jen3kids Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I joined a CrossFit gym the end of October and I'm really enjoying it. I work out there 4x/week. Around the same time I started playing field hockey again 2-3 times a week and at least once/week, I do a CF workout on the same day as a 90 minute practice/games. My problem is that I am sore all the time and I don't know if it's just from gettting old-ish (I'm 46) or if I'm over doing it. I don't have any injuries from either activity, but I ache all the time - muscles and joints. When I get home from the gym, all I want to do is lay down, but then I just seize up even more. I stretch and warm up before CrossFit and field hockey but I often don't have time to stretch after either - rushing home or to an appointment. My knees hurt when I squat down to get something from a low cupboard. I feel like an 80 year old sometimes - shuffling along until I loosen up. Is there a supplement I could take to help with this? Would massage help? Do I just need to suck it up and get used to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 1) Try cutting out one training session a week. You honestly might just be overtraining. 2) For muscles I've found that including plenty of foods rich in potassium and magnesium is helpful. 3) For joints and tendons I take glucosamine (ortho doc recommended). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I had to switch to lower impact. I was hurting all the time. That helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 So, no active recovery or rest days during the week? I'd say that's your issue. lol I'm surprised (or not) that the Cross Fit folks haven't pushed that since it's an intense workout. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 When I saw this, I assumed you were a new exerciser, but training with Crossfit since October does not make you new. Crossfit is notorious for encouraging overtraining to the point of injury. Listen, I looove DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). I swear I do. I love that little twinge in my butt or my abs that reminds me that I worked out hard yesterday and I have more to look forward to today. But, you shouldn't be sore every single day and it shouldn't be anything more than a slight soreness. It should be something you can get rid of with a couple of motrin and/or a warm shower. And you shouldn't NEED the motrin to function, it should be a convenience, not a necessity. And the knee pain.... you are stressing them out. If your knees have gone from no pain when squatting to pain then something has to change. You need to rest them, cut back on impact and look at what you are doing that might be causing the pain. But, definitely give them a rest. My sons are ballet dancers and knees are very important and get discussed a lot. You can't exercise more to make your knees feel better. Even when you aren't exercising you need to consider your shoe choices etc to baby your knees until they feel better. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I do epsom salt baths. The magnesium seems to help. And when I did P90X, I would half the recipe below and never got sore once! Choco-Banana Post Workout Shake 1 frozen ripe banana, chunked 1 cup water 1 6 oz chocolate or strawberry yogurt(full sugar) - I also enjoyed blueberry or peach 1 scoop quality whey protein(I use unflavored) 1 tbsp pure cocoa powder Mix in a blender and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 My schedule is CrossFit is Mon., Tues., Thurs., Friday. Field Hockey is Tues., the occasional Fri. and/or Sat., and Sundays (just started yesterday). To clarify, I'm a goalie and don't do any running during games. It's 5-10yd sprints, side to side movements, and up and down - a lot more of a cardio workout in an HIIT kind of way. I can easily burn 800-1000 calories during a 1.5-2 hr practice or series of games. I didn't start CF and FH at the same time. The various field hockey practices/games I go to got added in gradually, but it feels like too much now. I just have so much fun playing, and I have time now that my kids are older, that I want to play as much as possible. I was thinking of taking a supplement such as glucosamine for joint pain. The joint pain (knees primarily) started about a couple of years ago, long before I started CrossFit. It may be exacerbated by it, but definitely not caused by it. That's why I think a supplement will help with it overall. I have a 1:1 meeting with my CrossFit coach on Friday afternoon and it is definitely something I will bring up. He is very attentive to injuries and has modified my workouts based on an old shoulder injury and some knee pain I was having when learning to do squats.. During our workouts he asks each person multiple times if anything is hurting, how does this feel on your back/knee/shoulder/ankle, etc. It was one of my key concerns when joining a CrossFit gym and something we discussed extensively before I joined. Interestingly, my knees do not hurt at all while doing either CrossFit or field hockey, just afterwards. Currently, I'm leaning towards skipping the Tuesday and Friday workouts if I have field hockey on those nights. But, I fear that if I get out of my routine I will have a hard time getting back to it once field hockey training sessions are over the end of February. I am notorious for that - once the routine has been interfered with, I have a very hard time re-establishing it. Thanks for all your advice. I 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I feel you, I have a tendency to push too hard at times just because I get excited about doing fun stuff but I've also had to pull back at times b/c I end up sore too much and sooner or later I crash or get injured. So either I cut back frequency or intensity and sometimes both for a bit. Otherwise, magnesium & electrolyte mixes do help w/ soreness and I try to drink them at least every day I workout. Don't forget to have some recovery weeks, where my only workouts are lower key. I'm just 37 but I've already noticed that I need to pay more attention to recovery and injury prevention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I like your idea of cutting out CF on the days you do field hockey. I'd keep this up for the field hockey season, and then gradually add back in the CF work-outs at the end of the season. Give it a try for a few weeks and see how your body responds. I'm really impressed with your stretching routine, too! Good for you! Just keep listening to your body. It's normal to have some soreness when you exercise with the intensity you're doing. You have to be careful about exercising through pain. If the pain gets worse with exercise, you definitely need to ease up. Another idea may be to go light on the lower body work-out in CF on the day after a field hockey game. Focus on the upper body for these days. Do lower body work a day or 2 after hockey. