Fighting the OW!
 

I am getting super sore doing some of the exercises in NROWLFW without any extra weight, like lunges & squats which I have been afraid of because of
my knees. No knee issues, but OW MY A**!!!

So far the advice I have gottne for minimizing the OW! is:

Eat protein right after working out
take ibuprofen right after working out
take ibuprofen when you get up the next morning
do stretches on sore days

Anything else that helps? I don't mind a little soreness but Monday I couldn't sit down on the potty without a yelp. :o

Mow the lawn.

I don't have a lawn, even if I did I couldn't because of allergies.

Time? :p For what it's worth, my legs also got insanely sore when I first started doing squats and lunges, after a lifetime of inactivity. Me going down the stairs: "Oof! Oof! Oof! Oof! etc" But I was only that sore one time; the next time I did squats/lunges (8 days later :) ), I was much less sore. So once this passes, maybe you won't face this level of soreness again.

More helpfully, I find that a nice slow stroll, or any low-level activity that keeps the legs moving, helps temporarily.

ibuprofen? Seriously? Drugging up so you can get healthy sounds like a weird concept to me!

Muscles that are sore are retaining water to try to heal themselves from the microscopic tears they got during your workout. This is how they "build" themselves. The best way to ease the pain is to use the muscles again. Get some blood flowing in there, some heat, some nutrients. Stretching might not do it. A bike ride or something low impact might.

And don't worry! The next time you do the same exercise, you'll be less sore, until eventually it won't hurt at all. Then you'll have to look for something more challenging! :dizzy:

Second what Goodforme says. Some steady state cardio/movement like cycling, walking (a nod to the lawnmower :goodvibes: is spot on.

Another suggestion is to foam roll the affected areas. When we create these microtears, knots or adhesions in the muscle form which inhibit the muscle from its previous striation/length. Foam rolling these knots on a frequent basis (daily before and after a workout) help to realign the muscle fibers back into their natural state. This is important to do even when you are not feeling the pain. But non the less helps a little while you are suffering too. Do this, along with drinking a lot of water.

This will improve. Soon you'll move from bodyweight movements to a little bit of weight and then you'll experience it again until you adapt once again. It's a process. Kind of like "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" Not pain mind you....joint paint is different. But a little discomfort once in a while in the muscle to challenge yourself into the next level. :hug:

Oh, you can find some excellent foam rolling techniques on Youtube. Eric Cressey has some good vids for this.

Lydia basically said exactly what I was going to say.

A massage after working out followed by lots of water. The foam roll would be essentially a self massage.

Originally Posted by josey:
ibuprofen? Seriously? Drugging up so you can get healthy sounds like a weird concept to me!

Ibuprofen is very commonly part of a well-rounded physical therapy prescription. I don't know about the OP's situation, but sometimes pain is due to inflammation of the joints. It's not so much used to dull the pain and "drug you up," but to ease the unhealthy situation of the joint. I have conditions in my knees and right hip which cause them to be inflamed easily after exercising and have to take ibuprofen whenever they undergo stress as part of my PT.

Originally Posted by josey:
ibuprofen? Seriously? Drugging up so you can get healthy sounds like a weird concept to me!

Well, I guess I shouldn't suggest a shot of tequila and a hit of pot then. :D