Fencing is Heaven and h**l on Earth...?

Question

Hey, so I went to the first meeting of my college's fencing club (for the first time ever, it was sooo fun!), and there they taught us footing, the "on guard" position, retreating, and fencing, and lunging (OH THE LUNGING!) If any of you have fenced before your know you spend most of your time in a squatting-type position, so now today my legs are absolutely killing me...I can't bend them really and it hurts to go up and down stair and even to sit down.

So if any of you guys have been in this predicament, what did you do? And what can you do about sore quads and hamstrings?

I really really love it and I don't want this pain to force me to drop out, will it go away after my muscles get stronger?

Answer 1

Yes, eventually your legs will become much stronger and the pain will be less and less, but in the meantime try this!! Good Luck!

How to Recover from Sore Hamstrings

Solution: Bicycle Leg Swings

Most athletes from any running sport will eventually get sore hamstrings.  Here's a great way to get rid of the soreness.  After warming up, stand balanced or with your hand on a wall, with all your weight on one foot, let's say your left. Flex your hip and raise your right knee up to waist level with your lower leg hanging towards to ground. now extend your right leg in front of you so your leg is parallel to the ground.

Now drop your leg back as if you were on a bicycle until your right leg is behind you, fully extended, to the extent of your backswing.  Then raise your right heel all the way back until it nearly touches your behind. At that point you should feel your sore hamstrings getting worked pretty hard, but it should feel good.  Right when you reach that point, drop your leg back to starting position without touching the ground.  Try doing this exercise very smoothly and in a rhythmic motion. Repeat this entire sequence of actions in a smooth manner such that the hip and leg move though a continuous arc without stopping or pausing. Try doing sets of 10 to 15 for each leg, about one per second or slightly faster.

Work your way up to 1 or 2 sets of 15 and 30 reps, each side, and if you wish to keep going, go up to sets of 45 or 60.  At that point you should be going faster than you started.