Have you ever had a workout so intense your legs were so sore you could barely walk properly the next day or days after? This happened to me recently after an intense leg day. Read on for the 7 ways I managed my muscle soreness and how you can recover your sore muscles faster at home.

The workout that doomed me.

I looked at the workout before I began.  It looked hard, but fun/doable. I knew it would be a challenge but yet a good challenge and in my realm of workout comfort zone.  

A. Four sets of:

• Bulgarian Split Squat x 8 reps each leg @ 30X1
• Rest 45 seconds after each leg
• Supinated-Grip Bent-Over Barbell Row x 8 reps @ 21X0
• Rest 60 seconds

B. For time:

• 1000 Meter Row
• 100 Air Squats
• 75 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
• 50 Front-Racked Kettlebell Walking Lunges (switch arms as you wish)
• 75 Kettlebell Swings
• 100 Air Squats

I completed the four sets of bulgarian split squats and supinated rows. Fuck. My legs are jello. And the worst is yet to come.

But here we go.  

Part B.  I get through the row, under 5 minutes, much to my dismay.  I carry on to the first set of air squats (I got this) I thought.  These are in my wheelhouse, my comfort zone …I thought.

By 70 squats my legs were screaming and I had only just started part B.

On to kettlebell swings… this part was more mental.  Then to the doozy, weighted KB front rack lunges. These killed me but I just had to power through.  At 21 minutes my time was up, I was on my 70th air squat (almost to the finish line) so I kept going.  

Finish strong right?!  

I limp my way out of the gym.  Stumble my way home to get ready for work and pound a recovery cocktail:  BCAAs + Glutamine (see below). Fast forward 12 hours later. Oh shit, I’m fucking sore and it’s not even the next day.  Now I’m just waiting for the inevitable DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) to set in.

The Day After Leg Day

I wake up the next morning barely able to stand up or sit down.  Walking downstairs? Uh, is there an elevator? Slowly lowering myself into a seat? Mmmm, more like a controlled fall.  If you’re wondering if that included the toilet, yes, yes it did. In fact, I proceeded to “fall” onto the toilet for next couple of days.

My version of walking looked like a young giraffe finding its legs for the first time.  You know what I mean…

Don’t get me wrong, I love being sore, but this level of soreness was easily a 9, if not 10 out of 10. My legs were so sore I could barely walk.  The only thing I could think about is how I was going to recover from my state of pain.

This carried on for a couple days.  But in that time, you bet your bottom dollar I was attempting every muscle recovery remedy I could find.  

7 ways to recover when your legs are so sore you can barely walk.

BCAA + Glutamine immediately after the workout.  

The recovery cocktail: A dose of branched chain amino acids and L-glutamine. Exercise may create an increase in the need for BCAAs, especially to build muscle and have been proven to help reduce muscle soreness. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and when taken within an hour of your workout, is your best bet at muscle recovery.  I continued to take this the days after to help speed up my recovery.

Up the protein intake.  

Always eat a high protein source for meals following the workout. Steak is a great option with 24g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast comes in at 31g of protein per 100 grams. Aim to eat a serving (this looks very different for everyone) every 3-4 hours because we can only process so much protein at once. I space out 4-8 oz of protein throughout the day over 4-5 meals.

Take a hot bath or jump in a spa.

The soothing nature of hot water can be a relaxation in itself when your legs are just too sore to function. To up your relaxation game, dump in a cup or two of epsom salt like this one. While there is no science behind epsom salt actually decreasing pain, it certainly makes the water feel nice and the addition of essential oils only further ups the relaxation game.

Rest it out.

My crazy workout called for a rest day. So, I took a few walks the next day and did some handstand practice but no way was I going to further the damage to my legs from the day before. When you feel so sore, take a rest day.  You’ve done enough.

Percussion therapy.

If you’ve never tried percussion therapy, you are honestly missing out.  This form of high frequency massage is invigorating but so relaxing at the same time.  Your muscles can’t contract as fast as the therapy gun on a high setting. There’s nothing quite like it.

The hyperice is also an amazing percussion recovery therapy tool.

Roll it out.

I love the Supernova ball and a foam roller for legs. After a day or two, your muscles will start to calm down, this is the time to introduce the rolling. Find the sore spots and hold. Keep in mind, breaking up the muscles will feel painful while rolling, but will loosen up after, and you’ll be thankful you went through it.

Get moving again

Recovery run

Once the inflammation in your muscles has calmed down a bit. Yes, inflammation. I can see and feel that my legs are swollen (that’s when you do the hot salt bath).  A recovery run or yoga class can be the perfect way to introduce your sore legs to movement. Find your favorite playlist, podcast, or audiobook and get outside for a couple miles. If running isn’t your thing hop on a bike or simply go for a long walk.

Yoga

It’s no secret yoga is my personal favorite everything remedy. It’s truly changed my life in so many ways and recovery is just one of them.

Yoga puts us in postures we wouldn’t otherwise find ourselves in. Therefore, you end up opening, stretching, as well as engaging muscles that normally don’t get attention.

Summary

When you killed your workout but your legs are so sore you can barely walk, getting out of pain can be all that you think about. These simple recovery strategies can help you feel better faster and get back to crushing it in the gym.

Do you have a story of when you crushed leg day only to find you’re so sore you can barely walk the next day? Comment below, what other recovery strategies did you try?