Well, I hurt my hip. Or my hamstring. One of those. And guess how I did it? LUNGES. I’m so annoyed- I mean isn’t the whole point of strength training to PREVENT injuries??? Here’s how the whole sorry week went down… (Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown!)
Sunday
Here’s where it happened. I did a lower body strength workout including lunges, and in the last set I felt something a little… funny… in my left hip. Nothing too concerning though. Afterwards I went for a 40 minute walk, and everything felt okay.
Monday
Top of the morning! I can’t WAIT to run! Hey, that’s funny. My left hip feels strange. I made it through 4 miles with a bit of discomfort.
HOWEVER. I sat down to eat breakfast, and when I stood up my hip felt horrible- SO stiff and sore. Yikes.
Later in the day I did Adriene’s yoga for low back pain. Everything was normal until I tried to stretch my left hamstring- OUCH. That’s where the issue is.
Tuesday
Time to hit the gym! I got on the bike for 20 minutes, and tried not to dwell on the fact that if I just hadn’t done lunges on Sunday, I would be running on a trail instead of pedaling to nowhere. I followed my angry bike ride with a great upper body strength workout though.
Later in the afternoon I walked for 40 minutes- motion is lotion, right?- and did yoga again. Hamstring is feeling a bit better.
Wednesday
45 minutes on the StairMaster! It’s my “favorite” cardio machine- not while I’m doing it, obviously, but afterwards it gives me endorphins that are the next best thing to running.
At night- more yoga, and I can now stretch my hamstring fully. Hooray! It’s all healed!
Thursday
Nope. I went for a run and made it 2 miles- it wasn’t that I had to stop because it was painful, but rather I chose to stop because the level of discomfort was telling me I shouldn’t be running. I walked the last mile home, and because I was upset I totally forgot to take a photo.
At night- hip mobility and stretching. It’s weird- when I’m running I feel it in my hip, but I can do all my hip exercises without pain. It’s my hamstring that’s very sore.
Friday
Sigh. Back to the gym! This time I did 50 minutes on the Stair Master…
… and a shoulder workout. My hip/hamstring may not be cooperating, but I WILL have toned shoulders for the wedding!
Later- more hip mobility and stretching.
Saturday
40 minute walk. Whenever I can’t run, I try to alternate walking (for mental health, I want to be outside moving forward) and StairMaster, to give me a more intense cardio workout. I also did some bodyweight strength for my lower body, just to see how things felt. Everything felt good, although I obviously didn’t do lunges BECAUSE I’M NEVER DOING LUNGES AGAIN AS LONG AS I LIVE.
Sunday
On tap for the day- SIGH. I guess it’s back to the gym for the StairMaster! And more upper body strength. I’m not going to try running again until everything feels 100%.
How was your week? What’s your “favorite” type of cross training?
Top photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash
27 Responses
So sorry, Jenny! I would do the same: walk outside and go to Bodypump classes (a strength training class).
I would also go mountain biking, which can give you a lot of cardio – however, I think in Florida that would be more like road biking. Is biking something that you like and is doable?
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Thanks, Catrina! Yes, in South Florida it would be very flat road biking. I don’t like it, and I’m always afraid I’m going to be hit by a car. So, that answer to that is no, lol.
sorry to hear that Jenny. lounges could be tricky if the form is not perfect.
I do yoga and walking when I can’t run. last week I also got a big of a injury scare, my knees. but then figured out that it was my shoe, the sole is quite gone on one side, at least 1 mm of difference thus irritated my knee. once i changed to a new pair, I’m good again.
The irony is that I was really working on my form- I had dropped the weight down and was going slower to make sure I was doing everything right. And this is my reward, HA!
Glad your knees are good and that it was an easy fix.
I’m so sorry to hear about all the things… and I’ve been right there with you recently. After my big hike a few weeks ago, my hamstring was rebelling and my knee had tendinitis, and well…I took 10 days off running and did some crosstraining. So far so good. Interestingly, as soon as I started running again, the knees started talking to me. We’ll see how things go…
Hang in there, my friend…
Thank you Wendy! Yes it’s hard but I think a little time off is what I need. Grr. I have to remind myself that I’ve been here before and everything heals up. Eventually.
Ugh. I’m so sorry. Interesting on the hamstring connection. My left hammy is still weak, but I’m pretty sure my left hip is angry all on it’s own. I can do most hip exercises without a whisper, but there’s one that burns, so whatever that one activates is where my issue is.
It’s great that you can still do the stairmaster — and that you like it!
Your arms will slay at the wedding!
Ha ha… yes, arms! Must keep my eye on the prize! That hip/hamstring area is so complicated… sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s really going on. I’m glad you’re at least able to identify the issue- that’s the first step!
That stinks, Jenny! lunges are the worst! I really hope that all of the work you’ve been doing to rehabilitate the hip/hamstring gets you back to regular running soon.
Thank you Suzanne! I’m going to get a tshirt that says “Down With Lunges.”
Oh no!! I’m sorry about your hip/hamstring. Good idea to take it easy if you can. Sounds like you have a lot of another activity that can keep you busy. I hope your hip feels better soon and you’re back to normal!
