How long does it take a muscle to repair?

[speakeasy]

I regularly use the sit-down calf-press at the gym. I can't use the stand up version because of a lower back issue. I usually push out 3 sets of about 300lbs with 25-30 reps each. I don't usually feel soreness from it.

Now the previous weekend, I went on a rigorous all day hike in very rugged, mountainous terrain with 2000ft elevation gain. For the next 4 days my calves were so sore it was hard to walk. Going up and down stairs was almost impossible. It's now been 9 days since the hike and only now has all the soreness gone away. I still felt some last night.

So what I'm wondering is why it took so long for the soreness to go away? Did that mean I really damaged the muscle? Most muscle soreness i get from martial arts or the gym goes away within 2 days.

 

[CarlitosWay]

I regularly use the sit-down calf-press at the gym. I can't use the stand up version because of a lower back issue. I usually push out 3 sets of about 300lbs with 25-30 reps each. I don't usually feel soreness from it.

Now the previous weekend, I went on a rigorous all day hike in very rugged, mountainous terrain with 2000ft elevation gain. For the next 4 days my calves were so sore it was hard to walk. Going up and down stairs was almost impossible. It's now been 9 days since the hike and only now has all the soreness gone away. I still felt some last night.

So what I'm wondering is why it took so long for the soreness to go away? Did that mean I really damaged the muscle? Most muscle soreness i get from martial arts or the gym goes away within 2 days.

Think about it most people are in the gym an hour to two hour tops. If you were doing some rigorous hiking for say 6-8 hours. Your muscles are going to be like "WTF? We're not used to this amount of work for so long" thus you're **** stays sore longer. You work out your calves in the gym regularly but I highly doubt you hike a lot. So it was something new, guaranteed to cause DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and just challenged them greatly in a different way.

Wish I could do some hiking, Michigan has jack **** for mountains. we have lakes though!

 

[Alle_Gory]

Maybe they need a little exercise. Do some very light calf work to get some blood pumping through the muscle. Works for me when the soreness kicks in for more than a couple days.

 

[MikeBrown30]

Do you remember how you felt the day after your very first weight training session? Your calves aren't used to that amount of workload, hence why they were sore for so long.

 

[speakeasy]

Now if only I could get a workout like that for my whole upperbody! Maybe I should do my next hike by handstand.

 

[Jitterbug]

Now if only I could get a workout like that for my whole upperbody!

Go whole body:

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/free_online_forum/null/bear_season

 

[Fuglydude]

I'm not a myologist or exercise physiologist, but one can logically infer that muscular recovery is a function of many factors including: nutrient/energy availability, hydration status, anabolic vs. catabolic drive, level of stress imposed on muscle, overall stress level of the body, conditioning of the body to recover from a certain type of stressor, functionality of the motor neurons/NMJ etc. etc.

If you give your body lotsa nutrients, and maintain a nitrogen positive nutrient microenvironment, ensure that you're resting enough and not stressed, and take the appropriate supplements, this will improve your recovery ability. I don't think there's a set length of time whereby it takes muscles to recover.

With the hiking, you probably heavily recruited type I and type IIa muscle fibers... these are the fibers associated w/ prolonged areobic long-term movements such as hiking, jogging, etc. Despite your ability to do heavy calf raises or your MMA, the type/level of stress imposed on your calves was simply something your body hadn't seen before, hence these muscles got beat up! You're probably mostly using type II b muscle fibers for the calve raises. For MMA you're probably using all different muscle fibers to varying degrees, but not beating the crap out of your calves as you did on the hike. Simply put you exposed your body to a stressor that it wasn't used to... hence the several days of soreness and prolonged recovery time.

 

[blinkwatt101]

If soreness is still around 9 days later then either your not eating enough high quality protein or it might be pain your confusing with soreness,in which case you might need to pay the Doc a visit.

Good Luck!

 

[servo1234567]

The calf is actually made up of two different sets of muscles.

Standing exercises (such as hiking or the standing extensions that you have to forego) use the gastrocnemius muscles while the seated version uses the soleus muscles.

This might explain some of the soreness you're experiencing.

 

[mrRuckus]

One of doggcrapp's recommended methods for calf growth is to walk leaning over on an inclined treadmill while up on your toes.

Relate this to your situation however you want.

Oh, and don't relate soreness to whether or not a muscle is recovered.

 

[ATP]

With the hiking, you probably heavily recruited type I and type IIa muscle fibers... these are the fibers associated w/ prolonged areobic long-term movements such as hiking, jogging, etc. Despite your ability to do heavy calf raises or your MMA, the type/level of stress imposed on your calves was simply something your body hadn't seen before, hence these muscles got beat up! You're probably mostly using type II b muscle fibers for the calve raises. For MMA you're probably using all different muscle fibers to varying degrees, but not beating the crap out of your calves as you did on the hike. Simply put you exposed your body to a stressor that it wasn't used to... hence the several days of soreness and prolonged recovery time.

This! Nicely written fugly.


I remember one time where I did very high rep body weight squats (about 100-200) for a few sets. Normally I'd squat once or twice a week but when I woke up I had the worst soreness I've ever had. The obvious reason is the difference in the muscle fibers recruited. Heavy lifting exercises strain the Type IIb as fugly says while the slower red fibres doesn't get recruited much. The soreness I got from this lasted about a week before it went away so your 9 days of soreness is normal imo.

 

[speakeasy]

This! Nicely written fugly.


I remember one time where I did very high rep body weight squats (about 100-200) for a few sets. Normally I'd squat once or twice a week but when I woke up I had the worst soreness I've ever had. The obvious reason is the difference in the muscle fibers recruited. Heavy lifting exercises strain the Type IIb as fugly says while the slower red fibres doesn't get recruited much. The soreness I got from this lasted about a week before it went away so your 9 days of soreness is normal imo.

Interesting, so is there a workout regimen for training the slower red fibers?

 

[mikelangelo11]

Re

It depends on your body/age etc, but normally about 96 hours to a week for me, Train when your muscle is ready not when your scedule says some people say 48 hours maybe if you are on steroids.

 

[mikeyb]

I've never been sore for more than 48 hours, even after 6-hour rides. More likely there was a slight tear or a first degree strain in your calf. But it's also possible you're not getting enough quality protein in your diet.

If you're still "sore", then ice it and use compression socks/tights if you have them.