chat, the more I will learn, and the better my chance at making it out of here. The more I learn about outside will be important too. I need to know what is really out there, and how to overcome what I find. Confidence is something I have always struggled with, and the desire to entire a career such as game development, especially as an indie developer, means I need to network. To network I need to talk. So I think for this challenge this will be my life goal. Communication, especially with people I don't know, don't know well, or haven't communicated with in a long time. Even it is a small amount, or even an un-reciprocated attempt on my behalf, it is something and it will work towards my confidence and ability to network. A: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't 4+ times a week, every week B: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't on average 2+ times a week C: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't on average once a week D: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't at least twice over the whole challenge F: One person over the whole challenge might be one person that I choose because I know they won't engage or some other excuse, 2 or more (for a D) means I am at least trying Time to start the real journey! The last 4 chapters were just a dream, not comes the real deal. Thanks for reading, thanks for any replies you leave, and good luck to all of you taking on challenges yourself! Cheers, -Radact

Hey rangers. Again, it's been a while. just got over a sub scapula tear with an impinged nerve that severely affected my trapezius muscle. But now after a month of recuperation and yoga I'm back. And I'm a schmuck. First day back and let me tell you what happened: Came out of the gate hard. DEADLIFTS!!! YEAH. Did I mention I'm a schmuck? Sumo deadlifts up to 275 lbs. THEN 5 RFT 8 deadlifts at 135 lbs Kettlebell offset farmer carries in the half rack position 44 lbs and 53 lbs 20 KB swings 53 lbs 10 Zercher sandbag squats 15 Toes to Bar SCHMUCK!!! Oh yeah, and I cut out all my sugar. So now I'm REALLY dizzy. Did I mention....Schmuck? I feel like I've been shot at and missed, shit at and hit. What was I thinking? SCHMUCK! Well I can't have all the looks and the brains I guess. I'll check back tomorrow and let you know if I can walk without looking like I was taken advantage of by a gorilla. Have a good day, and be smarter than me (although I'm pretty sure that is easy to do)

Ok so got a serious case of DOMS in my quads from workout Sunday. Did light cycle yesterday then did second body weight workout this morning. I thought exercising again was supposed to help but it's even worse now. Legs are shaking can barely walk. Eating high protein paleo. Anything I can do to get over this ASAP? Figured I'd do another light walk or cycle this evening and tomorrow and another body weight workout Thursday. Should I continue or take an extra rest day? Anything I can do to ease the pain in the meantime? Thanks x

Looking for tips to ward off cramps. Been running for about 8 months and increasing distance. Having a pretty regular problem with cramps in my calves (usually left leg for whatever reason) around mile 11 or 12. No problems on shorter, more intense runs like 5 or 10k. Any thoughts? Is this hydration, sodium?

I've been at this for only a week and a half and have been loving it but this morning I did something to my back. It wasn't while I was working out but it has caused me not to be able to workout today. I've done so well so far with my eating and fitness and this has bummed me out a bit. I want to continue moving forward and this isn't helping. I'm making sure I don't fall back on the junk food but I want to. Hope I'll be back into it on Monday which is when I was planning on my next workout. It sucks when one of your reasons to get fit is because of an achy back and it's hurting that back that is stopping you. It wasn't even doing anything. I think I just twisted it funny. Stupid back