Thank you Melissa! Yes, I’m lucky I have other things to do, and that I CAN do them. I’ve had injuries where I couldn’t walk or do Stairmaster, and that’s really no fun.
Oh what a bummer!
That hamstring can be tricky for sure. Interesting that the stair master does not both it-hmm. I hope a few more days of laying low will do the trick. Hang in there
Yes, I think it’s because the motion that hurts it is bringing my leg forward, which you don’t really do on the Stairmaster. A few more days is my hopeful recovery schedule!
Ugh! That really stinks. That is kind a trouble spot that has caused issues in the past if I am remembering correctly? I hope it heals very soon!!
But wow I am impressed that you can do the stair master for 45-50 minutes. I would lose my freaking mind!!!
YES. You have a good memory. This exact hamstring gave me a lot of trouble for months and months, and the way it finally got better is that I stopped doing lunges, split squats, deadlifts…. anything that puts stress on the muscle like that. WHY did I go back to these things??? WHY? For some reason I thought I “should” be doing lungs. Well… live and learn.
I’m so sorry about your hip/hamstring! I kind of side eye lunges now too because 5 years ago, I hurt my ankle while doing them and ended up with peroneal tendonitis. Well, obviously not just from the lunges but that’s what aggravated it and I had to start PT and cut back running for awhile until it healed. But now I kind of hate lunges because of it!
It’s nice you have access to a Stairmaster though! I wish I had one at my apartment gym. The bike is boring and my gait always feels a little weird on the treadmill so I usually do the elliptical but the Stairmaster seems like a better cardio option.
I’m still not doing as much running as I would like but I did get a really good long run in the mountains yesterday that gave me more confidence for my upcoming race. I think I’m gonna focus more on getting in elevation gain and time on feet for this race vs mileage since it’s a timed race and has a lot of climbing/descending!
Ugh, what the heck? I agree, doing all the things to strength our bodies should not backfire and cause issues! Well, at least that’s the idea. I’m sorry you’re having these issues. But yes, you can still work on sculpting those arms. And, when the wedding crazies start to come out, go for a hearty walk 😉 Do you have a countdown calendar on your phone, or announce to your family every day what the number is??
Good job on 45 mins of stair climbing. I think I did it for 10 mins once. I was pretty proud of myself. haha! I tend to trip on it. So clutzy.
Oh I hope the hip/hamstring ailment is nothing serious or nagging. I’m guessing something is strained. Hopefully it’ll heal quickly. The Stairmaster is my fave as well. I wish I had one in the Pain Cave. I think the ceiling is too low though!
Frickin’ lunges. So overrated. I’d come to the conclusion that there was something about them that wasn’t sitting right with my body, so for the longest time I only did 6 reps per set so that I could really focus on form. It’s only been recently that I was finally able to do 10 reps in a set.
Anyhoo, this too shall pass and you will soon be out of “Stair Master Jail” and back to running!
Oh no, Jenny, I’m so sorry to hear about your lungeing injury. I hope it’s nothing big and you’ll feel better in no time. In the meantime, keep those arms and shoulders going – they’re going to look gorgeous in your gown for the wedding!
UGH, I’m sorry that you injured yourself doing lunges! Damn it! I hope you’re feeling better SOON.
I’ve mentioned here before that my legs have been hurting at night, and not always after exercising, which seems weird to me. Well, I read about gluteal tendinopathy, which becomes more common after menopause. WHY? I watched a physio therapist talking about it on YouTube, and she said something about how when we lose so much estrogen, our tendons become more susceptible to injury. And then I watched a video about what exercises to do and which to avoid, and all of my hip opening yoga stretches were on the avoid list. CRAP. Not for always, but until it improves. So frustrating. I swear, when I was young and I thought menopause just meant no more periods, I said, BRING IT ON, but now that it feels like it’s causing so many problems, I’m SICK AND TIRED OF IT. I don’t know that your issue is in anyway related to a lack of estrogen or not. Heck, I don’t know if mine is – I haven’t been to a doctor or anything, just self diagnosing at home.
Oh, that’s a bummer! I really struggle with lunges myself. They really challenge my balancing skills (which are pathetic, BTW). I hope things heal and you’re feeling better soon. YOU proabably know I have several cardio options when running needsa breather (elliptical, stairway, road bike and spin bike).
Oh man, I hate that. You’re doing ALL THE THINGS to stay mobile and flexible and then your body throws a curveball like that… and can’t even decide if it wants to be healed or not. I hope this is not lingering!
Aaargh, I’m so sorry about your hamstring!!!! Hope it feels better asap! It seems to be improving so that’s a good sign.
You have a good attitude about it and sounds like you’re doing all the right things with moving, stretching and doing upper body. And, angry is a good foundation for a good workout! 🙂 Smash those lateral raises in the meantime while your hamstring heals!
Why are human bodies like this? I feel like our bodies should be made of tougher stuff!
SEE!!! Lunges are the worst!
I’m so sorry. That stinks. And you’re right: we try to do things that are good for us and they end up betraying us. No, thank you!
You are going to be gorgeous at the wedding. i can’t wait to see pictures of you all dressed up and stunning!
I hope you are all healed up soon!