always got tired legs

patombr

hi all ive been riding road and mountain bikes now for some years. however ive started riding with a club but ive always got tired legs and struggle to keep up.
My cycling miles at mo is averaging 80-130 a week but everytime i go out with club im always struggling. Im wondering what im doing wrong and its making me feel like just packing up and just go riding on my own.
Is there a limit on how many miles i should be done, i also go to gym as well.

I would appreciate any advice.

kingrollo

Overtraining IMO.

Back off for a couple of weeks. See my thread 'getting old' - I ploughed on - now I have been off my bies for 3 months with back \ arse injuries

amaferanga

kingrollo wrote:

Overtraining IMO.

Back off for a couple of weeks. See my thread 'getting old' - I ploughed on - now I have been off my bies for 3 months with back \ ars* injuries

Overtraining on 80 miles a week? Doubt it.

To the OP - what's your diet like?

Ringo 68

Might be that you are just not used to the pace being set. When you ride solo you can pick your own pace. If your legs start to feel tired you can ease up for a mile or two but you have not got that option if you want to keep up with a group.

I ride solo the majority of the time but a friend of mine (who is very very fit) took me out to show me a route into North Wales. I had no problem going into Wales as he was probably going very slow for him but he was in a bit of a hurry to get back and I really struggled to hang on to his back wheel and he dropped me twice. My legs were very tired trying to keep up.

danowat

amaferanga wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Overtraining IMO.

Back off for a couple of weeks. See my thread 'getting old' - I ploughed on - now I have been off my bies for 3 months with back \ ars* injuries

Overtraining on 80 miles a week? Doubt it.

To the OP - what's your diet like?

+1, either poor diet / nutrition & hydration and / or general fatigue.

Anonymous

Just not used to the pace I would say.
I feel invincible at my own pace, like an absolute newbie the minute I have to hang on someone elses back wheel!

So long as you're diet isnt atrocious, then its just a fitness issue.

If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, but you'll be hard to beat!

kingrollo

kingrollo wrote:

Overtraining IMO.

Back off for a couple of weeks. See my thread 'getting old' - I ploughed on - now I have been off my bies for 3 months with back \ ars* injuries

Sorry just to clarify - I meant the culmative effects of riding up 130 miles per week - fatigue would have been a better word. I still think the OP needs to take a break - and then do some short ride to feel good about cycling again.

Its only since I have been off the bike I realise what a state a was in. My mileage wasn't high - but my speeds were plumetting - I ignored my back pain - and know realise i was probably cycling with other injuries such as strained hamstrings...............anyway take a break op , come back refreshed. best of luck

RowCycle

I don't buy all this macho crap about can't be overtraining based on amount of training time/mileage.

Sounds like the OP has initial signs of overtraining, even if mild. Could be poor diet, stress, poor sleep, sudden change of training, trying to increase muscle too quickly, increasing training too quickly, training whilst ill...

I'd suggest the OP needs a few weeks off. I say this as someone who (not through cycling) has done this also (twice actually). My advice would be take a few weeks off, maybe a few more, return refreshed.

It's easier to say than do. Even though I know it, hasn't stopped me falling into the trap again.

jonny_trousers

As well as the above, using a foam roller on your leg muscles post ride can really help (or better still, get a sports massage).

Noclue

Could probably do with a bit more infomation, hows your diet? are you vegatarian or vegan for example? how are you sleeping? getting 8 hours a night? How old are you? the older you are the longer your body will take to adapt to new demands placed upon it and recover, how much are you doing in the gym and what, if your doing heavy squats and deadlifts 2-3 times a week then your legs aren't going to get much recovery time.

mouth

Noclue wrote:

Could probably do with a bit more infomation, hows your diet? are you vegatarian or vegan for example? how are you sleeping? getting 8 hours a night? How old are you? the older you are the longer your body will take to adapt to new demands placed upon it and recover, how much are you doing in the gym and what, if your doing heavy squats and deadlifts 2-3 times a week then your legs aren't going to get much recovery time.

^^^ This. The older I get the more I find I need proteins after exercise as well as longer recovery times. As a teenager when I was playing ice/inline hockey I could play a weekend tournament on a mars bar and a can of coke. Nowadays I struggle to play twice a week.

