Day to Day Recovery

charliew87

Hi all

I'm fairly new to all this...

Went out for 25 miles on Saturday, and used Strava for the first time. Logged on when I got home, saw how woefully I had performed on some segments and planned to go smash my times on Sunday. I was planning on going out for 40 miles or so on Sunday, but within a mile of starting my legs were already dead and clearly hadn't recovered from Saturday. Managaed another 25 miler but had no energy in my legs at all.

What is recommended in terms of basic recovery techniques to help with this? Stretching etc? Or am I just really unfit?!

Zoomer37

This has always worked for me:

Stretch before the ride (some dont bother, I do)
Warm up the legs further on the bike for the first 10 mins
Take it easy for the last couple of miles
Protein shake
Warm shower
Relax
Sometime go for walk later in the day to ease the legs

Keep in mind though mate (especially if your new to this) your giving your legs a solid work out if your pushing it some, so they will need time to recover.

austin_parratt

Agree with everything said ...! Don't under estimate the power of the protein shake, this has helped me out no end! (Although I suspect a high protein meal would have the same effect, but I think that debate has been done to death!! :-) )

Wrath Rob

Unfortunately its the fitness thing. My routine is something like this:

Eat something light but sustaining like Wheatabix, porridge etc.
Ride a gentle warm up (5-10 mins)
Then stretch. Otherwise you're stretching cold muscles, particularly in the winter
Ride
Post-ride nutrition, ideally within 20 mins of finishing the ride
If you're a pro athlete, take an ice bath to reduce any swelling either in the joints or the muscles. The rest of us have a nice, warm shower instead.
Rest

The last point is the most crucial. If you've just put in a big effort, your body needs time to recover. Going out the next day and trying to put in another big effort increases your chances of injuring yourself. The best way to get fit is to ride more but make sure you give your body the time it needs to recover and repair.

Evil Laugh

Take it easy for the first 5 or 10 miles, let the muscles warm up, spin easy gears. Stretch when you get home when your muscles are warm and elastic.

I nearly always find my legs feel like lead the next day or even after an extended break on a long ride. If you're patient and spin your way out of it you'll soon get in the zone again. Try longer rides at a slower pace too, to build fitness.

SBezza

All the above is good info, but do not neglect your nutrition needs. Eat healthy, and make sure you get enough high quality carbs in to replenish your glycogen stores.

If you are not used to doing rides back to back, especially if you have pushed hard on the first, expect it to be a little bit difficult. As you get fitter, riding hard day to day becomes easier.

nonshy

warm shower or bath after won't really help imo.... you need a cold shower/bath to prevent lactic acid build up.

Alternate in shower between cold and warm which will help flush 'waste' products in the muscles... warm shower will relax you but if won't aid the recovery of muscles.

Protein and carbs after; and rehydrate.

Cool down and stretch also.

If you can afford a massage then this helps immensley... or you can try and convince the other half to give you one!

Sleep is crucial - often undervalued but if you are only getting 5 or 6 hours a night your body will take longer to recover

Bobbinogs

My ten bob's worth is that there is no short cut to building up fitness, whether it is running, footy or cycling. When I was playing footy regularly (back at Uni) I could play 5 times a week without fatigue (or leaden legs) setting in. Now it is the same for cycling. So, if you are new and do a decent ride, stretch afterwards (the general advice nowadays is only light dynamic stretching beforehand if you feel the need to), have a glass of milk or shake, and all that stuff, etc., but don't expect to wake up the next day champing at the bit to do a 100k. Either do a recovery spin or take a day off and come back stronger the day after (remember that you get stronger recovering, not training).

I do find recovery spins useful after a really hard workout, as in, next day I spend ~30 minutes on the turbo with a light setting, decent cadence and just loosen up (if I go out for a ride then I invariable end up hill climbing, chasing down cyclists or going too far).

phreak

There are a few videos on YouTube giving instructions in self massage (ooer misses) and I've found them to be quite good. That as well as all the things previously mentioned of course.

nhoj

I agree with phreak. I self massage and stretch every day. I believe it has relieved my knee pain more quickly than the exercise prescribed by the physiotherapist.

Wrath Rob

A [rul=http://www.amazon.co.uk/66Fit-Elite-Foam-Roller--Blue/dp/B002JJQSOW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321014731&sr=8-2]foam roller[/url] is a great self-massage/recovery tool. Hurts like hell but leaves you feeling much better afterwards.

