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2002/03/20, 11:38 AM
Whenever I do a leg workout which consists of squats and leg press my leg muscles (quads) get extremely sore for the 2-3 days. This would be fine if my legs were growing but they never get any bigger, they are a little more defined but no major gains. I have been working out my legs for years to try and gain size without success. At this point I have given up on gaining size and am concentrating on staying fit. My questions are:
1) Is it normal to always be sore? I workout my legs once a week. My other body parts only get sore if I do something different or use more weight but my legs are always sore.
2) Is it possible I may be undertraining/overtraining my legs with a 1 workout per week?
3) Could it be a lack of nutrition that is not allowing my muscles to recuperate properly?
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2002/03/20, 12:05 PM
I usually get sore after leg day! I work them out once per week, squeezing in tennis during the week (which work them rather hard). Do you currently take any supplements?
As far as size, if you want to gain more leg size, you may need to adjust your diet. You can work out 5 times a week, but if you eat like a mouse (instead of a moose), you won't gain an ounce of muscle.
Hope this helps...
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**_Robert_**
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2002/03/20, 01:39 PM
I use to take weight gain (N-Large) drinks, I've tried Creatine, carbohydrate powders and amino acids and nothing seemed to help. The only weight I seemed to gain was in my mid section. I kind of gave up on gaining size a few years ago because I just didn't feel comfortable forcing myself to eat 5-6 meals a day. I just felt bloated all the time. I now do sprint triathlons so I run or bike 5 days a week and lift 4 days a week. I realize I am not going to gain muscle mass with this type of training but why don't I get ripped or at least a little cut up? With all this lifting, cardio work and strict diet why is my mid section still soft. I am 39 years old at 5'8" and about 155lbs . I try to eat a low fat diet which usually consists of the following, I pretty much eat the same thing ever day:
Breakfast:
Quaker Oats instant otmeal (rasin & spice) 2 - packets
1 egg bagel with jelly
Lunch:
1-2 turkey, roastbeaf & swiss cheese sandwich (I bring in my own meat from the supermarket deli)
a bag of Baked lays potato chips
1 pepsi
Dinner:
1 Bonless chicken breast baked
1 cup white rice
1 cup drained corn packed in water
1 cup of 1% choclate milk
Is it possible that I am not eating enough and therefore burning muscle as fuel?
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2002/03/20, 02:52 PM
Well, with your response, your problem is in your diet. You have high sugar and fat intake (flavored oatmeal, jelly, cheese, potato chips, pepsi, etc.). And since you are only eating 3 meals a day, you're forcing your body to look for other sources of food/nutrients (your muscle probably) in between meals. This is why most bodybuilders and trainers will recommend eating 5-6 SMALLER meals a day.
Your overall calorie consumption is probably around 2,000-2,500...not enough to gain any kind of mass. And, to top it off, your intake is high in sugar and saturated fat.
Anyway, just my observation.
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**_Robert_**
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2002/03/21, 09:01 AM
Thanks for the feedback. I guess what I thought was an OK diet turns out to be pretty bad. I think I tried to focus too much on low fat food without paying attention to the type of carbohydrates I consume. After reading your response I agree that most of my carbohydrates seem to come from simple sugars instead of complex carbs. The nutrition porting of the web site only seems to add up the calories and does not seem to break it up into saturated and unsaturated fats or simple and complex carbohydrates. Do you know of any place I can get examples of the type of meals I should eat.
Thanks again for your feedback.
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2002/03/21, 10:35 AM
Stick with these types of foods:
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High Protein Foods
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Whey protein
Eggs
Egg whites
Chicken breasts
Turkey Breasts
Lean Beef
Fish (tuna, salmon)
Protein bar
Soy protein Isolate
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High Carbohydrate Food
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Potatoes (baked, fries, hash browns)
Sweet Potatoes, yams
Oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream of rice
Rice
Beans
Any green leafy vegetable
Bread
Pasta
All cereals (hot or cold)
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Healthy Fats
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Olive oil
Sunflower oil
Safflower oil
Flaxseed oil
Walnuts
Avocados
Here's a sample mass-gaining diet. It provides 2,440 calories, 234g of protein, 182g of carbs and 81g of fat:
8am -- Meal 1
Myoplex, 1 tsp flaxseed oil
432 calories, 42g of protein, 25g of carbs, 14g of fat
11am -- Meal 2
4 Whole Eggs w/ 1 cup of hash browns
440 calories, 28g of protein, 36g of carbs, 20g of fat
2pm -- Meal 3
6 oz. chicken breast with 1/2 cup of rice
319 calories, 50g of protein, 23g of carbs, 7g of fat
5pm -- Meal 4
4 whole eggs in a flour tortilla w/salsa
367 calories, 24g of protein, 17g of carbs, 20g of fat
8pm -- Meal 5
Myoplex, 1tsp flaxseed oil
432 calories, 42g of protein, 25g of carbs, 14g of fat
11pm -- Meal 6
6 oz grilled tuna with large baked potato, 1 cup of veggies 450 calories, 48g
of protein, 56g of carbs, 6g of fat
Eating the right amount of foods consistently will force your body to grow beyond what you may think possible. Also, several members have posted websites where you can find additional sample diets. Just use your search function.
Good luck!
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**_Robert_**
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