# Help- sore quad, rear leg only



## arsenic0

Sounds like you should try moving your back binding into a less negative stance..if your +15/-15 now try +15/-9 or something and see how it feels...it may feel fine just standing there in your house strapped in but going down the mountain is a very different thing


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## Extremo

If its a quad issue it's a strength/stamina issue. Unless your leg is broken or you have a muscle tear.


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## Guest

thanks Arsenic0- I'll try changing the stance and see if that helps. I don't think it's a muscle tear, Extremo. I can run on that leg just fine.


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## bobepfd

It sounds like a fatigue issue to me. I'd say you're relying on your rear leg too much and not evenly distributing your weight. You might be ruddering also instead of truly carving. I find that when I don't carve proper my quads get sore. I'd say focus on your stance and mechanics and see if it helps. Also snowboarding muscles are way different than running muscles I don't care who you are the only way to really train for snowboarding is to snowboard...


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## Technine Icon

bobepfd said:


> It sounds like a fatigue issue to me. I'd say you're relying on your rear leg too much and not evenly distributing your weight. You might be ruddering also instead of truly carving. I find that when I don't carve proper my quads get sore. I'd say focus on your stance and mechanics and see if it helps. Also snowboarding muscles are way different than running muscles I don't care who you are the only way to really train for snowboarding is to snowboard...


Yep. Thats excatly right. You're probably overusing that leg and don't even realize it.


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## Guest

I've got to agree with the above. You're definitely using your back leg to steer too much. I was doing this earlier this season and I would have to take a break halfway down just to rest my leg.

Keep your weight on your front foot and let the board turn for you. Instead of pushing into the ground hard on your back leg just get up on the edge of your board. I focused yesterday on my technique and I went home still fresh and I'm not sore at all today. Its also definitely not conditioning as I'm not in great running shape and have only been on the slopes 4 times this season.


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## baldylox

I concur....second season.... have you recently started exploring steeper terrain?


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## Guest

ngr00 said:


> Also it's not a physical strength thing I don't think. I also run on a regular basis and my thighs and core muscles are pretty strong from that.


I agree with the notion that it is muscle fatigue. This could be remedied by making adjustments to the binding positioning/angle as suggested.

People often make the same assumption the original author makes here. In no way am I challenging the claim that you are physically fit, but keep in mind that being fit for one activity is rarely related to fitness for another activity. Try swimming a mile and tell me how winded you are (if you don't normally swim).

My point is that even a strong quadricep muscle that can bang out a 5k will start to shudder when locked into a -15 rear binding position trying to keep an edge on a gritty, icy black diamond. Sometimes, especially when still adjusting to the speed of riding, the individual doesn't realize how tensed they really are. 

My buddy came riding with me for his first time a month ago. He did pretty well, we even took him down a couple blues. As I would gently transition from edge to edge falling down the hill, he was flexing and working much harder to maneuver and control the board. Part of this is the experience I have that he lacks, and another part is the conditioning of the muscles for that specific sort of movement and load.

If you still experience a similar feeling of fatigue or exhaustion after adjusting into a more comfortable stance, I wouldn't worry much more about it. Really work that leg, and take a break when you can barely stand. Situations like these are also good times to practice riding switch.

I remember a spent a whole day practicing butters and presses. My leg felt like it was experiencing a siezure by the end of the session.


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## Guest

Yep, can very well be muscle fatigue or a combination of that and incorrect technique/binding angles. I remember when I first started I couldn't make it down the mountain because my ankles and calves were too sore. I'm almost always on my tip toes as to not catch an edge and that really built up my calves.


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## markee

Muscle fatigue. I got that quad burn sooo much when I first started boarding and I was in the backseat 24/7 convinced that if I leaned forward I'd die.


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## Guest

*Update on the sore quad, rear leg only issue*

Hey all,

I've been up to the mountain a few times since the original post and thought I'd give everyone an update. The issue appears to be resolved now, with the good advice posted here. The issue turned out that I was leaning back on my rear leg all the time (not consciously) which was causing the premature lost of stamina. I think I started doing the using the rear leg as a rudder and not using "torsional" method to initiate turns as advised by Snowolf. I'm not sure why I started doing this but once I realized what I was doing, I was able to correct the issue. 

Thanks for reading and sharing your advice.

Rich


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## baldylox

Great! Glad to read it!


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## VenomousSVT

i notice the same thing but mine is only when i am practicing buttering... i do great all day, but when i decide to switch it up and work on some stuff I need to practice I realize that leaning on a certain leg a lot will make it cramp something fierce.. i would guess it is from poor posture on the board mainly.


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## Guest

I think it's a technique issue as other's have discussed, i ride +12/-12 and was having this problem on some black runs however as soon as I concentrated on my technique and focused on getting more weight over my leading leg this problem didn't exist. Sloppy technique is harder on your body than proper technique I find


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