YAY! I got through the last challenge! It has been ages since I did that. Background I've only got a few days of this challenge before the British Classic next Saturday. Not feeling hugely confident about moving up the rankings (and I certainly won't win) but I'm going to go in and give it my best shot. After that, I'm taking a few days off to go and chill out with the husband and when I get back it's straight into focusing on training for the Commonwealths. I have an ongoing glute issue which causes me a lot of pain but doesn't seem to stop me lifting. My current competition bests are: Squat 132.5kgBench 72.5kgDeadlift 135kgTotal 340kg (364.64 Wilks)As usual, no lifting goals because I leave my programming up to my coach and there won't be any bonus points for records this time around because Tanky moved the 63kg Scottish records up just a tiny bit! Nice to have a new goal rather than just aiming to beat myself. Major events on the horizon: 19 September - British Classic20 September - Sitting watching the 72kg-84kg+ girls lifting at the British Classic whilst eating ALL THE THINGS21-24 September - On holiday with husband... will be largely offline2-3 October - Two weddings on consecutive days30 November-6 December - Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships (lifting on 2 December) Chill out and sleep! This is kind of a two part thing. Firstly, I still need to get more sleep. Secondly, I need to carve out chill-out time with my husband. So the goal continues from last time to get 7h30m a night of sleep but I'm going to do this on a cumulative scoring basis (because it seemed awesome when other people were doing it last time and might help me keep track). So I'll give myself +1 if I get 7h sleep and +1.5 for 7h30m and +2 for 8h or more. I'm also going to give myself +3 points for having a date of some shape or form with my husband whether that's going to the movies or just a long, romantic walk or even an impromptu trip to the ice cream parlour. I'm aiming to be entirely offline whilst I'm away with Grant from 21-24 September... not sure I'll manage that but in the meantime: Goal is +50 overall for this and I'll give myself +3 CON and +2 WIS for achieving that. Stop being so gorram competitive! There is absolutely nothing I can do about how other people's lifts, so I need to stop worrying about competing with them and just beat them by being awesome in and of myself (well, 'cept for Kelli Thor Clarke... because there's no way I'm beating her!). I need to work out how I'm going to progress with this but the main aim is to worry about my own lifts than anyone else's and stop bitching about people who get on my nerves. I also need to know when to step away from a fight. This is going to be a weird one, so I'm going to do a cumulative score on how many days I can get through without Googling other girls in my weight class at the Commonwealths to see how I am likely to match up to them. I'll give myself +1 for every day I don't Google my rivals or stalk them on social media (checking out their videos if we're friends doesn't count). I'm also going to give myself a +1 when I step away from a fight rather than digging in and -1 for when I get sucked in. Target of 35 points... because I know I won't manage to be good every day. +3 WIS and +2 CHA for this. Ma bam's sair! For a translation of this section, please view this informative video: My glute injury doesn't seem to be going away and I can't afford to go the whole hog and see a specialist about it (physios don't seem to be able to help). So for the time being, I'm going to keep a detailed log of things I've done and pain levels and see if I can work out what makes it better and worse. So far, lifting doesn't seem to be the main problem, but some movements may be exacerbating it (i.e. A2G squats). Doing Lizard in yoga is a major issue, so I need to just skip that when it comes up. I'll try to be honest about the pain levels. They do get pretty high (i.e. yesterday I was crawling around on the floor howling because they were so bad) but they're usually manageable if I'm not stupid (i.e. I remember to take my painkillers and not do stupid shizz). So another cumulative score here with +1 for every day I keep a detailed log of pain levels and activities and +2 for any noticeable correlations found. Goal +35 with a score of +2 CON, +2 WIS and +1 DEX for completion. Wanna wish me luck?

My fiancee told me I could help her research and encourage her working toward being healthy again in September when she gets back from her work trip. I know she used to love running ((**shudders** nmk)) but is no longer fit enough to just go do that without making a mess of her ankles, knees and back. Day to day life is often enough to hurt her joints and just sleeping hurts her back. I really don't know how to help without making things worse. I know diet is 80% and we'll be eating low carb with plenty of veg, healthy fats, and protien... but what sort of activities can I direct her too that will help quickly enough to keep her from being discouraged, but won't risk a twisted ankle in the winter puting her progress back for months. Here's what I've come up with so far to start: Chair yoga since she doesn't have the balance for the "regular" kind yet. (found that out with wii fit last year)I can see her walking up to 20 min 2-3 times a week. Any other ideas?

