Ask an Expert
JANUARY TOPIC: Chronic Exercise Pain
Tiffany Breeding, Ph.D., CSCS
Fitness and Nutrition Specialist & Author Photo Credit: Johanna Wickham |
OUR EXPERT:
Tiffany Breeding, Ph.D., CSCS. (A.K.A. Dr. Tiff) is the developer of FUEL. SWEAT. SCIENCE., a fully-integrated, personal performance system. This comprehensive program encompasses the essentials of nutrition, training and mental toughness custom built to optimize individual goal success and metabolic needs. Dr. Tiff earned her Ph.D. in health and human performance from Middle Tennessee State. She is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) and Fitness Nutrition Specialist (NASM). Dr. Tiff has provided corporate and executive performance to clients through worksite and employee wellness programming. She has presented at state conferences and workshops for Colorado PERA, Broomfield Soccer Club, Tennessee State Soccer, Nashville Metros Soccer, Baptist Sports Medicine, Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, and TAHPERD. Dr. Tiff has been involved in the youth fitness arena as well. In 2010, she founded, FIZEEK!, a nonprofit youth fitness organization serving as an enhancement partner to Mayor Dean’s Nashville’s After Zone Alliance (NAZA). She also coaches middle soccer and strength and conditioning. |
“I have a problem with the tops of my feet after a workout on the treadmill. When I wake up the next morning, and I first get out of bed, I have pain at the top of my feet. It goes away after I walk around a bit. I’ve noticed that it’s only after a treadmill workout. I walk on the treadmill, but I use the incline feature to get my heart rate up.” ~ Stephanie, NY
Hi Stephanie!
First of all, kudos to you for hitting the gym despite experiencing some frustrating discomfort.
The first question I would ask would be about your shoes. Be sure you are wearing fairly new shoes, and have been to a store that can provide expertise about arch support, sizing and the style of shoe that is going to be best for the type of activity (in your case walking on hills/incline) you are engaging in. The other suggestion I would make would be about your warm-up and stretching routine. While we don’t often think about stretching our feet, our feet have a LOT of tiny muscles and tendons that can get strained and tight just like any other muscle. If you are articulating on your toes when you walk - which is definitely possible going uphill - you could be over-activating some of those tendons and muscles causing them to cramp. A good warm-up and stretching routine might just do the trick.
Until then, keep truckin’!
“I love to bike. I have this problem when I go long distances, though. My neck starts to hurt. I feel like I need to get off the bike and stretch my neck. I ride a bike that’s a cross between a mountain bike and a racer. The handlebars are flat, so I have to bend forward to grip them. I don’t have neck issues with other types of exercise. Any tips to alleviate this?” ~ Beth, VA
Hi Beth,
Rockstar! You’re hitting the mountains and trails. That is no easy track. Needless to say, there is some inevitable wear and tear on the body, especially from a postural standpoint on any type of bike. A mountain bike design, in particular, is not designed for comfort like a road bike would be. The first suggestion I have would be to stay very mindful of the tension in your shoulders and neck when you are on the bike. Use those abdominal muscles to stay engaged rather than your neck and shoulders. It is possible you are exacerbating things by staying in an isometric contraction while you are riding.
I would also suggest that you engage in some consistent strength training and pre-ride stretching for your more dominant shoulder and neck muscles. Despite not having pain in other activities, if you are getting tightness and cramping on the bike, we can assume you are lacking in the strength you need for this activity. Specifically, your trapezius muscles, your deltoids, and don’t forget about the front of your neck and chest…they are all connected! If you do start to feel some discomfort, you might be aware to adjust your posture and positioning throughout the ride until you can get on the other side of things.
“How often should you mix cardio workouts with strength or core workouts during the week?” ~ Lisa NY
Hi Lisa!
This is the million dollar question, but a great one! It really depends on your goals, right?
