Why do your upper legs get a tingling sensation after stopping light to heavy exercise?

Unfortunately there are many possible answers to this question. One possibility could be that the nerves which exit from your lumbar vertebrae may be irritated from misalignment's in your spine which are causing radiating effects to your lower extremities. Physical exertion may only provide temporary relief of these symptoms, so when your body is in a state of rest the tissues supporting your spine can shorten, thereby causing your reticular symptoms to appear. See your chiropractor and have x-rays performed on your lumbar spine. Another reason could simply be you were out of shape and not using those muscles. When I first started going to the gym and did resistant training my upper legs tingled and I could hardly walk the next day. LOL That was a sure sign I needed to keep up with my exercising techniques.