Just recently come across this concept. I don't fully understand all the phases (R-phase etc) and i haven't paid for anything whatsoever which seems necessary to be able to fully understand everything. Anyway, came across the blog, which has a lot of videos that you can access for free. Things on mobility, strength, mind-muscle stuff (neural), pain relief etc etc: http://zhealtheducation.com/blog/ Anyone else used or seen this before and want to share any experiences?

Hello world. I have a problem: I can't run anymore. Especially not slowly. That is, If I do, it hurts. It does not seem to be shin splints (although I do feel a slight discomfort if I apply pressure to the bone with my hands), as it is more a generalized "stop it, I've had enough" pain. A mixture of pressure and fatique, feels like an extreme pump - and in the entire lower leg, both to muscles in the front and the back. The sensation kicks in nearly immediately after I start running, sometimes already after 100m and get's extremely uncomfortable after 2-3km. A little bit of a history detour: I always used to run a lot (and not so slow), From 2000 to 2010 mostly with the army-issued "Sportschuh, Gelände", a shoe designed somewhere in the 60s or 70s and rumored to be manufactured by Adidas and Puma, which everybody considered outdated and dangerous, but which felt quote right to me. These shoes had a grippy sole, not to much dampening (ok, nearly no dampening), were lightweight, had a very flat "heel" and felt quite "neutral", compared to most civilian running shoes. Then I had a very bad idea: I thought I ran so much, perhaps I might not be such a cheapskate and buy some decent running shoes. (we were allowed to use civilian running shoes even during PT). So I got some advice and bought a pair of Asics (don't remember the model, they landed in the trash bin eventually), and during the following year developed a severe inflammation of both achilles tendons, with the right side being far worse. This stopped running effectively for nearly two years, until, one day, after quitting the army, I put on the Asics and could not even make the way to university (only 800m, no running, just walking!). Next day, other shoes, worked fine, following day Asics again, again unbearable. So I concluded the Asics perhaps might have been to sophisticated for my old-school feet, forcing them to move completely different than what was "natural" for me. Threw them into the trash bin, put on my old blue army running shoes, began running and found out that the achilles tendon pain was gone. Unfortunately, a short time after that age took it's toll and the shoe broke apart. Unfortunately, these shoes are discontinued and I have never found a pair in my size. I then bought Puma Speeder, which resembled the army shoes in so far as they were lightwight, low and not so really damped, but they never felt quite as perfect as the blue ones. And obviously, two years of not running had taken it's toll, both on my conditioning and on my body weight, which now was significantly higher. (Fluctuates between 100 and 110kg @ 1,9m height). So when I ran during the last two years, I ran slower than I used to, making short, but many steps. And I was/am deconditioned and slightly overweight, did I mention that? While I was still young and sporty, I had a very fast and wide stride, taking wide, powerful steps, but now no more. Also, i found my legs being the limiting factor. My usual running workout is a 5.8km-round trip with a 20minute break in the middle to do some bodyweight exercises at some bars. Leg pain also limited that to once a week or even less. I also do some kettlebell stuff (high frequency, low amount), and walk a lot, but no other running. Now, last friday, I ran (in my street shoes) to get a bus, at a pace far above my usual running pace. 200 meters without pain which kind of made me wonder. And then I realized it was my running style. Instead of shuffling, or stumbling along, looking tired, body tilted forward, the upper body was erect, and I made long, powerful steps... and it felt so good! So yesterday I had my next running workout. Ran as usual, started to notice the usual pain in my legs. Then I sped up, and things went better. Prior experience confirmed: when I switch from a "take it easy" slow jog to a 400m-race-pace, the pain disppears. Unfortunately, my cardiovascular system does not support 95% perceived intensity for more than a minute. So I transformed the jog to an interval workout: 200m run, 1 minute walk, 200m run... Which kind of worked. Kind of, because after 2/3rd of my distance I was completely and utterly dead, with coordination in my legs suffering badly. So I called it a day and walked home slowly. Summary: 1) If I "take it easy", lower leg pain sets in after just a few hundred meters, severely limiting the distance I can run. 2.) If I run really fast, the pain goes away, but both central nervous system and cardivascular system seem not to be able to cope with that for too long. Logical conclusion would be to adapt running style, that is to apply the erect, long stride style of my younger and faster me to slow paces, which I tried for some hundred meters, but this does not really work. (Presumably because of physics, there seems to much of a downward vector if cadence/stride frequency drops). So, what would you do? Continue with intervals until I get my conditioning back to be able to run continuously with faster paces? Try other shoes? Just suck it up and continue? PS: observations on running/walking style: - when walking, I have a strong heel strike. (Not quite like that, but close. We Germans don't do goose-stepping any more, as we don't want to scare our neighbours... Ok, so not so close, but you get the idea. ) - I also tend to supinate?, street shoes and boots show a diagonal (to the outside) wear pattern on the heel. - there is also wear on the soles under the balls of the feet (with all: street shoes, boots, and running shoes), meaning I probably use the my thighs to straighten my feet to "kick off" the ground for some extra power - when running fast, I seem to strike with my mid-foot or forefoot, - I have actually no Idea what I am doing when running slowly. I tend to think I'm also striking with my mid- or forefoot then, as there is very little wear on the heels of my running shoes (as opposed to street shoes and boots). Together with the sloppy "falling forward"-style, this might overload my lower leg muscles and be the cause for the pain?

