How Long Does It Take Until the Legs Become Less Fatigued With Exercise?

When you first start exercising, your legs get fatigued relatively easily. With proper motivation and hard work, you can begin to see that your fatigue lessens over time. Your legs take longer to get tired because they are more fit than they were before; they can handle more exercise. This begins after a few weeks of working out and continues until you hit a plateau, which means that your legs will no longer become tired and sore easily. Once you hit a plateau, you need to amp up your routine to continue moving forward in your quest for fitness.

  1. The Starting Point

    • When you are first beginning an exercise routine, take it slow to prevent your legs from becoming overly fatigued. Speak with a physician before beginning a workout routine, especially if you are over the age of 45, overweight or in poor health. Your legs will become tired and sore after 10 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise at first. If you perform vigorous-intensity cardio exercise right away, you run the risk of injury from pulled or strained muscles. According to the College of Sports Medicine, if you feel pain or fatigue during your workout, you should stop and rest. Remember to rest for 24 hours between workouts for the first few weeks to give your legs a chance to repair themselves. Use weights that feel challenging but do not cause you any pain when you are starting out. Do one to three sets of 8 to 16 repetitions of each exercise.

    In The Groove

    • After you have been working out for a few weeks, you should notice that your legs take longer to become fatigued. You should also be capable of lifting weights without experiencing as much muscle soreness as you did at first. Gradually begin increasing the amount of weight you lift with your legs each session. Enjoy this time in your workouts and congratulate yourself, as you are beginning to get fit. It should take between 20 and 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio for your legs to become fatigued once you have gotten into the groove of working out regularly.

    Plateau Time

    • After a few months to one year of regular exercise, your legs will stop getting fatigued when you perform your normal exercise routine. This means that you have hit a plateau and are no longer gaining in strength when you work out. You don't want to become overly tired when you work out, but you want to know that you are making a difference in your body and health. When this plateau happens, you want to vary your routine. Make sure that you are not overtraining, change the intensity of your workout and make sure that you warm up every time you work out.

    Avoid Fatigue

    • While some muscle fatigue in your legs is unavoidable, if you want to gain strength and fitness, there are things you can do to limit it as much as possible. Make sure that you drink plenty of water before, during and after your workouts. Eat a diet rich in the nutrients that your body needs to be healthy. Make sure that you snack a few hours before you exercise and one hour after you exercise for extra energy and muscle repair. Get enough aerobic exercise on a regular basis; strength training makes you strong but does not improve your endurance as well as cardio does.