Monty Dog

Lastest research suggests that static stretching prior to cycling actually slows you down as it disrupts the chemical bonds for the neuro-transmitters - best to leave the stretching as part of your recover. Give yourself 10-15 minutes to warm-up and try and ease off in the last few miles. Eating/drinking e.g. protein shake within 20 minutes of finishing is a big help to speedy recovery. Rather than trying to ride hard back-to-back, try a hard session and then an easy session - going hard all the time doesn't give your body time to recover and could create injury or illness problems if you don't allow enough recovery. There are elite-level riders who can train on 10-12 hours per week - but the training is very structured and intense. You probably need to work on base fitness and endurance rather than hammering it all the time.

flanners1

Can't do the protein shake reeks havoc with my guts....any other ideas for the post ride 20min refuel, apart from my Mocha or latte?

t.m.h.n.e.t

Flanners1 wrote:

Can't do the protein shake reeks havoc with my guts....any other ideas for the post ride 20min refuel, apart from my Mocha or latte?

You aren't going to get anything faster than whey protein mixed with water really. I find it hard to believe you tried all brands of whey, myprotein,bulkpowders and Reflex have all proved worthy to me at least. No gut problems thankfully as I have 3 shakes a day minimum.

sugar and caffeine are not refuelling solutions

Bobbinogs

Flanners1 wrote:

Can't do the protein shake reeks havoc with my guts....any other ideas for the post ride 20min refuel?

I tried a freebie shake and got terrible wind, which put me off them too! Hence, I stick to a pint or two of plain semi-skimmed milk, lovely. A doorstep sarnie with sardines and salad as well if I feel the need for a bit more

golfergmc

I have just done five turbo sessions in the past six days and my legs are dead. Having a rest today as it all begins again tomorrow. I lnow a year ago i could not have done this so as other people are saying it takes time.

flanners1

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Flanners1 wrote:

Can't do the protein shake reeks havoc with my guts....any other ideas for the post ride 20min refuel, apart from my Mocha or latte?

You aren't going to get anything faster than whey protein mixed with water really. I find it hard to believe you tried all brands of whey, myprotein,bulkpowders and Reflex have all proved worthy to me at least. No gut problems thankfully as I have 3 shakes a day minimum.

sugar and caffeine are not refuelling solutions

I get horrendous wind, bad stools, cramps and I have tried most whey based products; even the small amount in Mule bars are enough to do it. Milk/Smoothie's will be the way for me I think.

nhoj

Eggs are probably the best source of protein. Try a couple a day. I was eating 30 a week when weight training. Milk is great too.

t.m.h.n.e.t

nhoj wrote:

Eggs are probably the best source of protein. Try a couple a day. I was eating 30 a week when weight training. Milk is great too.

Eggs in porridge :oops: . Great start to the day,even on a non ride day and plenty of low GI slow release energy goodness to stop your blood sugar spiking.

Parmesan cheese is around 35g protein per 100g
Whole eggs (ea) 10g -13g
Cows milk barely covers 4g
Soybeans 40g
Peanuts 25-40g
Soy protein isolates 80g
Dried egg whites - 79g

Flanners1 wrote:

I get horrendous wind, bad stools, cramps and I have tried most whey based products; even the small amount in Mule bars are enough to do it. Milk/Smoothie's will be the way for me I think.

gas, bloating, cramps, tiredness, weakness, fatigue, headaches, and irritability can also be caused by lactose found in whey protein concentrates and artificial sweeteners. You could try a protein isolate instead which won't have sweeteners added and far lower in lactose. If all else fails there are always pea and rice proteins.

nhoj

Being Scottish, I can't let this stand. Porridge is oats (whole oats, rolled oats or oatmeal) & water or milk all cooked; oats & hot water or milk uncooked is brose; oats & cold water or milk is drammock.

Oats: "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people" - Samuel Johnson.

t.m.h.n.e.t

nhoj wrote:

Being Scottish, I can't let this stand. Porridge is oats (whole oats, rolled oats or oatmeal) & water or milk all cooked; oats & hot water or milk uncooked is brose; oats & cold water or milk is drammock.

Oats: "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people" - Samuel Johnson.

I like this post

StorckSpeed

I'm no expert or Coach but my tuppence worth is as follows -
You need to build up your strength/endurance GRADUALLY.
If I cycled a 25mile TT on Saturday I would, only in exceptional circumstances (ie race weekend), do another TT the following day. Instead I would have done a 1 hour recovery ride at a very gentle pace to get rid of the lactic acid from your legs.
Sometimes you don't perform at your best but just accept it and try and get into the mentality that your cycling will progress over a long period of time. You can test yourself next week.
Over the summer my week looks like this:
Sunday - Long ride (60miles+)
Monday - Recovery ride
Tuesday - TT
Wednesday - Hill repeats
Thurday - Recovery ride
Friday - Sprints
Saturday - DAY OFF

Every 4th week I drop back the mileage/effort slightly to let my legs recover and in theory it's this week that your body adapts and improves.
Another thing, it takes me 30 minutes for my legs to warm up. If I set off on a time trial and haven't warmed up I get the feelings you described. This can have a huge effect on you mentally and can make you think that you just can't complete the distance. If you are going to set out to cycle as fast as you can then warm up properly first.