God. At this point, I am literally asking both the NFR community and God, am I doing something wrong? Because it seems like every time I try to do something to prepare my body and help it, it just hurts me more, instead. I do warm-up sets with squats. I get to the actual set, and I end up finding myself not having enough strength and balance to push up from the bottom of the squat, and I go tumbling back. I do warm-up sets with squats the next time, and I hurt my left knee on the warm-up set with nothing but the bar. I try to do calf and leg stretches to help my sore left knee and shin, and my shin ends up feeling stiff and sore for the remainder of the night, AND my left knee still hurts a little. Now it's been about two weeks since I've been to the gym, and I'm still feeling soreness in the left side in the center of my left shin, and the left side of my left knee. I would put ice on it, but then that means I would have to empty out all of the ice trays and hold a bag of ice to my leg and knee all day, which I can't do. I would take medication to help whatever's going on get fixed, but I can't do that, either. I would lay down all day and just rest my legs, but I can't do that at home because of all the chores and housework I find myself doing for two hours, and when I'm back in school, I've got to carry a backpack full of books to and across campus all day. Also, I feel like shit when I do nothing physical all day. I did try elevating my feet or knees last night, though. I think it helped some.

My name is Zoe. I'm 20 years old, 5"3 and about 170 pounds. As you can imagine I'm here to trying get fit and gain better control of my body, not just lose weight. The problem is that often times I end up trying to work out and being met with millions of mixed messages on what to do. One week someone would say that I should focus more on cardio and then work on muscle exercises once I "slim down". Another week someone will tell me that I should focus more on weight training and that cardio is mainly for warm ups or strictly for persons doing marathons or other running events. Sometimes people say I should use machines, while others say I should stick to dumb bells and body weight exercises and the list just goes on... I would really love it if someone could just give me a program to start with. Or at the very least suggest to me where I could get one personalized for myself (hopefully online?). Note though that I seem to get muscle injuries easily so I can't push myself too hard or lift heavy just yet. I also have no idea where I'd fall in that career category so I'm hoping someone might be able to explain that to me too.

