Lagree Workouts: Why Your Legs Shake, What It Means, and How to Progress

Why Do My Legs Shake During Lagree?

Leg shaking during Lagree is a common, often desirable, physiological response indicating significant muscle fatigue, intense neuromuscular activation, and the recruitment of deep stabilizing muscles under sustained tension and slow, controlled movement.

The Unique Demands of Lagree

Lagree Fitness, known for its high-intensity, low-impact workouts performed on a Megaformer machine, intentionally pushes muscles to fatigue through a specific set of principles that differ from traditional strength training. Understanding these principles is key to comprehending why your muscles might tremble.

• Time Under Tension (TUT): Lagree emphasizes slow, controlled movements, often taking 4-8 counts for each concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) phase. This extended TUT keeps muscles under constant stress, leading to faster fatigue compared to faster, explosive movements.
• Sustained Muscle Contractions: Many Lagree exercises involve isometric holds (holding a position statically) or very small ranges of motion, keeping the target muscles continuously engaged without rest. This sustained contraction depletes energy stores rapidly.
• Spring Resistance: The Megaformer utilizes a system of springs that provide constant, variable resistance. Unlike free weights, which can offer moments of "rest" at certain points in a lift, spring resistance ensures continuous muscle activation throughout the entire range of motion, challenging muscles eccentrically and concentrically.
• Compound, Full-Body Movements: Lagree exercises are typically compound, engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously, often including core stabilizers. This integrated approach demands coordinated effort from numerous muscles, increasing overall physiological load.

The Physiology of Muscle Shaking (Tremors)

The phenomenon of muscle shaking, or tremors, during intense exercise like Lagree is primarily a neuromuscular response to fatigue and the body's attempt to maintain control under stress.

• Muscle Fatigue and Motor Unit Recruitment:
  • When you begin an exercise, your brain recruits motor units (a motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates) efficiently. Initially, smaller, more fatigue-resistant motor units are activated.
  • As these motor units fatigue, the nervous system begins to recruit larger, less efficient motor units to compensate. These larger units are less precise and tend to fire asynchronously, leading to visible oscillations or "shaking."
  • Fatigue also leads to the depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glycogen, the primary energy sources for muscle contraction, further impairing muscle fiber function.
• Neuromuscular System Overload:
  • Proprioceptive Feedback: Your nervous system constantly receives feedback from proprioceptors (sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints) about your body's position and movement. Under intense, sustained tension, the nervous system works overtime to process this information and make micro-adjustments to maintain stability, leading to "jitters."
  • Stabilizer Muscle Activation: Lagree often places the body in unstable positions, forcing deep core muscles and intrinsic joint stabilizers (e.g., around the hips, knees, and shoulders) to work intensely to maintain form. These smaller, often overlooked muscles can fatigue quickly, contributing to shaking.
  • Neural Drive and Precision: As the nervous system fatigues, the signals sent from the brain to the muscles can become less precise and less synchronized. This "noisy" signal transmission contributes to the involuntary, oscillatory contractions observed as shaking.
• Lactic Acid Accumulation: While not the direct cause of shaking, the accumulation of metabolic byproducts like lactate and hydrogen ions can contribute to muscle fatigue, impacting muscle fiber excitability and contractile force, indirectly exacerbating the neuromuscular tremors.

Is Shaking During Lagree a Good Sign?

For the most part, yes, shaking during Lagree is often an indicator that you are effectively challenging your muscles and pushing them towards adaptation.

• Effective Muscle Engagement: It signifies that your muscles are working hard, reaching a level of fatigue necessary for strength gains and muscle endurance improvements.
• Challenging Your Comfort Zone: Shaking often occurs when you are pushing past your perceived limits, which is crucial for progressive overload and physical development.
• Neuromuscular Adaptation: Consistent exposure to this level of challenge helps improve your body's neuromuscular efficiency, allowing your brain and muscles to communicate more effectively over time, potentially reducing shaking as you get stronger.

When to Pay Attention (and What to Do)

While generally positive, it's important to distinguish between productive muscle fatigue and potentially harmful sensations.

• Pain vs. Fatigue: Differentiate between the "good burn" of muscle fatigue and sharp, acute, or joint pain. If you experience pain, stop the exercise immediately and reassess your form or reduce resistance.
• Loss of Form: If the shaking becomes so intense that you can no longer maintain proper form, it's a sign that your muscles are too fatigued to safely execute the movement. In this case, reduce the resistance, take a brief rest, or modify the exercise. Continuing with poor form increases the risk of injury.
• Hydration and Nutrition: Ensure you are adequately hydrated and fueled before your workout. Electrolyte imbalances and low blood sugar can exacerbate muscle tremors and fatigue.
• Rest and Recovery: Allow sufficient rest days for your muscles to repair and rebuild. Overtraining can lead to persistent fatigue and increased susceptibility to shaking.

How to Manage and Progress

To harness the benefits of shaking and continue progressing in Lagree, consider these strategies:

• Consistency is Key: Regular practice improves your body's neuromuscular efficiency and builds muscle endurance, which can reduce the intensity of shaking over time.
• Listen to Your Body: Don't be afraid to adjust spring resistance up or down based on how your body feels on a given day. The goal is challenge, not exhaustion to the point of injury.
• Prioritize Form: Always choose proper technique over heavier resistance or more repetitions. Good form ensures you are targeting the correct muscles safely.
• Focus on Breathing: Deep, controlled breathing helps deliver oxygen to working muscles and can help manage tension, allowing you to sustain effort longer.

Conclusion: Embrace the Shake (Within Reason)

In summary, the familiar trembling of your legs during a Lagree workout is a potent indicator that your muscles are being effectively challenged at a deep physiological level. It's a sign of intense neuromuscular activation, muscle fatigue, and the recruitment of essential stabilizing muscles. While it can be uncomfortable, for most, it signifies a productive workout pushing your body towards greater strength, endurance, and neuromuscular control. Embrace the shake as a testament to your hard work, but always remain attuned to your body's signals to ensure safe and effective training.