Last week I grabbed some 8lb weights and started doing walking lunges around the basketball court. I got a little over 1/2 way before I started losing proper form since my legs were tiring. I was happy with myself b/c I could really feel the burn in my legs. WELL.....The next morning I could barely get out of bed! For the next 3 days I was extremely sore, I could stand and be fine or I could sit and be fine, but transitioning from sitting to standing or vice versa was defientely a chore. Since Im not sore today I thought I would go back and do walking lunges again with 5lb weights instead. I didnt even make it 1/2 way, I guess you dont really realize if a muscle is still sore until you go to use it again.
Im hoping these will help lift my butt and tone my hips/thighs. Im also doing the circuit training as well.
That sounds normal! Painful, but normal, sorry to say! Be careful doing down any stairs as well, bc it will feel like your legs are going to give out on you at any moment! It does amaze me how you can actually feel LESS strong the second day you lift than on your first day back after a long time. That's pretty normal too, from my experience. But walking lunges are one of the hardest moves, so kudos to you for even getting half way around the court!
I know the feeling about starting out strong, then feeling weaker! Last week was my first time back into lifting weights in months. Monday, I felt strong! Wednesday, it was a little harder. Friday, the whole workout was a LOT harder! I was sore and shaky.
Don't give up, though! Lunges are great exercises!
The end result of walking lunges, or any for that matter, are amazing. The process is grueling, but once you see results, you won't regret doing a single one.
I did feel like my legs were going to give out when I was walking down the stairs from the gym and in heels no less!
I think Im only going to be able to do the lunges once a week though. Im trying to build up for a complete lap around the gym. Maybe I should start off with no weights then work myself up.
I just dont get how we feel so much weaker too, I think that the next few days you should feel stronger b/c you were working the muscle.
I also have been doing ab work on the court. I have been doing at least 20 crunches with my knees up to make sure my low back stays on the mat. I also do lower abs and obliques. Today I did 2 set of the 20 crunches, 10 for the obliques (touching my elbow to knee) and I put a 5lb weight between my feet and was holding it the entire time and then started doing leg lifts, now it was extremely hard to keep my low back on the mat then, but I got 10 correct ones done and I was FEELING IT!
The process is grueling, but once you see results, you won't regret doing a single one.
Speak for yourself. Of course, my "result" is falling over. I can do all variations of squats, I can do rear lunges, I can do side lunges, I can do everything.... except front lunges of any kind, still.
I'm trying to build up for a complete lap around the gym. Maybe I should start off with no weights then work myself up.
Even unweighted, walking lunges are challenging. They are definitely an exercise that you need to work into. Try doing an unweighted lap, or alternating 15 lunge steps with 15 regular steps then start changing the ratio as you get stronger.
It's funny: walking lunges are outlawed in all of my university's gyms. Not sure if this is a concern about space or if some administrator somewhere is convinced that walking lunges are dangerous to the lunger. (Not to be confused with plunger.)
Speaking of leg exercises -- I added a few 10 pounds to my sumo-style deadlift weight this morning. I can already tell that stairs are going to be a challenge for the next couple of days. (Wouldn't it be great if there was a a little animated icon of a yellow dot with jelly legs? Maybe she could even fall down some stairs...)
Walking lunges
Of course, my "result" is falling over. 
I can do all variations of squats, I can do rear lunges, I can do side lunges, I can do everything.... except front lunges of any kind, still. 
(Wouldn't it be great if there was a a little animated icon of a yellow dot with jelly legs? Maybe she could even fall down some stairs...)