I'll try and be brief, but I'll do my best to get everything down so you don't have to ask too many questions... I recently embarked on a 16-week training plan in order to race a 10K in July. I've been running in some Asics that haven't seen much in the way of milage, but are easily 5 years old. Quite early on into the training my feet would ache, but I put this down to using new muscles. The aches are above the ankle on the inside and outside of both feet - and run a few inches up the leg. At the beginning I got sore arches too, but thankfully that's not a thing now. I've got flexible flat feet, but my shoes always wear down on the outside, not the inside (go figure). The aching hasn't eased off, and after I hit week 8, which was to be an 'easy week' (i.e. no fast running), I was pleased to find it coincided with a week's hiking holiday. On average I walked 6-7 miles on stony terrain, and nothing too drastic gradient-wise. My feet ached even more, especially along the outside bone of the sole (sorry) along my foot. Last week I had a full week off to give them a chance to recover. Tonight I've walked just under 3 miles and the aches are back along with the arches. I had tendonitis in my arches about 10 years ago, so I know this discomfort is nothing like the debilitating agony of that. I would like some advice on what to do next. My instinct is telling me to forget about the 10K race and to rest up. But I don't know how long for. My partner (who runs long distances all the time) thinks getting gait analysis and a recommended pair of trainers will undo the damage, but I feel it's too late. I don't want to get to the point where I can't walk anymore (already done that once in my life) in order to say 'I told you so'. So, thoughts?

So I'm 20 years old, 5"3 and about 170 lbs right now. My weight is not that big of an issue to me but I am looking to lose a bit for the sake of my health and fitness. My mum is a BIG supporter of this (she's a weight loss fanatic) and is always advocating for my sister and I to eat healthy. My main problem is the gym. Don't get me wrong, I love the gym. I love feeling the burn that comes with pumping some weights or doing some aerobics. (I especially love squats and dead lift days.) Plus the results Ii get really boost my self esteem and morale and often keep me positive and help me start my day right. But my problem is that my body's limits and my mind's don't quite mesh. More often than not, I end up in a good place with my exercises, getting a decent rhythm and even starting to move on to heavier weights when...a muscle pulls or some knot develops in my muscles. Then I'll be down for the count and for days at a time just trying to get over the pain. The worst bit is though, that I don't even lift that heavy. I mostly work out with 3-8lb dumb bells or 5-10 lb barbells. And everything else is mostly body weight exercises. Now before I used to have a personal trainer who was working with me to overcome this, but as I have begun to start saving up for college I've had to let him go and now I have to deal with this issue on my own. Does anyone have any advice on what I could do? Do you think I should see a doctor about this?

Hi everyone! My lower back is bruised, I'm 99% sure it's because of an intensive plank workout I did yesterday (pushing my arms forwards as much as possible) which made me work that area quite intensively, I did 4 sets of 30 seconds with 1 minute breaks between sets. This morning my back was hurting, when I looked in the mirror I had dark bruises all the way down my lower back on both sides. I found this quite worrying, so I have a few questions: -Is this normal? I assume that it just means I worked too intensively which I'm not too worried about since it's the first time it's happened in that area. -What can I do to fix it ASAP? -What should I avoid doing in the future? -How long should I wait before doing the exercise again? Do I have to actually wait until the bruises are completely gone? I should probably mention that I ate quite a lot of garlic with a meal yesterday, and I've read that garlic thins the blood which makes bruising easier, I also get bruises very easily in general, my forearms are usually spattered with yellow after a karate class even if I don't remember any impacts on them. Thanks in advance for any help, Pierre

ahoy scouts! greetings from the ranger camp! ok, i'll just get right to the meat of the problem here. i've recently discovered that i favor my right leg when i walk [and run], which means my left leg gets more beat up. as a result, my left knee has started to feel a bit painful since i started running about 4-5 weeks ago. it's not constant, it's not even incredibly painful pain. it's just sort of...stiff at times? i suppose? mostly seems to happen a few hours after a run, and when i fully extend my leg and flex [like when i'm stretching.] anyway, so that's problem #1. problem #2 is the main knuckle of my big toe [where the toe connects to my foot] has the same kind of stiff, off-and-on, not-very-painful pain. also on my left side. this happened [i think?] as a result of wearing shoes that were too worn down. [to be fair, i had no idea they were so used up, and they just sort of spontaneously failed one day. the run i took when they messed my toe up was the last run i took in them.] i thought it went away when i got new shoes, but it's been coming and going since then. whenever i curl the toe up or push the toe down towards the bottom of my foot i can feel it. so my question to you, dear scouts and running experts, is this: what can i do to even out my stride, and what can i do to fix my joints/not hurt them any worse? if you need any more information at all, please ask! thanks for your help!

