sore calf muscles - how do you warm up?

chris_bass

Hi

I reccently started cycling to work and noticed a bit of pain in the back of my knee, so i decided it was because i didnt do any stretches before i cycled. so i did the stretches and put my saddle up a bit (i heard that can help with knee pain) and then my calf muscels became really tight and sore for days after cycling. Is there any chance that i may have over stretched them and actually pulled them a bit?
I read (since this) that you shouldnt stretch before your ride and you should just warm up. Does anyone have a good warm up routine or is cycling easy for the first 5-10 mins ok as a warm up!
should i wait until i have no pain in my legs before cycling again or if i take it easy should I be ok?

any help would be great!

xCatch22x

I used to get the same for many years until a mate suggested a few things to try.

1) Standing on the bottom step of the stairs to full extend the calf muscle and then doing a few calf raises.

2) The night before a ride I will include a pinch of salt into my drinks.

3) A banana is a good food to have before a ride.

All of these should help reduce the after effects as the salt and potasium from the banana help to repair the muscle and keep cramping at bay.

PS I also found that my saddle was too high and was contributing to this.

Briggo

Slow/easy cycling up for 5-10 mins is fine as a warmup, if you only recently started cycling again then its just initial muscle pain that will go with more exercise, your muscles arn't used to it.

Dont over-do the exercise, i.e. day after day.

Do some cycling then rest for a day or two depending on when the "tightness" fades, then go again and so on until you slowly build up, I was exactly the same when I started cycling again after several years break.