As for your particular problem, if you're squatting/dead lifting 100lb 30 times a week, running ten miles and rowing 3, then it could well be over training. Recovery time for this kinda training is massive.

What do you do for work? If you're sitting behind a desk all day then no effect, but if you're a stores person humping pallets of compost or something, I bet this doesn't help either.

Like it or not, cut back a fair bit on all training for a week or to. Stay off the bike if you can and you will soon renew your love.

jonny_trousers

Another thought based on exercise in general: muscle fibres do need time to repair themselves after exercise and so you really ought to be, if not taking the odd day off, then taking it easy in between your training days. Also, don't forget that your fellow club members have probably been road riding for years and it's a little ambitious of you to think your general level if fitness should allow you to keep pace with them. I've not been riding road bikes for long and those older, heavier, generally less fit, yet more experienced cyclists I've been out with destroy me. It's frustrating, but I'll get there in the end.

patombr

Thankyou for all advice,
I'm 46, I'm a nurse on a busy department, my diet is something of an issue as I never know what's best and potion sizes, I seem to hover around 12st 5, which is a issue as I feel heavy but don't have alot of fat to carry.
My bike is a handbuilt titanium, which is light as.
What I don't understand is that I know people who commute to work every day and still do very well on long rides.
I'm doing something wrong but don't know what!

amaferanga

RowCycle wrote:

I don't buy all this macho crap about can't be overtraining based on amount of training time/mileage.

Might be over-reaching, but its not overtraining. I suggest you go read up on the definition of overtraining and you might realise that no-one is trying to be/sound macho. A bit of fatigue and feeling a little tired is not overtraining.

I very much doubt that 80 miles, which would be about 5 hours a week, of regular riding would lead to overtraining.

sheffsimon

patombr wrote:

Thankyou for all advice,
I'm 46, I'm a nurse on a busy department, my diet is something of an issue as I never know what's best and potion sizes, I seem to hover around 12st 5, which is a issue as I feel heavy but don't have alot of fat to carry.
My bike is a handbuilt titanium, which is light as.
What I don't understand is that I know people who commute to work every day and still do very well on long rides.
I'm doing something wrong but don't know what!

I commute every day, and do a 2-3hr weekend ride. If I have tired legs in the week, its generally if I have had not enough sleep the night before.

12st 5 doesnt seem to be particularly heavy, how tall are you?

Just to be nosey, which club are riding with?

vorsprung

I commute every day and if I do a full week that's 150 miles

If I want to ride at the weekend at full bore I would have the day off riding the day before.
If this isn't possible I would soft pedal the commute, avoiding strong accelerations and the usual brisk pace

I have a reasonable diet and have tried using "recovery" drinks in the past. TBH I found unless I had been riding at a super-tough training pace for the commute these didn't make any difference. Last month I've used a ZMA supplement and this did seem to help recovery

I find it difficult to keep up with club runs. They seem to ride in an odd way (to me) accelerating at the top of climbs instead of the bottom etc etc

Pross

If, as I read the OP, it is only on club rides that the tired legs occur then as others have said it would seem logical it is a result of having to ride harder than you normally do in order to keep up. I'm in exactly the same position - just keep at it and your body will adjust.

If you are getting tired on every ride then look at diet, recovery time etc.

Ultimately, providing you give yourself chance to recover, riding harder will help you overcome the issue. Does the club you ride with have a slower group that you can go out with as this may provide a step up and make the rides more enjoyable?

patombr

Im 5ft 7, i ride with le squadra in sheff, which are a great bunch of lads and always wait and give encouragement.
its just that being behind does get very discouraging. Iv had 5 dys off riding now and so went for a very steady but my legs still feel dreadful. Im going to try and increase my protein to see if that makes any differance.

RoadyForever

I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned looking at your peddling cadence. If it is too low that could be the culprit, try using slower gears and spinning a bit more (you may also find that will make you faster).

You could try limiting each of your rides length/ distance for a few weeks and see if that makes things feel better, then build up slowly from there.

Also, it is worse in a specific area e.g. muscles, knees?

patombr

i suffer with no fire in the thighs, but a very dull ache, theres just nothing in them when trying a up the pace.

My normal diet a day consists of, taost and cereal in morning, sandwichs at dinner and then a meal at tea time, sometimes have cereal for supper.
Im not sure if im eating too much or not enough.