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 For the "routine" issue, could you go somewhere else for a much milder exercise at the same time? Like, go to the park and gently walk as long as you would have done crossfit? Or lock yourself in a private room and do a gentle yoga video? That way you'd keep yourself in the "This time is MY TIME for exercise" mindset but not beat up your body as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I'm glad you posted this. Not glad you have soreness, but I had some insane soreness and I wondered if it was normal or what. I guess I find it all rather discouraging because despite my best efforts I get sore often. And I'm not pushing it as hard as you are. For one thing I've never been athletic. Now, I do have some other issues with my health that MIGHT be part of the problem, but I can't tell. I don't know what amount of soreness is par for the course. And I also cannot just take something for the pain so I pay attention to not doing stuff that will make me VERY sore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I just want to clairify, when I say that you can't exercise more to make your knees feel better, I am meaning someone who is in at least average acceptable shape and healthy. Someone once said about why their knees hurt, "your knees always know how much you weight'. In his case he COULD exercise for less knee pain, but that was because he'd put on 40+ lbs and it was too much for his health. He needed to lose the weight to help his knees. But he lost that mainly through dietary changes. The exercise was for health and fitness. And he didn't just help his knees by losing that weight, obviously. It's just that his knees had sent out an SOS and he could no longer ignore the weight gain. But for someone who is in 'good enough' shape who finds their exercise routing is taking it's toll on knees, doing more of the same, or the same amount of the same, won't make the knees better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I just want to clairify, when I say that you can't exercise more to make your knees feel better, I am meaning someone who is in at least average acceptable shape and healthy. Someone once said about why their knees hurt, "your knees always know how much you weight'. In his case he COULD exercise for less knee pain, but that was because he'd put on 40+ lbs and it was too much for his health. He needed to lose the weight to help his knees. But he lost that mainly through dietary changes. The exercise was for health and fitness. And he didn't just help his knees by losing that weight, obviously. It's just that his knees had sent out an SOS and he could no longer ignore the weight gain. But for someone who is in 'good enough' shape who finds their exercise routing is taking it's toll on knees, doing more of the same, or the same amount of the same, won't make the knees better. Good point. I also so far lost 15 pounds so that may also be why my body is killing me less. It's hard to say, but at least my body is hurting less! (15 might not seem like tons, but I'm barely over 5 ft tall so it's a decent amount for me) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 What everyone else already said. Before you added in hockey, your body was getting two long breaks in which to repair tissue/build muscle/store energy. Now it's not. And, as a goalie, it seems most of your work is in your legs those days, so they're getting targeted especially. I'd theorize that their inability to fully heal between workouts would affect your knee stability. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 you're probably doing too much too fast. do you do adequate stretching? also, magnesium, etc. high cortisol can cause muscle pain too, and doing a lot more than your body is used to will raise your cortisol levels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I'm glad you posted this. Not glad you have soreness, but I had some insane soreness and I wondered if it was normal or what. I guess I find it all rather discouraging because despite my best efforts I get sore often. And I'm not pushing it as hard as you are. For one thing I've never been athletic. Now, I do have some other issues with my health that MIGHT be part of the problem, but I can't tell. I don't know what amount of soreness is par for the course. And I also cannot just take something for the pain so I pay attention to not doing stuff that will make me VERY sore. Another issue could be mag levels, I know from what you said before that was a concern. I was having a lot of intense soreness, part of it as I said was I had to back off, another was thyroid related I believe. I get some soreness these days but not generally so much it greatly impedes basic activity several days of week. I'll have an odd day here or there where I'm really sore but not all the time. I think if it continues at that level for long term that is a concern that something is off, especially for someone who is not new to working out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Another issue could be mag levels, I know from what you said before that was a concern. I was having a lot of intense soreness, part of it as I said was I had to back off, another was thyroid related I believe. I get some soreness these days but not generally so much it greatly impedes basic activity several days of week. I'll have an odd day here or there where I'm really sore but not all the time. I think if it continues at that level for long term that is a concern that something is off, especially for someone who is not new to working out. I finally found a doctor who is testing me for it!!!! Yay!! This Thursday. And it was HIS IDEA!! See, I'm not crazy! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I finally found a doctor who is testing me for it!!!! Yay!! This Thursday. And it was HIS IDEA!! See, I'm not crazy! You'll have update us. I hope you are off it right now, IIRC that is one that it is better to be off of before the test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Drink more water and you HAVE to stretch/cool down after working out. Those two things are major contributors to soreness. So looks like your rest day is Wed for sure. I'd try to get in another rest day in the week. So if you play a game on the weekend try to cut a workout sometime else during the week. Think about the body in three parts: upper, core, lower. You want at least 24 hours of rest for the body part you worked. So on days you do FH which is lower body mostly then the next day do upper body or core for CF to give legs a rest. As for knees you can do certain stretches/exercises to strengthen them. I did and it made a difference. I got a list from my doctor and I bought a few books on how to strengthen knees. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 You'll have update us. I hope you are off it right now, IIRC that is one that it is better to be off of before the test. I had some issues trying to take it so nope I have not taken it in over a month. I don't even take a multivitamin. I have made some efforts to eat more foods with magnesium. But I figure if that helped then I'm good. If they find a problem then it has to be a problem with absorption because I'm eating a good diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 Thank you everyone. I appreciate all your advice. I definitely have Wed and Saturday off this week. I did take an aleve yesterday afternoon and felt better, but I certainly don't want to do that everyday. I have a list of things to talk to my CF coach with on Friday, and I'm adding magnesium and electrolytes to the list to help deal with the soreness, as well as taking another day off when my schedule is field hockey heavy. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderchica Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 I would focus on getting a good stretch after exercise. You need to make time for it as part of your workout. Stretching cold muscles before workouts don't make much of a difference. You'll see much more benefit from stretching for 10 minutes after consistently- when your muscles are warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Just wanted to post this video in case anyone wanted to watch it. It is about taking rest days and how to tell if you are over training Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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