Help! My hip flexors!!?
I just started up running again after 6 years of barley any running...my hip flexors are sooo soar right after working out hard, doing 100M in about 22 seconds...(repeats) what can i do to help them?
Answers:
Who is running the Los Angeles Marathon on 3-4-2007?
This is a classic case of too much intensity too soon.First, what is your goal in running?
If you are trying to improve your fitness overall (and possibly lose weight -- many people combine these two into one goal), then starting out by doing a bunch of 100s on a track is not likely to be the best way to go.
Reintroduction-to-running programs for adults usually have you alternate periods of walking with periods of running. So, say, you jog 3-5 minutes comfortably and then walk 2-3 minutes. Do that for 20-25 minutes a few times a week, and then from week to week reduce the time you spend walking and increase the time spent running.
After a while you will build up your aerobic base and your muscle/connective tissue and run farther and more comfortably. You might find you can also start to run a little faster. Only then, when your base has caught up, would most people suggest adding speedwork. You will probably also find you can run faster than 22-second 100s and will be able to do more of them, as well. But at that point you may be better off doing 200s-1600s, if you decide you want to do 5Ks or similar road-racing.
Just be careful with the hip flexors, as they can also suffer from overuse in general. I've strained mine on numerous occasions from insufficient recovery periods between hard runs and too much mileage. They can also get painful if you have a muscular imbalance in the core/legs. So...go easy at first.
Lots of hip flexor stretches. It could be other tight muscles and your hip flexors are compensating so perhaps see an osteo / physio and get their opinion.
People rarely stretch enough. Stretch baby, stretch.
I agree with the prior poster about the importance of stretching, but also be sure to have a proper warm up - espcially before a sprinting session. Warm up gently with some jogging and light strideouts for 10-15 minutes. Then stretch, do a couple of more light strideouts and then hit the "meat" of your workout. After you're finished, cool down with some more light jogging and stretch again.
The stretch I find to work best for my hips is this: Sit on the ground and extend one leg. Bend the other leg at the knee and place the foot of the bent-knee leg on the outside of the knee of the extended leg. Then gently push on the knee and thigh of your bent leg to stretch your hip. Hold for 20-30 seconds for each leg and repeat.
If it's been 6 years since you last ran, don't expect your body to bounce back overnight, either. Take it easy and gently at first and give your connective tissue a chance to strengthen itself.
just make sure ur warmed up properly, do 2 or 3 laps of the track slowly. then lots of gentle stretches, esp concentrating on ur hip flexors. then do some drills like running with high knees, & doing butt kicks etc. if the problem persists u shd see a (sports) physio who shd be able to loosen it up for u
Well the best way to stop ur hip-flexors from being sore is to stop those workouts. haha. No, but seriously it sounds like those 100 repeats are a little intense for you right now. Im not exactly sure of what your goals are but you need to build a base first. Even if you are jus trying to get in shape this is the way to go. Aerobic baby! Base running is running aerobically which means 20mins or more of jogging at a time. It all depends on your fitness but you can start off going by time and then work your way up to counting by miles. You can do this for as long as you want but how long you do this depends on how much it wil help you. The more base the more your body can handle a 100m repeat workout. Think of it as building a pyriamd. if you have a small base your pyriamd can only be so tall. If you wanna stick to what your doing though the problem still is your not strong enough. You could take it easy on the repeats and slowly build up strength in the weightroom. its essential to not only work your hip-flexors but also other leg muscles. Also remember its always important to stretch and properly warm up and cool down. Hope I helped.
More Questions & Answers...