Can i just say i cant eat anything before a ride it gives me stitch.

cheers.

magoo289

Have you reviewed your bike set up? I previously suffered from sore calves. I raised my saddle by nearly 2cms and any stiffness disappeared.

DavidJB

Try drinking a protein shake, always helps me after a mega ride.

kingrollo

patombr wrote:

i suffer with no fire in the thighs, but a very dull ache, theres just nothing in them when trying a up the pace.

My normal diet a day consists of, taost and cereal in morning, sandwichs at dinner and then a meal at tea time, sometimes have cereal for supper.
Im not sure if im eating too much or not enough.

Can i just say i cant eat anything before a ride it gives me stitch.

cheers.

This sounds remarkbly similar to how I felt back in june. What was worse for me - was that I was usually pretty comfortable with the club run - then I just got worse and worse - in the end I stopped and went out on my own - but my average tumbled to barley over 12mph - over 40 miles.

One day - cycling home from work - it was just to painful to sit on the saddle. I stopped cycling - for a while i felt even worse - exhausted and falling asleep all the time. The aches\pain are slowly subsiding - I am not back on the bike yet - but I coming to terms that I was cycling with more than one minory injury. The back problem I knew about - I just cycled on through the twinges - but now 3 months on I fear, that my hamstrings were fatigued, hence why I couldn't get any power.

There is a saying 'listen to your body' - don't think it works that well with cyclists - as we are used to suffering - and maybe our pain threshold is higher than most.

My advice would be ....rest .....if you cant do that maybe a sprts massage may help a little.

the_spooks

Noclue wrote:

Could probably do with a bit more infomation, hows your diet? are you vegatarian or vegan for example? how are you sleeping? getting 8 hours a night? How old are you? the older you are the longer your body will take to adapt to new demands placed upon it and recover, how much are you doing in the gym and what, if your doing heavy squats and deadlifts 2-3 times a week then your legs aren't going to get much recovery time.

Being a vegetarian curious if there is anything I should be doing different to prevent this from happening to me, or is it just the lack of protein potential you are referring to?

mrwibble

Rest and recovery is just as important as training/riding miles. Try some hot baths and just relax in the tub for half an hour after a ride. Foam roller exercises for the legs are also good. If you're 46, you just might be pushing it a bit too much at the moment, back off a little. It may just take you a little longer to get where you want to get to...

with regards to stitch, you need to develop your core strength, its all your organs pushing down on your diaphram while exercising and you are probably going too hard when exercising.

tommo7567

As someone who has just recently got back into cycling (after thirty odd years..!) I see where the OP is coming from.

I am not very good at pacing myself having been a long distance runner whilst in the army/police and always want to push myself too far too fast.

I have to remind myself constantly when on the bike that its more important to complete the distance set for myself within my own agreed time rather than go all out to turn myself into a pro, which is something I accept will not happen at 40!

The body is extraordinarily good at coping with extremes including those of physical endurance, but everyone is different and everyone can train their body if they are prepared to put up with pain that comes from doing so.

What is most important is that when approaching a new sport at an age when most have been doing it for a long time, is to remember not to measure yourself against those around you but to set your own targets and accept that it probably is going to hurt until your body gets used to it.

jonny_trousers

Also, have you considered that you might possibly be gay?

RoadyForever

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Also, have you considered that you might possibly be gay?

And what has that got to do with it?

slowallonian

RoadyForever wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Also, have you considered that you might possibly be gay?

And what has that got to do with it?

Oops. Talk about a proverbial spanner in the works!

Surely MTFU would have been better advice. It's what I need to do!

jonny_trousers

RoadyForever wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Also, have you considered that you might possibly be gay?

And what has that got to do with it?

Oh, it's just something we should all consider from time to time.

merak

No-one yet has asked how your average speed when you ride on your own is different from the average speed of the club run. Maybe nothing is wron with you. Maybe the club run is just too fast for you. There is no right to be able to keep up with any group. Few or none of us can keep up with a pro peloton up the Galibier. Perhaps the pace of the club is too fast for you. In which case, training over the winter and coming back in the spring might get you there. Or perhaps the run is just too fast for you genertically - in which case the only solution is to find another slower run.