Hey folks -- So, after watching a couple of videos to see how I could improve my squat technique (it was hurting my knees), I gave it a shot today. End result: lots of lower back pain. So clearly I'm doing it wrong, even though my knees didn't go over my toes, and even though I was trying to sit back instead of just down. I'm a little kinesthetically un-gifted (one of those folks who ALWAYS gets hit in the head with a soccer ball, baseball, tennis ball, you name it), so I'm afraid I'll just hurt myself if I keep trying to "improve" my form. Any alternative exercises anyone can suggest? I like living without back pain, as I have proudly managed to do for the past 38 years (minus today). Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hey everyone! This is my first time posting here...couldn't find any help elsewhere and visit this site all the time already so I thought I'd make an account and see wassup. Anyway.... I bought this thingy a while ago: https://www.perfectonline.com/product/pullup And it's great! I can do pull-ups/chin-ups, then unlock it and lower it to superset with Australian pulls/chins. The problem is, one half of the bar has a smaller circumference (I think that's the first time I've used that word since highschool) than the other half. The reason for this is because the bar is expandable to fit various door widths, a smaller bar fits into, and can slide in or out, of the larger bar. In my particular situation, the only way to do shoulder-width pull-ups is to have one hand RIGHT where the too bars meet. So the little lip is right under my middle (palm side) knuckle (whats the inside knuckle called?). When doing pull-ups I haven't noticed any pain but for a few days now I've noticed that knuckle is really sensitive to the touch. It almost feels bruised, I THINK it's because of the weird bar size, so I've added some thicker foam grips for padding. Anyway, aside from the specific type of pull-up bar that I have, does that kind of pain sound normal? Or at least semi-common? It's definitely not from calluses or anything..

In March I received my Fibromyalgia diagnosis, after two years of widespread muscle pain and spasms I finally got an answer to the cause. There are three medications that can be prescribed, but they only treat one of the symptoms, and the side effects are brutal. At this point, I'm declining the medication. The only "treatment" is to clean up my diet and exercise - I just have to do it. The irony is that my muscle pain increased significantly when I lost 50 pounds, oh the irony. In May I started my new job. I went from a relatively stress-free job into chaos, this hasn't helped my diet or exercise. So now in December, on National Respawn Day, I am making a commitment to my health. I am 25 years old, I need my health as Fibromyalgia tends to get worse over time. Plus I also have a few pounds that need to vanish. Tonight, I am going to yoga. Tomorrow, maybe Zumba. Thursday, maybe Fit Camp Circuit Training. My new strategy is to take one day at a time - to push myself, but not destroy myself. Best of luck to all the respawns. Aalis

I've been doing StrongLifts for a little while now and making decent progress. I'm at the point where I'm squatting my body weight (140#) and have realized that the difficulty comes not from my muscles not being strong enough, but because at the bottom of my squat, all I can feel is the strain on my hip joints. I've tried widening my stance, narrowing my stance, moving where my toes point, checking my form otherwise, and nothing seems to make a whole lot of difference. Is it simply too heavy? I mean, I can manage to do 4-5 reps in a set, but I feel like my form does suffer a bit -- like I'm leaning forward as I push up. I guess the bottom line is: has anyone else had this happen, and do you have any tips? If I back down on the weight and, say, do more reps per set, would that be likely to help? I'm getting a little frustrated over here -- I want to up my weight but it doesn't seem like I'll be able to anytime soon.