UGH! Fencing!! Please help!?

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?

Answer 1

Try a warm bath. The pain will stop when your body gets used to the positions. It is sore because you are using muscles you havent used much before.

Answer 2

Use ice on the areas for fifteen to twenty minutes per hour.  If you know someone that could give you a massage that would also help.  Part of the problem is the result of an accumulation of muscle byproducts from the workout.  Elevate your legs and let them drain some of the lactic acid out of the legs.  Surprisingly doing a light workout will also help them.  Until your legs get used to the stress being imparted to them this is going to keep happening.  Active stretching will also help while passive stretching is not going to help.  Active stretching is where you make the muscles work to achieve a stretching position where passive is where you just stretch the muscle by positioning or pulling.  Since you are in college go to the training room and have them set up a program for you.  Ask for an ice whirlpool.  It sounds horrible but it will make your legs feel great.

Answer 3

Soak in Epsom Salt.  Will relieve alot of the pain/swelling.

Answer 4

i had that happen when i first started fencing, three years ago.  i started doing squats and going to the gym more.  i did a lot of exercises for those muscles.  after doing it a few times it wont bother you for so much, and after 2 or three months of fencing you don't notice any pain in

en guard position.

to stop the pain you could try taking a hot bath.  that usually relaxes your muscles, and helps stop the pain.  there are also some pain relievers that work well.

you should try taking a hot bath first; i find that it works the best.