If you are aiming to gain lean muscle, get stronger and develop additional adaptation to weight training, then you need to dedicate more days to strength and resistance-based conditioning. The more volume (meaning days a week, hours per week, and intensity of the weight used), the more your body will grow and adapt to this type of strength training.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to train your cardiorespiratory system - meaning stressing your heart, your lung capacity and your endurance - then your focus might be loaded more toward cardio training days. Schedule some additional mileage or minutes of cardio activities in this case, such as biking, running, walking, elliptical/stairmill machines.
For someone who is interested in a general, health-focused combination, my recommendation would be to combine both every day. If you are working out 4-5 days a week (also my recommendation), you might combine 20-30 minutes of cardio-type activities, 20 minutes of strength, and a cool down with 10 minutes of stretching and core. This would give you a nice balance of all essential modalities of training.
Set your goals, and let those goals dictate your workout design.
Hi Stephanie!
First of all, kudos to you for hitting the gym despite experiencing some frustrating discomfort.
The first question I would ask would be about your shoes. Be sure you are wearing fairly new shoes, and have been to a store that can provide expertise about arch support, sizing and the style of shoe that is going to be best for the type of activity (in your case walking on hills/incline) you are engaging in. The other suggestion I would make would be about your warm-up and stretching routine. While we don’t often think about stretching our feet, our feet have a LOT of tiny muscles and tendons that can get strained and tight just like any other muscle. If you are articulating on your toes when you walk - which is definitely possible going uphill - you could be over-activating some of those tendons and muscles causing them to cramp. A good warm-up and stretching routine might just do the trick.
Until then, keep truckin’!
“I love to bike. I have this problem when I go long distances, though. My neck starts to hurt. I feel like I need to get off the bike and stretch my neck. I ride a bike that’s a cross between a mountain bike and a racer. The handlebars are flat, so I have to bend forward to grip them. I don’t have neck issues with other types of exercise. Any tips to alleviate this?” ~ Beth, VA
Hi Beth,
Rockstar! You’re hitting the mountains and trails. That is no easy track. Needless to say, there is some inevitable wear and tear on the body, especially from a postural standpoint on any type of bike. A mountain bike design, in particular, is not designed for comfort like a road bike would be. The first suggestion I have would be to stay very mindful of the tension in your shoulders and neck when you are on the bike. Use those abdominal muscles to stay engaged rather than your neck and shoulders. It is possible you are exacerbating things by staying in an isometric contraction while you are riding.
I would also suggest that you engage in some consistent strength training and pre-ride stretching for your more dominant shoulder and neck muscles. Despite not having pain in other activities, if you are getting tightness and cramping on the bike, we can assume you are lacking in the strength you need for this activity. Specifically, your trapezius muscles, your deltoids, and don’t forget about the front of your neck and chest…they are all connected! If you do start to feel some discomfort, you might be aware to adjust your posture and positioning throughout the ride until you can get on the other side of things.
“How often should you mix cardio workouts with strength or core workouts during the week?” ~ Lisa NY
Hi Lisa!
This is the million dollar question, but a great one! It really depends on your goals, right?
If you are aiming to gain lean muscle, get stronger and develop additional adaptation to weight training, then you need to dedicate more days to strength and resistance-based conditioning. The more volume (meaning days a week, hours per week, and intensity of the weight used), the more your body will grow and adapt to this type of strength training.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to train your cardiorespiratory system - meaning stressing your heart, your lung capacity and your endurance - then your focus might be loaded more toward cardio training days. Schedule some additional mileage or minutes of cardio activities in this case, such as biking, running, walking, elliptical/stairmill machines.
For someone who is interested in a general, health-focused combination, my recommendation would be to combine both every day. If you are working out 4-5 days a week (also my recommendation), you might combine 20-30 minutes of cardio-type activities, 20 minutes of strength, and a cool down with 10 minutes of stretching and core. This would give you a nice balance of all essential modalities of training.
Set your goals, and let those goals dictate your workout design.